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local people local events local food local health local environment MAGAZINE at the heart and soul of Exeter, Plymouth and South Devon www.reconnectonline.co.uk ISSUE 3 OCT/NOV 2009 Plug into the new grant system Teach it, learn it, live it Captured or composed Clear YOUR community Gigs, shows, festivals Growing, buying… and reading Celebration of wildlife FREE FREE PLEASE TAKE ONE AND PASS IT ON

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Page 1: Reconnect 3 Oct-Nov 09

local people local events local food local health local environment

MA

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at the heart and soul of Exeter, Plymouth and South Devon

www.reconnectonline.co.uk ISSUE 3 OCT/NOV 2009

Plug into the new grant system

Teach it, learn it, live it

Captured or composed

Clear YOUR community

Gigs, shows, festivals

Growing, buying… and reading

Celebration of wildlife

FREE plEasE takE onE and pass it on

FREE plEasE takE onE and pass it on

Page 2: Reconnect 3 Oct-Nov 09

local people local events local food local health local environment

Advertising: 01392 346342 [email protected] www.reconnectonline.co.uk

local people local events local food local health local environment

Editorial: 01392 346204 [email protected] 3www.reconnectonline.co.uk

YOU might have noticed the whole idea of ‘local’ is a big thing for us.

Sure, some things need co-operation on a national scale (although that’s really only lots of ‘locals’ joined up), and some issues are truly international – but, we would argue, actually very few truly important ones.

Reconnect magazine is, of course, produced by local people, about local people, for local people and this, our October/November issue, sees the introduction of new regular sections focussing on two of the most important local resources, food and energy.

Local food has always played a fundamental role in the development of sustainable communities, even long before they were called ‘sustainable communities’. And thankfully we are gradually realising (or remembering) the importance of putting only good quality food and drink in our bodies – which means either we grow it ourselves, or we pay local producers the real cost of growing it for us.

The simple realisation that cheapest is seldom best, and never when applied to food, means local growers and farmers can now sell their produce, without selling their commercial souls to the supermarkets, through farm shops, farmers’ markets, organic produce stores, veg and meat box schemes and so on.

New to that list, and hopefully bearing fruit and veg soon - in Totnes, Stroud and eventually across the country - will be The Hub, an innovative new form of online market place. Think box scheme meets farmer’s market, all controlled via the internet and with a collection point right at the heart of the community – The Hub.

There’s more on this, and other aspects of local food, elsewhere in this issue (and every future issue), but I do want to mention just one more local food initiative also being piloted in South Devon.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England has worked with members of Transition Town Totnes to ‘map’ the existing local food system of producers, distributors and retailers - something which TTT see as the first vital stage in developing an infrastructure for the future.

So now the research has been done and a small group of volunteers are busy getting the information into a report – to find out more, and have a say in how the information is used, get along to the Methodist Church in Totnes at 7pm on Thursday, November 12.

WHEN we told people we were planning to encourage an anti-litter blitz, we were really impressed by the feedback.

What wasn’t so encouraging was the response from local councils when we called to ask if we could help with any campaigns they were planning or already running.

Still, they must be very busy doing… all that other stuff they do.

HAVING got nowhere with the councils, I happened to bump into George Monck, of the CleanupUK campaign, who just happened to call in at the Totnes Green Drinks gathering in The Barrelhouse, having come down from Bristol to meet… the councils.

The result of he and I meeting, as well as a small but I’m sure appreciated boost to local brewery sales figures, is the piece on page 4, encouraging local groups, organisations or individuals to contact Keep Britain Tidy at www.thebigtidyup.org and organise a clean-up all of your own. If you want a job doing properly…

THE simple act of a community getting together and cleaning the place up is a reminder that we can still have a very real effect on the one place that really matters to us: the place where we live.

All the time we hear about people feeling disenfranchised, unable to influence national politics and not listened to by the major political parties.

Well, if it feels like they only pay us any attention when they want our vote every four years, how about we ignore them and just get on and make things happen?

Look around where you live and you’ll see people actively doing something to improve the lives of their families and their community – they’re growing food and producing energy, and they’re also improving their health and wellbeing, organising entertainment, sharing transport, caring for the vulunerable.

So join them. Encourage them to join you. Let us help you Reconnect with what’s really important in life. As Ghandi famously said: Be the change you want to see in the world.

AND finally… the next issue. And, crikey, it’s almost Christmas…

We want our December/January issue to be full of ways to enjoy a particularly special, ethical and local festive season.

So if your family is dreaming of a green Christmas, tell us how and why, and if you sell local goods or services that would give readers’ seasonal celebrations a sustainable swing, you know where we are.

And even more finally, we’d also like to take a look forward at what 2010 has in store for us, so if you have dates set for anything you think will interest our readers, tell us about them.

Editor

COMMERCIAL EDITORPete Hardy - 01392 346342 2 Withall’s Gardens, Lympstone, EX8 5JH [email protected] Currie - 01392 411630 [email protected] Foster - 01392 346204 [email protected] Blacksmith’s Cottage, Washbourne, Totnes TQ9 7UBDESIGNERAndy Gooding - 01626 353977 www.visiongraphicdesign.co.ukPUBLISHED BYReconnect Publishing Ltd, 15 Sylvan Rd, Exeter EX4 6EWPRINTED BYKingfisher Print, Wills Road, Totnes TQ9 5XN. www.kingfisherprint.co.ukADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUEAdvertising for the December/January issue (out Dec 1) must be booked by Nov 6. To talk about advertising (no hard sell, we promise!), call Pete Hardy on 01392 346342 or email [email protected]. Advert sizes and prices are on our website: www.reconnectonline.co.ukWEBSITEVisit www.reconnectonline.co.uk and you’ll find:• an online PDF version of this issue• a day-by-day events diary• more news and articles• advert sizes and prices• details of our magazine stockists• loads of useful links To contribute, please email Martin or PeteECO ETHOSreconnect is written, designed, printed and distributed locally, using materials from sustainable sources. The magazine is printed using vegetable-based inks and biodegradable fount solution, and the paper is 75 per cent post-consumer waste and 25 per cent virgin fibre from a sustainable source. It is also chlorine-free and FSC-accredited (www.fsc-uk.org). All by-products of the production and printing processes are recycled. Please recycle reconnect by passing it on to a friend

COPYRIGHT© Reconnect Publishing Ltd 2009. All rights reserved. No part of Reconnect can be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher. But do ask – if you’re genuinely spreading the word, we’ll do what we can to help. The publishers, editor and authors accept no responsibility in respect of any products, goods or services advertised or referred to in this issue, or any errors, omissions, mis-statements or mistakes in any advertisements or references

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Page 3: Reconnect 3 Oct-Nov 09

local people local events local food local health local environment

Advertising: 01392 346342 [email protected] www.reconnectonline.co.uk

local people local events local food local health local environment

Editorial: 01392 346204 [email protected] 5www.reconnectonline.co.uk

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Picking up the piecesLIKE all the best campaign ideas, it began with a spark of passion – one of the Reconnect team, Robin Currie, just hates litter.“We must do something in Reconnect,” he said. And after asking around and realising just how strongly people feel about litter clogging up every corner of Devon, we had to agree.We all know what the problem is. And it seems equally obvious the council is unwilling/unable (delete as you feel applicable) to do anything about it.But there is an answer: us. All of us.This is a perfect example of something that will benefit our immediate environment and over which we have direct control.

And the people at Keep Britain Tidy are there to help, with their campaign, The Big Tidy Up.“We’re all entitled to have pride in our local areas,” they say. “And we all have the right to make a difference.”So, whether you want to take action as an individual, with friends or neighbours, or with some muscle from any organisation you belong to, why not give your community a makeover?The Big Tidy Up is one of Keep Britain Tidy’s biggest and longest running campaigns – more than 50,000 bags of rubbish has already been collected and the 2009/2010 push has just been launched, with TV property peddlar Kirstie Allsopp doing her bit to move it all along. To get involved, visit www.thebigtidyup.org and register your interest. You will then receive a special kit of posters, stickers, tabards and badges, as well as tips on how to stay safe.No doubt we will leave the lofty heights of Reconnect Towers and get stuck in at some point, but we will also do our bit by running updates in the magazine and on our website.So, if you’re planning a litter purge in your area, let us know and we’ll run the details in our next issue and help you get volunteers (give us as much warning as possible).And when you hold the clear-up, take a photo and send it in and we’ll run that too.Together we can really clean up!

Species spacesWITH so many stories around about impending natural disaster, it’s good to hear that people like Devon Wildlife Trust (DWT) are quietly getting on with projects to give nature a chance.Back in the summer, for example, rare silver studded blue butterflies were spotted on its Bystock nature reserve, near Exmouth, for the first time in 20 years.Matt Boydell of DWT said: “This demonstrates that, with the right amount of effort and support, it is possible to help these rare species to spread further. We have to thank our regular volunteers who have helped to improve the site over the past few years.” Visit www.devonwildlifetrust.org

Health at the heart of the cityTHE Exeter Natural Health Centre has been re-launched under the new management of city homoeopaths Mo and Ali Morrish, above.The couple have taken over the Queen Street premises following the untimely death in March of the centre’s inspirational founder Jon Freeman.Jon and Alison Pennicot set up the ENHC eight years ago offering six consulting rooms for therapists alongside a massage training school.Over the past nine years the centre has become the natural base for some of the city’s finest practitioners and it is Mo and Ali’s aim to establish ENHC as a centre of excellence in complementary health.“Helping people restore themselves to health is deeply humbling,” said Mo.“We get a great sense of satisfaction from our work and have found that 70-75 per cent of our patients have reported significant improvement in their health while 100 per cent have rated our service as excellent in terms of care.”An official re-launch was held on Saturday, September 26, when friends of the centre attended an open evening to re-energise the centre and to celebrate the life of Jon Freeman. The training room has been dedicated to Jon’s memory.Said Mo: “Our aspiration is to develop the centre and to promote the vision of integrated healthcare in our community. We would like to encourage people to be able to make more informed choices about their health.”The ENHC is available to therapists with rooms to hire at an introductory rate of £50 per day or £30 for half a day.There are currently 25 therapists using its facilities on a regular basis, offering a variety of therapies and a light and airy refuge from the hustle and bustle of the street.

Green fair growsEXETER’S Green Fair this year more than doubled its attendance by moving to a new venue.The region’s oldest regular environmental event, dating back 22 years, has previously occupied the gardens of the Bishop’s Palace, where visitor figures were around 600, but last month’s event moved to Cathedral Green and more than 1500 people visited the 58 stalls.Mark Cox, one of the organisers, said passing trade had boosted numbers. “We are no longer just preaching to the converted,” he said.

In for the skillSOMETIMES even the simplest (and usually, therefore, best) ideas just don’t happen without the all-important catalyst.In the case of Skillshares, the elements waiting for the connection were people with practical skills – and people who wanted to learn them. And it needed Asha and friends from Transition Town Totnes to make it happen.The resulting Skillshares are practical, fun and, most importantly, free workshops, where skills are shared over a relaxed cup of tea.“So far we have lined up Skillshares on basic bicycle maintenance, sourdough bread, curtain making and sewing, simple book binding, knitting, and gluten-free cooking,” says Sasha.“It’s free, easy, informal and flexible, and everyone benefits. Anyone can organise a workshop for whenever they want, and we are in the process of constructing a website page to make it easier to run.”

The format of the Skillshare is also down to the person running it - from a short workshop, to a discussion you want to host, or even a short-term apprenticeship. If you have a skill you would be happy to share, or you have a skill you would like to learn from others, contact Asha [email protected], or 0794 259 8155), watch out for Skillshares page soon to appear on the TTT website, or search for the Skillshares group on Facebook.

Go figureTHE Hitchhiker’s Guide might tell you that 42 is the answer to life, the universe and everything, but many believe the most important number on Earth is currently 350.Scientists say that 350 parts per million of CO2 in the atmosphere is the safe limit for humanity and it’s formed the focalpoint of a new campaign to do something about it.The bad news (well, what did you expect?) is that we are currently running around 388. But there is still hope (well, what did you expect?), and the focus for worldwide action to reduce the figure to a sustainable, livable level, is October 24, International Day of Climate Change, when people around the world will be taking action to raise everyone’s awareness.Find out more at www.350.org.Locally, the Bovey Climate Action are planning a twilight candlelit procession and are staging their third Birthday Bash to coincide with October 24 day of action.Meet at 6.30pm at the Station Road car park for the procession - children very welcome. Take a candle in a jar. You need to book for the ‘supper and bash’, which is 7.30pm at the church. Email [email protected] out more about BCA at www.boveyclimateaction.org.uk, or call their treasurer Andrew Shadrake on 0845 478 6311.

Student treatmentGIVING therapy students hands-on experience can be a very affordable solution for clients who want to sample a particular treatment and to test its effectiveness.

In association with the Contemporary College of Homeopathy in Exeter, experienced homeopath Margot Maidement MA RSHom is running a clinic on the last Saturday of each month.

Third and fourth year students will offer fully supervised treatment for people of all ages at affordable rates,

Margot explained that homeopathy takes into account your physical, emotional, and mental well-being while looking at the causes of any deterioration in health.

Call Margot on 01392 250847 to book. Hot at Phoenix

THE quality of performers and shows at Exeter Phoenix just keeps getting better and better (other superb art and culture centres are available).Last month we enjoyed the wonderful Alela Diane there. And just look what they’ve got lined up for the first half of October alone: Ben Taylor (son of James Taylor and Carly Simon) on October 4, Kate Walsh (gentle and folky) on the 5th, Jackie Oates (more traditional folk) on the 8th, Noah and The Whale (quirky, moody and excellent) on the 10th, Idlewild (gutsy indie) on the 12th and Cara Dillon (folky, highly-rated live) on the 15th.November includes folk duo Spiers and Boden on the 8th, world music from Zubop Gambia on the 13th, wild modern jazz from Polar Bear on the 19th, ex-Lamb vocalist Lou Rhodes on the 22th and big-name (although only three letters) folksters Lau on the 24th.And there’s all manner of other music, dance and drama. Find out more at www.exeterphoenix.org.uk, and book on 01392 667080.

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Page 4: Reconnect 3 Oct-Nov 09

local people local events local food local health local environment

Advertising: 01392 346342 [email protected] www.reconnectonline.co.uk

local people local events local food local health local environment

Editorial: 01392 346204 [email protected] 7www.reconnectonline.co.uk

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Euro grant successTHE farming and food industries in South and East Devon should be rubbing their hands with glee at the news that £6 million has landed in their laps courtesy of the Rural Development Fund for Rural England.Four Devon Local Action groups won the European aid to help create sustainable farming, tourism and food. Greater Dartmoor and South Devon Coastal received £1.8 million each and the Blackdown Hills and East Devon picked up £2.4 million. Liz Abell, programme co-ordinator for Devon Renaissance, said: “These funds are available until 2013, so they give a huge part of rural Devon the opportunity to develop great projects to boost their economies. It seems Devon won the lion’s share of the money available in the South West.”

AT a time when many communities are searching for a way to replace the lifeblood drained out of them by supermarkets, The Hub could just help to put the heart back into local shopping… The concept of The Hub is as clever as it is simple: imagine a veg box scheme crossed with an online farmers’ market. That’s The Hub.It works something like this: local growers enter details of their available produce on The Hub’s website; customers go online, read about the producers, choose what they want and pay for it online (using PayPal, Visa, or whatever); the grower then takes the produce along to a central point in the community (The Hub) on a given day and the customers turn up and collect it.In terms of sustainability it ticks all the boxes: minimal food miles; seasonal produce; community run.Benefits for the producers are equally obvious: they sell their produce direct to the consumer, with no middlemen, and don’t have to hang around in a market all day hoping for punters. They know exactly what they’ve sold, and have already been paid for it, before they leave home. And they get a massive 92 per cent of the price, with just eight per cent going towards The Hub’s expenses.But what’s in it for us shoppers? Can’t we already buy local produce at the market, or through a box scheme?Well, The Hub allows us to shop around, which the box scheme does not, and a discounted price (say around 10 per cent less than the high street) saves money too. There are also plans for neighbours to pick up fruit and veg for the elderly or disabled, who can’t get along to The Hub itself.Driven by members of Transition Town Totnes, with the Community Council of Devon www.devonrcc.org.uk, all the development work is actually being carried out in Stroud, Gloucestershire.

Local food projects are already big in Stroud, where they already have three community-supported farms (www.stroudcommunityagriculture.org), so The Hub was the next natural development. They got hold of the funding necessary to develop the project on the understanding that everything they learned would go straight into the public domain and be available to other groups in other communities… enter Totnes.

The Hub is a massive project and has Lottery funding to be developed over the next five years, but it will be up and running, in Stroud and Totnes, long before that – hopefully, sometime around next spring.

Currently, the website (hugely complex to set up but very user-friendly) is being tested.

It is also hoped that The Hub will go some way towards rebuilding some of the more social benefits of old-style shopping, which most towns seemed happy to sacrifice in the name of out-of-town supermarket ‘progress’. So The Hub will be a meeting place, and it will be central to the community it feeds. And every grower taking part in the scheme will open their farm gates to the public at least once a year.

Problems will surely be encountered (and hopefully overcome) during the development of The Hub, and there are undoubtedly practical issues to be resolved. But we think it is a concept with a future – and that more than a few other towns will be making use of the pioneering work currently being done in Stroud and Totnes.

Watch this space for more developments – or, in the meantime, keep an eye on the websites of Transition Town Totnes (totnes.transitionnetwork.org), Stroud community farms (www.stroudcommunityagriculture.org) and, of course, Reconnect magazine (www.reconnectonline.co.uk).

A NEW Lottery-funded scheme will provide advice, training, expertise and even a little cash to communities wanting to grow their own food.Home Grown, Community Owned (HogCo to its friends) has been set up after it was agreed at last year’s 21st Century Village Conference that the main challenges facing rural communities are: rising fuel, food and housing costs; loss of community spirit; climate change; and the need for more sustainable development.Community food growing projects were seen as at least a part-solution to all of these and the Community

Council of Devon’s new scheme is designed to make at least some of them happen.HogCo is a three-year project and will work with up to 60 local groups, including parish councils, village hall trusts, community organisations, campaigning groups, or even a few individuals keen to work together.If you would like to put forward your group or community to take part in this project, or you would like more information, call Dawn Eckhart at the Community Council of Devon offices on 01392 383681, visit www.devonrcc.org.uk, or email [email protected].

Growing communities

Inventing a new wheel

Weeding between the linesMOST of us (certainly most of us reading this magazine) agree communities need to become more sustainable. And who could argue that producing more local food is a vital part of the process?So why isn’t it happening? The answer, of course, is that it is happening. Just not enough.Demand for allotments continues to grow (having outgrown the supply long ago); community gardens (like Bovey Tracey’s featured in our last issue) are filling wheelbarrows with produce even as you read this; and more sophisticated initiatives, like the Food Hub detailed elsewhere on this page, are even stirring the curious creatures who stalk the dusty corridors of Whitehall.But while all these projects are incredibly productive, they would fill but a few feet of the miles of supermarket shelves we need to feed the people of the UK. So what’s needed to turn more consumers into growers? How can the supermarket shoppers be encouraged to use, and even be part of, a local food project?We’ve got the land (there are acres of disused, misused and generally abused community spaces across the country). What we need are the skills, inspiration, and will to design, start and run such a scheme.What we need is a handbook…After the massive success of The Transition Handbook, written by Rob Hopkins, Totnes-based pioneer of what has become an international transition movement, it is no surprise he focuses on local food in Local Food, How To Make It Happen In Your Community, co-written with fellow local food campaigner Tamzin PinkertonIn the familiar chunky, no-nonsense, utility-style format we know and love of Dartington-based publishers Green Books, Local Food, How to… etc, informs and inspires with advice on all sizes of local food projects, from garden shares to farmers’ markets, from allotments to community orchards. All of it backed up with first-hand, hands-on, even-handed reports from people who have done it – and made it work.There’s theory for those who want it, including discussions of food security, pesticides and the all-important logistics of committees and the like, and it all adds up to is a readable and usable practical guide to how your community can grow its very own local food project.Local Food, How to make it happen in your community, is on sale now at all the usual outlets (please use a local independent bookshop) for £12.95. ISBN 978 1 900322 43 0

RECONNECT has three copies of Local Food, How to make it happen in your community, to give away. To keep things simple, and avoid all those potential legal hassles, we’ll send them to the first three readers to email the message ‘I’m hungry for local food information’ to [email protected]. That’s it. No pretend questions. No picking names from imaginary hats. Just hot-foot it to the nearest computer.

BILLING themselves modestly as ‘The very best small food festival in the world’, the Dartmouth Food Festival is centred around the town’s Market Square, where a marquee will house a rolling programme of children’s events, cookery demonstrations, markets, wine tastings “and much, much more”. The festival runs from October 21-25, at venues around Dartmouth. Find out more at www.dartmouthfoodfestival.co.uk

THE Celebration of Food is an umbrella event that covers a whole range of food events listed in this issue and runs through the month of October – and across the whole of the Westcountry, if you’re out and about. Way too many events to list in full, but worth a visit to www.celebrationoffood.co.uk.

DEVON’S only Slow Food market, which moved to Topsham’s Matthew’s Hall after two years at Exeter Quay and changed its day of trading from Saturday to Sundays, is held monthly from 11am-3pm. The next two markets in Topsham are October 18 and November 22.

TWO seasonal food craft events coming up at Occombe Farm Education Centre in Paignton. A Pumpkin Carving and Hallowe’en Masks workshop for the kids is on October 30, 3.30-5pm, and it costs £3.50 per pumpkin. Then, on November 1, there’s a chance to learn some new baking skills for Christmas.Runs 9.30am-4pm and costs £50, including lunch. Booking essential for both events - 01803 606035. More details at www.occombe.org.uk.

PRESERVING the Harvest is the title of a workshop jam-packed with “hands on cooking, hints and tips” from Lori Reich of Shute Fruit, winner of the 2009 Taste of the West’s Best of Preserves award. It runs from 9.30am-4pm, on October 10, at Bishopsteignton Community Centre, near Teignmouth, and costs £47, including refreshments, lunch and cream tea. Booking essential – call 01626 777570 or vist www.shutefruit.co.uk.

IF you’re a meat eater in the Exeter area, and want a taste of Dartmoor beef, lamb and pork, without clocking up the food miles, drop in at Moor Meat @ Parr’s Farm, just off the Devon Hotel Roundabout at Matford Farm, Marsh Barton. You’ll also find handmade sausages, burgers and home-cured bacon – and more. Call 01392 257600 to find out more.

CELEBRATE seasonal food with a seasonal event – an Apple Day and crafts festival at Cockington Court in Torquay on October 18. Watch (and smell) apples being pressed on their Victorian press, buy fresh juice to take home and enjoy the kids’ activities, entertainment and music all day. Visit www.cockingtoncourt.info

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Page 5: Reconnect 3 Oct-Nov 09

local people local events local food local health local environment

Advertising: 01392 346342 [email protected] www.reconnectonline.co.uk

local people local events local food local health local environment

Editorial: 01392 346204 [email protected] 9www.reconnectonline.co.uk

Individual Psychotherapy

UKCP Registered - Accredited - Professional Code of Ethics

Mark Craig MA

01803 865672Emma Fein MA

01364 631512Colin Sutton MA

01363 77483707811 285875

We offer an approach that brings the wisdom andcompassion of Buddhist understanding toWestern psychotherapy

For a free initial meeting in Exeter or Totnes call

Freedom to Love

For more information visit the website: www.jackiewatson.co.uk or email: [email protected] / Tel: (0)1626 854367

Discover the Presence of Love within you.Jackie offers one-to-one sessions, workshops & talks.

“Sessions with Jackie are truly transformational, she works in a very loving and accepting way, and I always feel completely safe to uncover deeper aspects of myself.” D.B. Exeter“A source of inspiration and insightfulness. Jackie’s patience and compassion shines through all her work. The pathway is made smooth and purposeful, the destination joyous.” W.T. Teignmouth

A path that will change your life

Healing, Acupuncture, Aquadetox, Massage,Life Coaching, Lifestyle Advice, NutritionalAdvice, Australian Bush Flower Remedies.

Rachel Bolton channeling intuitivehealing, touching the spirit we allhave but rarely embrace.

Contact Rachel Bolton on: Tel: 0844 335 0402 (local rate) or mobile 07957 597 618 or e-mail [email protected] www.touchthespirit.com

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THERE are as many ways of taking a photograph as there are ways of looking, but Totnes photographer David Thurston’s work can be split into two broad groups.The first are the spontaneous, the single-opportunity shots that capture the passing of the moment.“I enjoy seeing the potential in my mind’s eye – and then being there when it, or sometimes something surprisingly different, happens,” says David, 65.During the Eighties, he applied this principle to the people who were his subjects in China, Tibet, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, when he worked for the South China Morning Post newspaper group based in Hong Kong.“I preferred people to be aware I was there, but then to get used to me, so I could catch candid images without being intrusive,” he explained.His capturing of the moment is particularly evident in his most recent work – a study of Canada Geese on the Rivers Dart, Teign and Exe, taken over the past year.“When I was a boy, I enjoyed fishing,” says David, “and this is a similar activity. I might not see any geese, but instead I get shots of buzzards, deer and other creatures.“What I’m constantly searching for, though, is that perfect moment when the geese touch down into the water, or leave it in flight.”In the second theme of his work, close-up studies of plantlife, David explores the timeless depth of the moment.

“These are really the opposite of the pictures that freeze the action,” says David. “With these studies, I can move around my subject, exploring the infinite beauty of nature’s detail. It becomes more of a meditative process.”Another of his on-going projects, meanwhile, captures the essence of some very different life studies.For more than 15 years in the Seventies and Eighties, David was the official photographer for the South China Costume Ball, an annual party marathon held in exotic locations and attended by some of the world’s wealthiest men and women.“It was 8-10 days of partying, costumes and high glamour,” says David, who is currently creating a book from the thousands of pictures he took.While those images of decadence will be made available only to those who attended the parties, many of his other photographs can be bought from his website www.davidthurstonphotography.co.uk, including a shot of an engineer repairing a tangle of telephone wires in Phuket, in Thailand, in 2006 – one of two Thurston pictures chosen for the 2008 Royal Academy of Arts summer exhibition (and subsequently sold for £950). He also had three pictures in the last 100 selected from 20,000 entries for the 2009 International Garden Photographer of the Year – and if you have any doubts about the artistic merits of photography (it took until 2001 for the Royal Academy to accept them), check out the winners at www.igpoty.com.

Of moments and meditation

Folk of fortuneIN 10 years of organising concerts, Harberton Folk have raised well over £30,000 for local charities – almost £23,000 for the Totnes school, KEVICC.And it’s still coming in, with upcoming gigs including the big-name Oysterband, above, (October 3 at the Ariel Centre, Totnes), the brilliantly-named Hoover The Dog (November 14 in Harberton Parish Hall) and the saintly-named St Agnes Fountain (December 6, again in Ariel Centre).And the Harberton Folk folk want us to add that it only happens because they are supported by “ a small army of volunteers”. Find out more at www.harbertonfolk.co.uk

Harbour no doubtsTHERE is the usual breadth of scope in the exhibitions coming up over October and November at Harbour House in Kingsbridge, although you can be sure of a continuity of quality. Expect the best work from the best local artists… and a little of the unexpected.See our diary for the full rundown on dates and www.harbourhouse.org.uk for more on the artists.

A diet of changeTHERE can be no simpler way of improving our health than eating well, and nutritional healing expert Carol Lee believes there is no limit to its benefits.Carol, who runs The Natural Food School near Crediton, says food has a profound effect on every part of our being.“It is the very core of our well-being and our ability to ‘sparkle’ in the world,” she says. “It can make us feel strong and graceful, or heavy and awkward; alert and lively, or dulled and lethargic; in touch with our feelings, or disconnected and lost.”The Natural Food School runs workshops, ‘cook and eat’ sessions and one-to-one consultations for anyone who wants to know how and why good food makes such a huge difference to health and vitality.Coming workshops include Eating for Health and Vitality, on Friday October 9, and Introduction to Nutritional Healing on Friday, November 20. Both events will run near Crediton and cost £50.For free downloads, dates and prices, visit www.naturalfoodschool.co.uk or call Carol on 01363 82794.

Still in stillnessAFTER building up and running her personal and business coaching practice, Thrivecraft, near Totnes, Srimati, above, stepped back from her workshops and one-to-one sessions to concentrate on writing and publishing.A little over a year later, she’s back. So what did she come up with? “In the end, I went back to my roots,” says Srimati, “to the spiritual intelligence that informs and inspires all my work, and in particular, to meditation.”Srimati was an ordained Buddhist for many years and although she moved on from that when she set up Thrivecraft, she has always drawn on her unusually rich spiritual background. “With all the stress and confusion of our times and the search for big global solutions, I wanted to remind us all that there are also solutions available at a personal level too,” said Srimati. “Anyone can learn how to tap in to their own answers, even if they don’t think they’re the meditating sort .“I’ve recorded a special guided meditation, so all you have to do is plug-in, listen and relax - the rest happens by itself.“I find meditation by-passes all our usual surface thinking and cuts to the real gold inside every one of us.”Srimati is running a drop-in Tuesday evening meditation group in Broadhempston and her new Find Your Answers meditation workshop is on October 24/25 in Totnes. Her Find Your Answers guided meditation CD/MP3 and forthcoming book are available from www.thrivecraft.co.uk and on 01803 812904.

Route of conflictCONFLICT is an inevitable part of life, but handling it well can really strengthen relationships, particularly if it involves someone close. Relationship counselling is a natural, holistic way of feeling better about yourself and those around you by helping you understand what lies at the root of your difficulties.Over the last eight years Chris Cowen has built up a practice as a counsellor and a coach, working with a large number of clients on a wide range of issues. Having trained as a counsellor at the Iron Mill Institute in Exeter, Chris is now a fully accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). For more information phone 01392 496126 or visit www.chriscowen.co.uk.

Ethical policyGIVEN the interest around ethical finance, it is perhaps surprising that other professions don’t have their ethical operators. Where are the ethical accountants, for example, where are the ethical lawyers…? Well, yes, but you see what we mean…There is, though, an ethical insurance broker. Established in 1993 in Totnes, but insuring people and business nationwide, Naturesave have just been listed ‘Best Buy’ for home insurance by Ethical Consumer because of their “comprehensive take on making insurance a sustainable industry”.Their home buildings and contents insurance policies cover all types of building, including self-build, strawbale and eco-homes, and offer discounts for eco-lifestyle choices such as water butts, double glazing, insulation, solar panels, A-grade appliances, energy saving lightbulbs, wind turbines, etc.And 10 per cent of all household, travel, personal accident and legal expense insurance premiums goes directly into The Naturesave Trust to fund specific environmental and conservation projects throughout the UK. Recent projects funded can be found on the Naturesave website and include a school wind turbine, a new owl hospital and aviary for the Barn Owl Trust and support for white good refurbishers Refurbiz Ltd.Naturesave also offer commercial insurance for all sizes of business, including a FREE environmental performance review. Their clients include Ecology Building Society, The Findhorn Foundation, Greenfibres, Barchester Green and the Ethical Transport Association (ETA).Find out more at www.naturesave.co.uk, or call 01803 864390.

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local people local events local food local health local environment

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LIGHT HAVEN CENTREExciting tEn DAY AccREDitED cOURSE

HEALING SELF & SpIrItuAL dEvELopmENtcommencing 17th October

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“Thank you for a wonderful Angel Workshop, my heart has been singing ever since.” R.S.

FOR FURtHER DEtAiLS tELEPHOnE 01626 774404or EmAIL: [email protected]

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The Contemporary College of HomeopathyThe Contemporary College of Homeopathy

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You give us one weekend a month; we give you an unrivalled, dynamic and professional training. Homeopathy is more than a system of medicine. It is challenging, rewarding and life-changing.

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Need a place just to be?Experienced therapist new to the area, I have been practicing since 1998 and am fully insured. I am able to offer a combination of treatments per session to meet your needs at a realistic cost for you. I practice in the relaxation of a rural location 15mins from Crediton, 10mins from Exeter with easy and free parking or from a venue in Credi-ton if you prefer. Theses private settings are wheelchair friendly.

IndIan HEad MassagE (with oil option and hot/cold crystal stone option) .....from £25

Crystal tHErapy to balance and harmonise your body ...................................£25

Crystal tHErapy or rEIkI to balance and harmonise buildings ................£neg

rEIkI MastEr offering healing and training others to heal ..........................from £25

CounsEllor & psyCHotHErapIst (Member of BACP) ..........................£30 (1st session half price)I am also looking for other Therapists that need a venue to open a Therapy centre in the rural location.

please call Mandy on 01363 772298

Solar takes overHOW satisfying would it be to switch off your gas supply in the depths of winter and know your water was piping hot and that ice wasn’t going to appear on the inside of your windows?Increasingly, conventional heating systems are being made redundant by combined solar thermal and log burner systems.Heating engineer Bev Rowe says home owners are fed up relying on fossil fuels such as gas and oil, and instead want to avoid massive fluctuations in price and to reduce their carbon footprint.“What we are doing more and more is putting in log burners with back boilers and combining that with solar energy and leaving the existing boiler as a back-up.”“I’ve got customers running all of their heating and hot water from logs and solar heating with no need to run the back-up system.”Grants are available providing it is an approved appliance and the installation is by an approved contractor.Call Bev at Bramshaw Heating and Plumbing on 01392 277199, or visit www.bramshawheatingandplumbing.co.uk

Improve your earning powerTHE main reason for the success of domestic renewable energy systems in European countries like Germany is a special government grant called a feed-in tariff, which pays householders for all the electricity they generate.The Government announced in July that a similar system is finally coming to the UK in April of next year when it will replace the Low Carbon renewable installation grant that currently operates.And that means that from now until next April there is a unique opportunity to take advantage of BOTH grants. So you can get the installation grant (of up to £2,500) to help pay for having your new system installed, and then earn a nice little income from the power it generates. And that’s for all the power they produce – whether it’s exported into the grid or used on-site. A standard domestic 2kWp solar photo voltaic (PV) system, for example, will earn around £700 a year - plus huge savings in power used from the grid.Seaton solar specialist Chris Rudge said: “Obviously, this is proving to be very popular – taking advantage of both schemes has brought the payback period of solar PV systems down to around 6-8 years.”Talk to Chris on 01297 306114, or visit www.chrisrudge.co.uk.

A career in bodyworkAN Exeter massage and bodywork training school has been re-launched as part of the new look Exeter Natural Health Centre in Queen Street.Set up in 2001, the leading training centre last month came under new management and is now run by Emma Gilmore, who already operates a highly successful practice offering sports and remedial massage at Bridport Complementary Medical Centre.Emma is offering numerous new professional courses in massage and bodywork, many tailored to suit those seeking a fundamental career change.Emma, 40, trained in Ireland and then at the London College of Massage and later deepened her knowledge at the Exeter Natural Health Centre under the tuition of Katie Whitehouse and the late Jon Freeman.The school is offering a variety of courses from one-day workshops introducing beginners to massage and bodywork (£60) to the inspirational 23-day complete bodyworker diploma in massage and bodywork (£1,295, plus examination fee) starting in October, with 184 contact hours spread over nine months.Emma said: “Working as a therapist allows one to achieve the highest standards of professionalism alongside one’s other commitments, such as family. This begins with good training. Students leave this centre with the skills and confidence to establish a successful practice of their own.”Call Emma on 01297 678780 or email [email protected].

Get creative togetherVILLAGES in Action are inviting young people in rural areas across Devon to ‘get together and get creative’ with a new scheme called Creative Communities.The project, for young people aged 14-25, runs a huge range of art workshops including dance, video, drama, animation, music, DJ skills, digital art, creative writing and masses of visual arts choices, including textiles, puppets, sculpture, carnival and more. And they’re open to even more suggestions from young people themselves - the picture shows young people in Princetown learning street dance techniques.Once the workshops come to a close, the Creative Communities project will meet with young people to help them get their group together to keep it going.Young people interested in setting up a Creative Community project can contact Kate at [email protected] or call 07976 712 849. Find out more at www.villagesinaction.co.uk.

Talking talkGREEN Fuse Contemporary Funerals in Totnes are holding discussion groups to give guidance on funerals so you can enter the process informed.Their next is on October 13, 7-9 pm (£15/£10), at 7 Totnes High Street. Call 01803 840779 to book.

Visit the FuturesASHBURTON Futures are giving visitors the chance to see inspirational eco-homes and low-carbon projects up close and in action, in and around the Ashburton area. The public will be given a map of insulated homes, solar water-heating, wood-fuel boilers, off-grid living, low-energy lighting and appliances, community veg-growing and more.For locations and times, call Inge Page on 01364 654471, or email [email protected]

YD83016H002 6/7/2009

Steiner trustee appealIF you feel passionate about education, and what it can deliver apart from academic learning, the Exeter Steiner School needs your help.The Exeter Steiner School boasts an all-round education, embracing social, spiritual, emotional, physical as well as intellectual development, and they are now looking to broaden their trustee base and attract interested people from outside the school.School administrator Jenny Salmon: “If you would like to get involved in a dynamic, pioneering school, please get in touch. The long-term aim of the Exeter Steiner School is to make Steiner Waldorf education available to all, regardless of religion, race, social and financial background.”If you are interested in becoming a trustee contact the school at 80 Merrivale Road, or call 01392 427200.The school is holdfing their advent fayre on November 28, 11am-4pm.

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local people local events local food local health local environment

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www.totnesnappycompany.co.uk

Integrated Acupuncture

Mark Edlund-Plater M.B.Ac/C

Totnes, Torquay, TeignmouthDonations in Totnes (Tues)

Introductory offers

01803 8628030780 4661 078

[email protected]

New centre opensMANDY Coull is about to realise her dream after eight years in a stressful management job, during which time she continued her work as a therapist.In August she left her job and has set up a therapy centre, ‘Place to be’, in the countryside near Exeter.Mandy, above, who is qualified in psychotherapy, counselling, Reiki, stone and crystal therapy and Indian head massage, is now ready to welcome clients “at a realistic cost” to her countryside centre, 10 minutes from Exeter and 15 from Crediton. ‘Place to be’ has car parking and wheelchair access and is also available to other therapists for upwards of two hourly weekly sessions. Call her on 01363 772298 or email [email protected].

Brazilian beatsSAMBA MARCIANAS, the Exeter-based samba band, has only just celebrated its first birthday, but says already bookings are “rolling in”.Formed in September last year by drum teacher Scott Craig, the band is aged between 9-16 and use traditional Brazilian-made instruments to play Brazilian rhythms, characteristic of the Baterias (drum bands) of Rio and Sao Paulo.Said Scott: “The group is incredibly tight and has already been highly acclaimed for their professionalism and musicianship. We performed at the Exeter Respect Festival and the bookings keep rolling in.”See clips of the band on YouTube and call Scott on 01392 662563 to hire or join them.

A monastery run by piratesIT is hard to ignore any organisation that describes itself as being “like a monastery run by pirates” and even its official title stirs the imagination.And that’s just what one would expect from the Westcountry School of Myth and Story, which holds its first Conference of the Arts at St Lawrence’s chapel, in Ashburton, on Friday and Saturday, October 30 and 31.“It will be a hotbed of practical teaching, wild speculation, amazing poetry, deep story and personal creative nourishment,” says director and founder Martin Shaw.“For anyone with a love of myth, poetry or music, this will be an essential experience. Grab your swanfeather cloak and come along!” The conference includes Coleman Barks, David Darling, Joseph Campbell, Lisa Starr and Martin himself, and costs £100.Visit www.schoolofmyth.com, or call 01364 653723.

On the trail of contentmentISN’T to live the life we choose all we really want? Not in a massive swimming pool and his and hers Ferraris kind of way, if we’re honest. But just by being the parent, son or daughter we choose to be. Or by having good, fulfilling relationships, or a job we really enjoy.Sarah-Jayne Hayden-Binder, a Crediton-based practitioner, says LifeTracking can discover what’s preventing that happening.“Our bodies are fantastic at letting us know what is going on,” she says. “ In LifeTracking we are detectives, uncovering the story behind the shoulder pain, the lower back ache, the skin problem, etc – the patterns and habits that are causing stress to your system. We then work on an energetic level to clear them, allowing people to be who they want to be.”LifeTracking is based on Creative Kinesiology, a blend of the understanding of energy in the body from Chinese traditional medicine, with a knowledge of muscles and bones and how they move from modern chiropractic practice. At the core of kinesiology is muscle testing, a gentle, non-invasive way of getting direct feedback from the body, mind and energy systems.LifeTracking can be experienced as individual sessions, where three sessions go a long way to getting to the bottom of an issue, or in group workshops, and both are available throughout the southwest - visit www.lifetracking.net for details.

Beating allergiesALLERGIES can mean misery for sufferers, affecting every aspect of their lives, so a new anti-allergy therapy could literally be life-changing.NAET is a method of eliminating food and environmental allergies, strengthening the body’s immune system to enable it to deal with stresses, and clearing the emotional blocks which prevent good health.It incorporates treatment principles of three recognised therapies: muscle-testing from kinesiology; the chiropractic manipulation of back pressure points, and acupuncture (or acupressure for the needle-shy).Find out more from Crediton-based NAET practitioner Penny Lowery - email [email protected], or call 01363 777261/07748 160368

www.therapeandsexualabusehelpline.co.uk

Rape & Sexual Abuse HelplineHelpline hours: Tues, Wed, Thurs, 7pm -10pm

Volunteers needed• Help to make a difference• Full training and on-going support• Exeter based charity covering Devon• Can you spare two evenings a month?To volunteer call 01392 254575

The service we provide is confidential, anonymous and most importantly, a ‘listening’ service. Call us free on

0808 800 0188Your call is treated in the strictest confidence

Several green bottlesIN the spirit of transparency and openness, we have to admit to having had a few discussions about how to cover the Green Party in Reconnect.While we are broadly in agreement with most of their policies, we want to keep the magazine independent – but then it would be crazy not to admit we have areas of common ground.So, in the spirit of encouraging gatherings of like-minded people, we feel we must mention Green Drinks, Green Party-organised but very relaxed gatherings in Exeter, Newton Abbot and Totnes.In Exeter, they’re on the second Thursday of every month, from 8pm at Wells Tavern; in Newton Abbot on the second Monday at 7.30pm; and in Totnes on the last Wednesday at the Barrelhouse, 7.30pm. The Green Party are currently feeling a bit smug about Totnes, incidentally, their Totnes Rural candidate Paul Black having won in the Devon county elections and their Totnes Town Council candidate, Jacqi Hodgson, getting in with 56 per cent of the vote.

Greener kind of fairTHOSE ever-industrious souls at Bovey Climate Action are working with other local groups to stage the Bovey Green Street Fair.Part of the Two Moors Low Carbon Festival, it will be held in the town’s Fore Street, 1-5pm on Saturday, October 10. Visit www.boveyclimateaction.org.uk or www.lowcarbonfestival.co.uk.

Close to the hedgeCELEBRATE the rich diversity of Devon hedgerows during Devon Hedge Week, from October 24-November 1, when there will be all manner of hedge-related events to raise awareness and appreciation. Find out more at www.exeter.gov.uk, public libraries and Tourist Information Centres.

EDAP plan newsTHE Totnes & District Energy Descent Action Plan, which plots the effect of dwindling oil supplies and the community’s ability to sustain itself, has finally been completed.We’d hoped to have more news before going to press but our deadline beat us, so we’ll put an update on the Reconnect website www.reconnectonline.co.uk when we can, and you can also visit the Transition Town Totnes site at www.totnes.transitionnetwork.org

Open mindedIT is the dream of most artists to get their own exhibition, but increasingly artlovers are enjoying artists’ work where it’s produced in Open Studio events. Artists in the Exeter area will be throwing open their doors from Friday-Sunday, November 6-8. Visit www.exeterartspaces.co.uk.

PsychotheraPyAdrienne van Dorpen BA(Hons), MA

Ashburton, Devon

For a free initial meeting, call

07974 936008• MA in Core Process Psychotherapy, working towards UKCP accreditation• 15 years experience as a counsellor & skills trainer working with groups & individuals• Over 10 years specialist experience in the field of addictions & craving

For more information about what I offer, visit:

www.avdpsychotherapy.co.uk

By using the latest NLP and Time Line TherapyTM techniques Iempower you to let go of negative emotions and limiting beliefsswiftly and comfortably.Imagine how good it feels when you are in control and creatinga new fulfilling life.

For more details and a free consultation phone Erica on:

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OCTOBER

THURSDAY 1

Until October 23 After the Net (2.0), exhibition, Peninsula Arts Gallery, University of Plymouth, free, www.peninsula-arts.co.ukUntil 16 October 2009 Graphic Expressionism, exhibition, Peninsula Arts, Cube Gallery, University of Plymouth, free, www.peninsula-arts.co.ukUntil November 5 Inside Out, exhibition by Emma Carter, Phil Dixon and Christine Sweetman at Torre Abbey, Torquay, www.torre-abbey.org.ukUntil November 8 In Tandem, furniture maker Blandine Anderson and ceramicist Terry Sawle, Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Riverside Mill, Bovey Tracey, daily 10am-5.30pm, 01626 832223, www.crafts.org.ukExeter Farmers’ Market, on the junction of South Street and Fore Street, 9am - 2pm.Unsettled Scores, Peninsula Arts, Theatre 1, Roland Levinsky Building, University of Plymouth, 7.30pm, £8/£5, 01752 585050, www.peninsula-arts.co.uk

SATURDAY 3

Rockpool Ramble, 11am (lasts approx 1hr 30mins), meet at Wembury Marine Centre, £1/50p. Turn up on the day in suitable footwear.Harberton Folk presents Oysterband, Ariel Centre Totnes, 7.30pm www.harbertonfolk.co.uk

SUNDAY 4

Flute Fun Day, Sherwell Centre, University of Plymouth, 10am-4pm, £25/£20, 01752 844017/07779 063948, www.peninsula-arts.co.ukMusic Theatre Workshop, Theatre 1, Roland Levinsky Building, University of Plymouth, 2-4pm, £5, 01752 880135, www.peninsula-arts.co.ukBen Taylor in concert, new folk, Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street, www.exeterphoenix.org.uk 01392 667080

MONDAY 5

Until October 12 A Sense of Place, exhibition by Year 7 students at South Dartmoor Community College and Dartmouth Community, The Flavel, Dartmouth, www.theflavel.org.ukPeninsula Arts Reading Group, Room 011, Roland Levinsky Building, University of Plymouth, 7pm, free, www.peninsula-arts.co.ukKate Walsh in concert, new folk, Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street, www.exeterphoenix.org.uk 01392 667080

TUESDAY 6

Until October 11 Exhibition by The 21 Group, Harbour House, Kingsbridge, 01548 854708, www.harbourhouse.org.uk

THURSDAY 8

Exeter Farmers’ Market, junction of South Street and Fore Street, 9am - 2pm.Jackie Oates in concert, new folk, Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street, www.exeterphoenix.org.uk 01392 667080

FRIDAY 9

Until October 12Dartmoor and Exmoor Low Carbon Festival – various events, www.lowcarbonfestival.co.uk

SATURDAY 10

Bovey Green Street Fair, Fore Street, Bovey Tracey, 1pm-5pm, part of Two Moors Low Carbon Festival.Green Living Open Weekend, eco-homes and low-carbon projects in and around Ashburton, 11am-1pm and 2-4pm. Call Inge Page on 01364 654471, [email protected] Alibi presents High-Muck-a-Muck, live theatre with music and puppets, Barn Theatre, Dartington, 11.30am & 2pm, www.dartington.orgTelephone Box Performance Company presents The Waiting Game, improvised theatre, Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street, www.exeterphoenix.org.uk 01392 667080Noah and The Whale in concert, new folk, Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street, www.exeterphoenix.org.uk 01392 667080

SUNDAY 11

Young Artist Showcase with South West Music School, Great Hall, Dartington, 3pm, Great Hall, www.dartington.orgGreen Living Open Weekend, eco-homes and low-carbon projects in and around Ashburton, 11am-1pm and 2-4pm. Call Inge Page on 01364 654471, [email protected]

Peninsula Doctors’ Orchestra, Theatre 1, Roland Levinsky Building, University of Plymouth, 5.30pm, free, www.peninsula-arts.co.uk

MONDAY 12

Idlewild in concert, indie music, Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street, www.exeterphoenix.org.uk 01392 667080

TUESDAY 13

Until October 18 4A, an exhibition by Derek Symons, David Barwick, Annabelle Gregory and Diana Miller, Harbour House, Kingsbridge, 01548 854708, www.harbourhouse.org.ukZemblanity, Peninsula Arts,Theatre 1, Roland Levinsky Building, University of Plymouth, 8pm, £8/£5, 01752 585050, www.peninsula-arts.co.uk

THURSDAY 15

How to grow your own allotment, tour of allotments organised by National Trust, meet Wembury Beach Car Park, 10.30am, £5/£2, booking essential, 01752 346585.Exeter Farmers’ Market, junction of South Street and Fore Street, 9am - 2pm.

FRIDAY 16

Dante String Quartet, St Mary’s Church, Abbotsbury, Newton Abbot, 7.30pm, tickets £14/10/2 from N/A TIV, Cottage Books, Bovey, and on the door.

SATURDAY 17

Green woodworking weekend with Doug King-Smith, High Heathercombe Centre, Manaton, Dartmoor, 01647 221425, www.heathercombe.com

SUNDAY 18

The Mystery of Music, a personal exploration on the piano by Robert Nicholas, Bogan House Costume Museum, High Street, Totnes, 7.30pm, 01803 868744Slow Food market, Matthew’s Hall, Topsham, 11am to 3pm.The Unthanks in concert, folk, Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street, www.exeterphoenix.org.uk 01392 667080

WEDNESDAY 21

Beginners’ basket making with Jan Baker, High Heathercombe Centre, Manaton, Dartmoor, 01647 221425, www.heathercombe.com

THURSDAY 22

Exeter Farmers’ Market, on the junction of South Street and Fore Street, 9am - 2pm.

FRIDAY 23

Until November 7 (closed Sundays)The Dark & The Light, open art exhibition, Harbour House, Kingsbridge, 01548 854708, www.harbourhouse.org.ukJoy Collective, cross-artform performance led by Exeter music artist duo Drunk With Joy, Studio 1, Dartington, www.dartington.org

SATURDAY 24

Until November 1 Devon Hedge Week, events across the county, www.exeter.gov.ukUntil November 25 Mosaics weekend, High Heathercombe Centre, Manaton, Dartmoor, 01647 221425, www.heathercombe.comBovey Climate Action’s Global Climate Action Day candlelit procession, supper and birthday bash – procession 6.30pm from Station Road car; supper and bash at church frm 7.30pm. Book at [email protected] Tracey Farmers’ Market, Union Square outside the Cromwell Arms, 8.30am-1pm

SUNDAY 25

Ten Tors Orchestra, Darwin’s Finches, Peninsula Arts, Theatre 1, Roland Levinsky Building, University of Plymouth, 7.30pm, £17/£5, 01752 585050, www.peninsula-arts.co.uk

MONDAY 26

Until 6 November Transient Witness, exhibition by RPS Contemporary Group SW, Peninsula Arts, The Sherwell Centre, University of Plymouth, free, www.peninsula-arts.co.uk

TUESDAY 27

Rajni Shah presents Dinner with America, Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street, www.exeterphoenix.org.uk 01392 667080

THURSDAY 29

Exeter Farmers’ Market, junction of South Street and Fore Street, 9am - 2pm.

FRIDAY 30

Ashide exhibitor Carol Ballenger with poet John Powls and musician Andrew Downton, The Terrace, Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Riverside Mill, Bovey Tracey, 6.30pm, 01626 832223, www.crafts.org.uk

SATURDAY 31

Half-price weekend, South Devon railway, www.southdevonrailway.org

NOVEMBER

SUNDAY 1

Samhain/All Souls Circle Dance Celebration, Birdwood House, Totnes, 4.30-6.30pm, 01548 560990Celebrate the Wild Woman, retreat at Samhain, The Wild Pear Centre, Combe Martin, Val 01736 361146 www.spiritvoice.co.ukBBC NOW Brass Workshop, Peninsula Arts, Sherwell Centre, University of Plymouth, free, advance booking 07929604170, www.peninsula-arts.co.ukBBC NOW Brass Ensemble Concert, Peninsula Arts, Sherwell Centre, University of Plymouth, 7.30pm, £5/£3, 01752 585050, www.peninsula-arts.co.uk

Half-price weekend, South Devon railway, Buckfastleigh to Staverton or Totnes, www.southdevonrailway.org

MONDAY 2

Until 5 November Assemblage, exhibition at Peninsula Arts Gallery, University of Plymouth, free, www.peninsula-arts.co.uk

TUESDAY 3

Until Saturday 7 Playgoers’ Society of Dartington Hall present Humble Boy by Charlotte Jones, 7.30pm, Barn Theatre, Dartington, www.dartington.org

THURSDAY 5

Fast Forward Dance Company, Under my Skin, Peninsula Arts, Theatre 1, Roland Levisnky Building, University of Plymouth, 7.30pm, £3/£2, 01752 585050, www.pwninsula-arts.co.ukExeter Farmers’ Market, junction of South Street and Fore Street, 9am - 2pm.

FRIDAY 6

Until November 8 Exeter Open Studios, artists’ work in their own studios, across Exeter area, www.exeterartspaces.co.uk, [email protected] 11 December Hand to Mouth: A Journey through Romanian Carpathians, exhibition, Peninsula Arts, Cube Gallery, University of Plymouth, free, www.pensula-arts.co.uk

SATURDAY 7

Until Sunday 22 Permaculture full design course with Aranya, 90-hour intensive course, High Heathercombe Centre, Manaton, Dartmoor, 01647 221425, www.heathercombe.com Bovey Tracey Farmers’ Market, Union Square outside the Cromwell Arms, 8.30am-1pm

SUNDAY 8

Spiers and Boden in concert, folk, Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street, www.exeterphoenix.org.uk 01392 667080

MONDAY 9

Until November 14The 21 Group, exhibition of paintings and prints, Birdwood House Gallery, High Street, Totnes, 01803 812168Until November 22 Forgotten Faces, exhibition of new works by Paul Hannon, Harbour House, Kingsbridge, 01548 854708, www.harbourhouse.org.uk

THURSDAY 12

Elysian Quartet performs live soundtrack to 1927 movie My Best Girl, 8pm, Barn cinema, Dartington, www.dartington.orgExeter Farmers’ Market, junction of South Street and Fore Street, 9am - 2pm.

FRIDAY 13

Zubop Gambia in concert, world music, Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street, www.exeterphoenix.org.uk 01392 667080

SATURDAY 14

Until 19 DecemberFour Romanian Artists, exhibition, Peninsula Arts Gallery, University of Plymouth, free, www.peninsula-arts.co.ukHarberton Folk presents Hoover The Dog - Harberton Parish Hall - Saturday 14 November 2009 8.00pm www.harbertonfolk.co.uk

MONDAY 16

Your Peace of Mind, exhibition, Peninsula Arts, Sherwell Centre, University of Plymouth, free, www.peninusla-arts.co.uk

THURSDAY 19

Exeter Farmers’ Market, junction of South Street and Fore Street, 9am - 2pm.Polar Bear, jazz, Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street, www.exeterphoenix.org.uk 01392 667080

SATURDAY 21

Celebrating St Andrew, Ten Tors Orchestra, St Andrew’s Church, Royal Parade, Plymouth, 7.30pm, £17/£5, 01752 585050, www.peninsula-arts.co.uk

Bovey Tracey Farmers Market, Held in the Union Square outside the Cromwell Arms, 8.30am-1pmSUNDAY 22Slow Food market, Matthew’s Hall, Topsham, 11am to 3pm

SUNDAY 22

Lou Rhodes, new folk, Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street, www.exeterphoenix.org.uk 01392 667080

TUESDAY 24

Until November 29Workshops Work, exhibition of pastels by Keith Stott’s students , Harbour House, Kingsbridge, 01548 854708, www.harbourhouse.org.ukRetina Dance Company led by Filip Van Huffel, Studio 31, 8pm, Dartington, www.dartington.orgDance in Devon & Exeter Phoenix present Watch This Space Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street, www.exeterphoenix.org.uk 01392 667080

THURSDAY 26

Exeter Farmers’ Market, junction of South Street and Fore Street, 9am - 2pm.Lau, new folk, Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street, www.exeterphoenix.org.uk 01392 667080

SUNDAY 29

Travelling Light presents How Cold My Toes, co-presented with Bristol Old Vic and Birmingham Repertory Theatre, 11.30am & 2pm, Barn Theatre, Dartington, www.dartington.orgFaerie, Fantasy and Mythology arts and crafts event, Flavel Centre, Dartmouth, www.theflavel.org.ukUncut Poets: Alan Wearne, Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street, www.exeterphoenix.org.uk 01392 667080

FORTNIGHTLY

Spiritual development for men - transformation of consciousness, manifest your desires move on spiritually and meet like-minded people. Totnes area, free, 01803 864583, [email protected]

THE Going Our Diary, our totally free and totally wonderful guide to everything happening across reconnectland – Exeter, Plymouth and South Devon. If you are organising or involved in an event and it’s not in these pages, it’s because you haven’t told us about it – so you only have yourself to blame. The deadline for the December/January issue is Friday, November 6, so be lucky and get in touch asap. Email Martin on [email protected] or call 01392 346204.It’s always possible that any event listed has been cancelled, postponed, or fully booked, so it’s always best to check first.And if you’re looking for a workshop or course (or looking to tell the world you’re running one) check out The Guide in this issue or get in touch by email [email protected] or phone 01392 346342.So, got anything planned for tonight? Go on, go out!

w

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.ma

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co

.uk

Tel. 01803 762598 [email protected]

Professional Training 2 years part-time to become a

Macrobiotic Cook & Health Advisor3 years part-time to become a

Macrobiotic Dietary & Life Counsellor

Next intake: December 2009

INTERNATIONALMACROBIOTIC

SCHOOL Totnes, Devon

Relax. Y our Answers are within you.Let SRIMATI help you use the power of meditation to fi nd guidance for all life has in store for you - Your Answers.New meditation workshop, group & CD from SRIMATI :Find Your Answers meditation w/shop - Oct 24/25, TotnesMeditation Group - Tuesday eves 7.15pm, BroadhempstonFind Your Answers guided meditation CD - available now!

Call 01803 812904 Visit www.thrivecraft.co.uk

SRIMATITHE ANSWER IS WITHIN YOU

Do you have healing hands?Explore your potential.....

Next Foundation Year: April ‘10one weekend a month of part-time study

Introductory Shiatsu Courses

Buckyette Farm, Totnes TQ9 6ND Tel 01803 762593

Email: [email protected]

www.devonshiatsu.co.uk

two inspiring days of learning and experiencing Shiatsu

Next: 6 & 7 February 2010

3 Year Professional Clinical Training Shiatsu Therapy

thedevonschoolofshiatsu

• Thorough Clinical Shiatsu Training • Subtle & Physical Anatomy • Food Energetics

• Business Skills

Next post graduate course:Practical TCM for Shiatsu Practitioners

Blacksmith’sCottage for sale - £299,000

Pretty stone cottage in hamlet 10 minutes from Totnes.

Three bedrooms plus office, two bathrooms, wood burner in stone fireplace, large enclosed south-facing garden and extensive valley views.

Call Martin or Jenny on 01803 732973 [email protected]

Property - to sell your house in reconnect call 01392 346342Property - to sell YOUR house in reconnect call 01392 346342

Page 9: Reconnect 3 Oct-Nov 09

16 17

www.makingf r iendswi thmoney.co.uk

local people local events local food local health local environment

Advertising: 01392 346342 [email protected] www.reconnectonline.co.uk

local people local events local food local health local environment

Editorial: 01392 346204 [email protected] www.reconnectonline.co.uk

11th October (Day One) and 1st November (Day Two).The Thistle Hotel, EXETER

Robin Currie is an Independent Financial Adviser and a specialist in green, ethically-screened and environmentally-sensitive funds.

For an appointment, call Robin direct on 01392-411630 or e-mail [email protected].

Details about the workshop Making Friends With Money are available at www.makingfriendswithmoney.co.uk or by calling Sharn Kern on 01392-346336

Has anyone got change?

South Devon Bowen 4 Kidsin Teignmouth

Specialist in children’s Bowen:a gentle complementary therapy

07949 579160info@willowbanktherapies.co.ukwww.willowbanktherapies.co.uk

NEW TO TOTNES NETWORK SPINAL ANALYSIS

CHIROPRACTOR

Dr Claire Ryan Bsc Hons Chiro

Ola Chiropractic, 5a Fore St, Totnest: 07813200361 www.totneschiropractic.co.uk

NEW TO TOTNES NEW TO TOTNES NEW TO TOTNES NETWORK SPINAL ANALYSISNETWORK SPINAL ANALYSISNETWORK SPINAL ANALYSIS

CHIROPRACTORCHIROPRACTORCHIROPRACTOR

Dr Claire RyanDr Claire RyanDr Claire Ryan Bsc Hons Chiro Bsc Hons Chiro Bsc Hons Chiro

Ola Chiropractic, 5a Fore St, TotnesOla Chiropractic, 5a Fore St, TotnesOla Chiropractic, 5a Fore St, Totnest: 07813200361 www.totneschiropractic.co.ukt: 07813200361 www.totneschiropractic.co.ukt: 07813200361 www.totneschiropractic.co.uk

C H I R O P R A C T I CC H I R O P R A C T I CC H I R O P R A C T I CC H I R O P R A C T I C

ESCAPE TO THE COUNTRYStay for a day, weekend or more.

Maggie offers you the use of her lovely garden room with its woodburner,

desk and outlook onto a quiet meadow and Dartmoor at your shoulder.

Simply… COME…and…BE.Listen to the birds, draw, write, think, meditate or sleep. You may want to

walk out on to the moor.Use the quiet farmhouse for bathroom

facilities. Help yourself to a selection of teas or coffee. Only £10 per day from dawn to dusk. Meals and snacks can be provided

Phone for details: 01647 231 470 e mail: [email protected]

Green Funeral PlanninGa workshop with green fuse www.greenfuse.co.uk

Explore what makes a green funeral, ideas for a personal and heartfelt ceremony & how families and friends can participate in the process.

Next evenings: Mon 14th Sept, Tues 13th Oct, 7-9pm, £15/£10, at Green Fuse Funerals, 7 High Street, Totnes TQ9 5NN

Please book on 01803 840779 email: [email protected]

PAT HOARE. DIP. COUNS.B.A.C.P. ACCREDITED

COUNSELLOR AND SUPERVISOREmail: [email protected]

Group facilitator, Louise Hay Tr a i n e r, Inner-Child workFamily/Sex T h e r a p y. Critical Incident Debriefing.G.H.R. Accredited Hypnotherapist.Analytical Therapy for phobias,emotional difficulties, stress etc.Suggestion Therapy to stop smoking, forweight control, nail biting, confidence, study,driving tests etc.Free 20-minute consultation:Telephone 01392 410090 for appointments.24a Gandy Street, Exeter EX4 3LS

Over 32 years’experience

- offers confidentialtherapeutic counselling

for individuals and couples.

w w w. c a s e c o n f i d e n t i a l . c o m

TRANSFORMATIONAL THEATREARCHETYPAL SOUL JOURNEYS

INNER ADVENTURESTransformational Breathwork, Mythology, shamanic journeying,

ritual drama and deep exploration of the psyche through archetypesIntro 1 Day Wkshops Bournemouth – Few places left on Autumn 2009

Learn to teach Drama, Dance and Voice as TherapyBook Now for 10 day International Training/ Holiday in Cyprus – Foundation Module Spring 2010

Contact : 01202 467789 www.doorways2power.co.uk

ACCOMMODATION

FUNERAL SERVICES

COUNSELLING

DANCE AND VOICE

ACUPUNCTURE

INTEGRATED Five Element & Traditional Chinese Acupuncture. Sarah Horswell BSc(Hons) LicAc MBAcC. Member of the British Acupuncture Council. Practices in Totnes, Dartmouth, Brixham & Torquay. t: 01803 857037 www.sarahhorswell.co.uk

BIRTHING

BIRTH PREPARATION SESSIONS. Preparing mind, body, emotions, environment and spirit for birth because birth can’t be repeated. Carmella B’Hahn. 01803 867005. [email protected]

BOWEN TECHNIQUE

TRANSFORMATIONAL COUNSELLING. Carmella B’Hahn (author: Benjaya’s Gifts/Mourning Has Broken) supports you to use adversity and grief as fuel for transformation. 01803 867005. [email protected] www.SolaceAlchemy.com

DOWSING

LEARN to dowse for water, utilities, archaeology. Trace ley lines. One-day courses in Devon £16. Aaron 07973 120244 www.discoverdowsing.com

EFT

EMOTIONAL FREEDOM TECHNIQUES. Support for all emotional stuckness, phobias, anxiety, weight concerns, depression, etc, to help you create the life you really want. Mobile service available, competitive prices with 20% reduction for low income/unemployed. Reiki offered separately or alongside EFT. Belinda French 07716126785

GARDENING

GREEN woman gardening - organic fruit and veg. cultivation and general garden maintenance Tel. 07971179086. Sam, [email protected]

GRAPHIC DESIGN - PRINT & WEB

WWW.VISIONGRAPHICDESIGN.CO.UK. Based in Newton Abbot. 15 years experience & a wealth of knowlege of environmentally friendly print & design solutions. Call Andy on 01626 353977.

BUSINESSES FOR SALE

SHIATSU practise and materials for sale. Twenty year history of practice. Sale due to health reasons.Enquiries to 01364 73362.

CHIROPRACTIC

To Advertise here call Pete on 01392 346342 or e-mail

[email protected]

ADVERTISING in The Guide, Reconnect’s busy classified section, is the most cost-effective way of reaching thousands of like-minded people across Exeter, South Devon and Plymouth.A single column box (61mm x 49mm) costs just £50.And if you’re new to Reconnect, you can take advantage of our three-for-two introductory deal, which gives you three ads for £100.That’s six months of perfectly targeted advertising for less than £20 a month.

A double column box (125mm x 49mm) is £90.So, with the three-for-two deal, that’s six months of high-profile promotion for the equivalent of £30 a month.If you’re on a really tight budget, a classified lineage advert is 85p a word, for a minimum of 20 words.AND every issue of Reconnect goes straight on our website, so every advertiser gets a FREE online ad too.We can advise you on wording and our designer, Andy, will create the perfect ad for your business for a minimal charge.Call Pete now and take the first step to growing your business – 01392 346342.

Given the current state of the market, it’s likely that money is still high up people’s agenda. At the time of writing the FTSE 100 is currently trading above 5,000 and, according to the National Institute for Economic and Social Research, the recession is now over! Congratulations! Although some people remain rather scared. Well, quite a lot actually.

And the perversity of the recession is that nothing actually happened. It was a combination of greed and fear rather than actuality. Perception rather than reality.

Look at it this way - the fact that organisations like Northern Rock ran into problems a couple of years ago won’t have had much of a practical effect on most individuals. They didn’t go bust because the government guaranteed their assets. So nobody lost anything.

However, the fact that it could happen at all triggered huge amounts of fear - and the way the queues were reported on the television stimulated this. The resulting terror triggered an enormous number of people to cash in their investments so they could stay safe. Which was one of the issues which caused the market to drop.

And, of course, when the trading prices fall rapidly this triggers even more panic and stimulated investors to cash in.

You’ll appreciate there is very little connection between the actual value of an investment and the price people will pay for it – a buyer will pay as little as possible and a seller will take as much as possible. And if one is feeling safe and the other greedy, it has a profound effect on the price. Yes, trading is largely to do with emotions. Which are, by definition, short-term responses.

Unfortunately, in the same way as a number of building societies, a number of funds such as commercial property holdings had borrowed against the increased trading price of their investments to purchase additional assets. Good when the market was up, but dodgy when it went down. As a result it’s increasingly difficult to pay the interest on their loans and a number of them have ceased trading.

They haven’t gone bust because they still own the assets and the actual value of these holdings hasn’t altered at all. It’s just that they can’t be bought or sold because people (including institutions like banks) don’t feel safe.

And the timeframe seems to be one of the significant factors. In the old days it took literally about three days to buy or sell shares and while the market still went up and down, it took quite a long time. As a result of which, it remained reasonably stable. However, since online trading started in 1986, it only takes a few seconds and the falls and rises have increased disproportionally as a result. And the speed seems to trigger emotional reactions - greed and gluttony, fear, rage and shame. And there’s a pattern emerging. Realistic aims become transfigured by greed followed by a reaction of fear - followed by increased legislation to try and control things.

And it’s not just finances. Look at politics. Or the environment. Education. Medicine. Farming.

Any idea why this is happening? Do you remember New Labour? They came into power over 10 years ago with the admirable intention of ‘changing society’ – although the underlying issue was how they were going to fund any shift. The economy was beginning to recover after a long-term recession and they embraced the ‘free market’.

Remember that Britain used to be a country of manufacturers? Well, that was in the old days; now we predominantly offer services and rules have been cut to support them. This encourages ostensible profitability and a change in identity so that people involved do things such as holding their assets offshore so that they can avoid paying tax. Which the government knew about but ignored completely. So yes, society has genuinely changed. At least, market trading has.

And this is an example of the alternative strategy: to maximise profit, rules need to be cut. Although there is something of a downside to this. The more volatile the market is, the more unstable society becomes.

And it’s been going on for some time. Do you remember the early 1990s? The ‘negative equity’ situation when the value of people’s houses was less than their mortgages? Do you recall what happened? The poor got kicked out so the lenders could continue to feel safe - and the rich bought the properties at a substantial discount. And made even more wealth either by selling them a couple of years later or, in some cases, simply renting them out. How did this work? Because the market ‘recovered’ when people stopped feeling scared and started to feel greedy again.

And the development of the ‘dot com’ market in the early part of this century? When investments in anything to do with the internet went through the roof – and then fell down the well.

Can you see the wonderful duality of this? To change society, the argument goes, we need enormous amounts of legislation. But to fund it, we need as few rules as possible. It’s as if these aspects are unrelated. As if!

But now the market has recovered. The recession is technically over (so we’re told). As a result, will there be a reaction? Increased legislation in the market to reduce volatility? Reduced bureaucracy in society to allow people to be genuinely themselves? Or the other way round…?

Well, when we look back in another 10 years, I’ll be fascinated to see (although I already have a shrewd idea)…

IMAGINE starting out with good intentions, getting a bit carried away, feeling anxious as a result… and then shutting everything down in order to recover. Are we talking economics, politics… or something altogether bigger? Over to you, Mr Currie…

Page 10: Reconnect 3 Oct-Nov 09

local people local events local food local health local environment

Advertising: 01392 346342 [email protected] www.reconnectonline.co.uk

local people local events local food local health local environment

Editorial: 01392 346204 [email protected] 19www.reconnectonline.co.uk

WRITING THERAPYSOUND THERAPY

ZERO BALANCING

Dig a bit deeper into the company behind your daily vitamins...

www.viridian-nutrition.com

Viridian Nutrition, the leading brand of ethical vitamins. Call 01327 878050 for a free catalogue & details of your nearest health store stockist.

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

PSYCOTHERAPY

To Advertise here call Pete on 01392 346342 or e-mail

[email protected]

CORE PROCESS PSYCHOTHERAPY Offering the possibility to explore, understand and change your experience and contact more of your

inherent well-being.Working with body, mind and spirit in a welcoming and

accepting environment.

Rachael Thomas 01364 631478 Accredited UKCP Registered

Dartington,Totnes (Initial session free of charge)

SUPPORTin diffi cult Times

Removing the blocks to your success may be easier than you think.

Get FREE details of Fast Track Life Guidance now from: www.wizardofwisdom.com or call

01392 861134.

Sessions can be by phone or in person. Trevor Emdon, R.M.N. DipNLP

10% Discount with this ad - valid until 30/11/09

Why haven’t your dreams come true yet?

[email protected]

The Touch Workshop@Massage & Wellbeing Centre18 Gandy Street, Exeter EX4 3LS

Enhance your relationshipA workshop for couples to learn the basics of massage. Help to work away those stresses and encourage each

partner in a supportive environment.Course of 3 evenings - 7-9pm

1st & 15th Oct & 12th Nov 2009£95.00 per couple if booked as a complete course

Individual evenings at £35.00 per eveningCall 01392 258855 to book your place

vocal coaching in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere

Louise is a Professional jazz singer and has recorded with Humphrey

Lyttelton and Alan Barnes

“She swings like fury” Humphrey Lyttelton

“...a perfect lesson in feeling and phrasing.” The Jazz Rag

Talk to Louise on 01752 262965

Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy Clinical Hypnotherapy

Helping you to take control of your life

Help with Anxiety, Depression, Habits, Phobias, Confidence, Insomnia, Pain and more

Clinics in: Exeter ~ Sidmouth ~ Axminster ~ Seaton Michelle Hague BA(Hons)Cert ed D Hyp PDC Hyp PDCBHyp MBSCH 01297 20144 or 07761 773563 www.takecontrolofyourlife.co.uk

Quantum LaughterCome Alive

“Ask what makes you come alive......Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Howard Thurman

Sunday 15th November, Exeter Natural Health Centre 10.30-4.30, £55In a grounded, light & upbeat way:

• let go of your ‘story’ • experience some levity • reconnect with your purpose, • rekindle your zest for life.

Quantum laughter boosts you in every way: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

Come and learn what it can do for you. Thousands already have – why not you too?

Just say ‘YES’

Joe Hoareit’s time to take laughter seriouslyJoe is a long-time NFSH healer, lectures on ‘Laughter’ in the Nursing Degree at The University of the West of England, and runs the UK’s Laughter Facilitation training programme.

For more info contact Joe Hoare07812159943 [email protected] www.joehoare.co.uk

QI GONG

QIGONG with Master Zhixing Wang at Foxhole Gym, Dartington, South Devon November 28/29th. An excellent opportunity to study with an authentic Qigong Master. 0845 3305086 or www.qigong-southwest.co.uk.QIGONG for self healing weekly classes and Saturday workshops in Totnes and Exeter with Brad Richecoeur. 0845 3305086 or www.qigong-southwest.co.uk.

REGRESSION THERAPY

PAST-LIFE Journeys, Regression Therapy, Life Between Lives with Maggie Salter, practices near Bovey and at the Arcturus Clinic, Totnes. [email protected] 01626 835115 www.devonregression.com

REIKI

REIKI Practitioner/Master/Teacher - East Devon Area. Reiki Treatments and Attunements. Contact 01395 443888 or 07933 026950 or email [email protected].

SHIATSU

THIS body; right here; right now. Shiatsu can put you back in touch with your body helping with a range of health problems. Special offer – first session £10. For further information call Kirsty Hurd-Thomas 01803 862808. Practising in Totnes.

REPARATIVE TOUCH Cathy Towers Cert. Zero Balancing

With over 30 years experience in health and well-being, and a good reputation for professional, skilled care, Cathy is a fully qualified therapist in Zero Balancing, counselling and psychotherapy.

“The body therapy of choice for abuse and boundary issues” Available in Bovey Tracey, Exeter and Exmouth

Contact for more information: 01395 278 437 or 07989 564660 www.cathytowers.com

REPARATIVE TOUCH Cathy Towers Cert. Zero Balancing

With over 30 years experience in health and well-being, and a good reputation for professional, skilled care, Cathy is a fully qualified therapist in Zero Balancing, counselling and psychotherapy.

“The body therapy of choice for abuse and boundary issues” Available in Bovey Tracey, Exeter and Exmouth

Contact for more information: 01395 278 437 or 07989 564660 www.cathytowers.com

HYPNOTHERAPY

LAUGHTER WORKSHOPS

LIFE BALANCING

FIND happiness again with the help of my life-balancing system - energy medicine, transmission healing and channeled dialogue. Only then can your life-force restore your health. Ursula Athene 01803 840 280 / 07944319228

LIFE GUIDANCE

RELATIONSHIPS

MUSICIAN

NLP AND HYPNOTHERAPY

NLP and Ericksonian Hypnotherapy Effective and powerful way to stop smoking, assist weight loss, and resolve phobia and anxiety issues. Angela Avis 01404 813371 www.positive outcome therapy.co.uk

PALMISTRY

Life-Path Tarot, Modern Palmistry and various therapies at Discovery, Market Forum, Market Street, Torquay. For further information call 01803 556 738. www.discovery.me.uk

Soundz Magic“experience the beauty,

bliss and power of Sound Healing”Gong/Sound Baths for Community Groups;

Workshops and performances;

Use Soundz Magic for a memorable Wedding, Funeral, Party or Conference!!!

Soundz Magic EveningsExeter Oct 8th St James’ Church Hall

Totnes Nov 7th Methodist Hall Fore Street

Register online www.soundzmagic.co.ukCall Martyn 0800 955 3488 / 07980 747088

Fire in the headautumn Writing Courses

With roselle angwin‘Breakfast Sessions’: drop-ins in Totnes

Weekend ‘Therapeutic Journaling’ & ‘Remember that Novel?’

Novel & poetry correspondence courses

01548 821004 www.fire-in-the-head.co.uk

WORKSHOPS AND COURSES DIARY

To Advertise here call Pete on 01392 346342 or e-mail

[email protected]

EVERY TUESDAY

Qigong at The Exeter Phoenix Centre with Brad Richecoeur, 5.30-7pm. 0845 3305086 www.qigong-southwest.co.uk. Meditation Group - Tuesday evenings, Broadhempston. Call: 01803 812904 Visit: www.thrivecraft.co.uk

EVERY FRIDAY

Qigong at St John’s Church Hall, Totnes with Brad Richecoeur, 10-11.30am. 0845 3305086 www.qigong-southwest.co.uk.

FIRST THURSDAY IN EVERY MONTH

Soundz Magic Evening at Kanzeon Studio, Exeter. Full Details 0800 955 3488 visit www.soundzmagic.co.uk

OCTOBER

THURSDAY 1/15 OCT 12 NOV

Course of three evenings. Workshop for couples to learn the basics of massage, £95 per couple if booked as complete course. Individual evenings at £35 per evening. Call 01392 258855. [email protected]

THURSDAY 1

Until 4th October ‘Muir Trek’ Leadership Training - Jon Cree. Led by the International Training Co-ordinator for The Institute for Earth Education. Cost: £275 organisations/£195 individuals www.wildwise.co.uk/muir-trek-training.html

WEDNESDAY 7

Fire by Friction Workshop – Chris Salisbury The ancient technology of fire-making using the bow-drill method. Cost: £95 organisations/£60 individuals. www.wildwise.co.uk/friction-fire.html

THURSDAY 8

SoundzMagic Evening, Gong Bath. St James’s Church Hall, Exeter. 7.30-9.30pm £10 10% to Force Cancer Charity

FRIDAY 9

Eating for Health and Vitality workshop, near Crediton, £50. Discover the facts and principles of healthy eating and feel empowered to take control of your health and well being. www.naturalfoodschool.co.uk or speak to Carol on 01363 82794

FRIDAY 9

Evening Talk - Holistic Cooking School. Become a Macrobiotic Counsellor. Tel. 01803 762598 [email protected]

SUNDAY 11

Touching Earth – Stefan Harding. This course will use insights from deep ecology, holistic science and Gaia theory to widen and expand our sense of belonging to the ‘more-than-human’ world. Cost: £95 organisations/£60 individuals. www.wildwise.co.uk/touching-earth.html

TUESDAY 13

Green funeral planning. A workshop with Green Fuse. What makes a green funeral. Ideas for a personal and heartfelt ceremony. 7-9pm. £10. Book on 01803 840779.

WEDNESDAY 14

Environmental Storytelling - Chris Salisbury. This highly creative, dynamic workshop will explore the relationship between stories, storytelling and the natural world around us. Cost: £95 organisations/£60 individuals. www.wildwise.co.uk/environmental-storytelling.html

SUNDAY 18

Spiritual Transformation and Reconnection. Level 1:1 – Karmic direction and collective initiation challenges. Exeter Natural Health Centre. 10am – 4.30pm. £60. greenmanshop.co.uk 01392 832005. PO Box 6, Exminster, Exeter EX6 8YE.

FRIDAY 23

Evening Talk, Holistic Cooking School. Boost Your Immune System. Tel. 01803 762598 [email protected]

SATURDAY/SUNDAY 24/25

Meditation courses. Find Your Answers - level 1 course – Totnes. Call: 01803 812904 Visit: www.thrivecraft.co.uk

NOVEMBER

TUESDAY 3

Leading Environmental Activities - Jon Cree A course to help those new to environmental education and/or those who wish to make the most of their school or centre grounds. Cost: £95 organisations/£60 individuals. www.wildwise.co.uk/leading-environmental-activities.html

WEDNESDAY 4

Emotional Literacy - Jon Cree Emotional Literacy is the ability to recognise, understand and appropriately express our emotions, and has become a central part of the national curriculum. Cost: £95 organisations/£60 individuals. www.wildwise.co.uk/emotional-literacy.html

NOVEMBER 7

Soundz Magic/ Dance Magic Evening Methodist Church Hall, Fore Street, Totnes, £10. 10% to Greyhound Rescue Charity Full Details 0800 955 3488 visit www.soundzmagic.co.uk

WEDNESDAY 11-12

A Council Of All Beings – Pat Fleming/ Chris Salisbury. This workshop is a challenging and empowering opportunity to renew your personal, educational practice. Cost: £175 organisations/£125 individuals. www.wildwise.co.uk/council-of-all-beings.html

FRIDAY 20

Introduction to Nutritional Healing workshop, near Crediton, £50. Explore this simple yet profound holistic therapy and feel inspired on your journey towards good health and well-being. www.naturalfoodschool.co.uk or speak to Carol on 01363 82794

THURSDAY 26

Creative Interpretation of the Natural World - Chris Salisbury An activity packed day to introduce a diversity of interpretative techniques for environmental educators. Cost: £95 organisations/£60 individuals. www.wildwise.co.uk/creative-interpretation.html

SATURDAY/SUNDAY 28/29

Evening Talks Holistic Cooking School. Healing Body, Heart & Relationships Tel. 01803 762598 [email protected]

TUESDAY 24 - SATURDAY 28

Evening Talks Holistic Cooking School. Looking After Your Health (Intensive 5 day workshop & daily cooking classes) Tel. 01803 762598 [email protected]

SATURDAY 28 - SUNDAY 29

Qigong with Master Zhixing Wang at Foxhole Gym, Dartington, South Devon. 0845 3305086 www.qigong-southwest.co.uk.

Experience a feeling of well being from the inside out.

The 7-Day Internal Detox Programme £8528 Cleanse - The Ultimate 28-day cleanse £225

Cleanse products are available along with professional guidance

Also Dr Hulda Clark’s books, Parasite Programme and Zappers.

Melanie Davies077 3204 6616 • [email protected]

www.melaniedaviescleanse.com

HERBAL PRODUCTS

LONDON COLLEGE OF CLINICAL HYPNOSIS

Exeter CPPD in Clinical Hypnosis Start Date: September 24th 2009

PG Cert - MSc All courses accredited by Thames

Valley University For more information, and to

get a prospectus visit the website www.lcch.co.uk

Phone 01297 20144

LONDON COLLEGE OF CLINICAL HYPNOSIS

ExeterCPPD in Clinical Hypnosis

Course dates available on linePG Cert - MSc

All courses accredited by Thames Valley UniversityFor more information, and to get a prospectus

visit the website www.lcch.co.ukPhone 01297 20144

HYPNOSISHERBAL PRODUCTS

Page 11: Reconnect 3 Oct-Nov 09

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BARCHESTER GREEN INVESTMENTSSERIOUS ABOUT MONEY, SERIOUS ABOUT LIFE ON EA RTH

253335-37970 :bom • 036114-29310 :let • WE6 4XE noveD ,retexE ,daoR navlyS 51 • e-mail: [email protected] • www.barchestergreen.co.uk • www.makingfriendswithmoney.co.uk

Independent Financial Advisers regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Call Robin Currie on 01392 411630

WOW, so the economy is recovering!

But what should I do, put money in or take it out?

And who should I talk to about it?

Try meand I’ll explain...

I know there’s that bloke called

Robin Currie, who publishes Reconnect

magazine. The one who’s running that

brilliant workshop about changing how

you feel about money – I’m going to

sign up for that!

But I have got a problem with him…

I know he’s an independent

financial adviser… and a specialist

in green, ethically-screened and

environmentally-sensitive products, so

he’s one of a very few in the country.

And I know he does all that stuff about

low carbon footprints and how you can

make money without contributing to

global warming.

And he keeps implying that if you give

a stuff about the environment, it’s like

really inappropriate to use conventional

advisers when there are people like him

around who can point you in the right

direction at no extra cost.

But I hear he’s also got an allotment.

And he does ceramics. And he’s

writing a novel. And he’s a member

of the Global Harmony Choir. AND he

does qigong, whatever that is!

So, I mean, how can he do all that and still have a life?