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Free Talk @ Eastgate Theatre: Sacred Natural Sites, Robert Wild

7th March 2012 7.30pm

Robert Wild is a protected areas specialist whose work focuses on community development in the context of nature conservation. He is the volunteer chair of the Specialist Group on Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas under the World Commission on Protected Areas.  Robert’s book ‘Sacred Natural Sites: Conserving Nature and Culture’ was launched in 2010.  Robert moved to Peebles in 2006 after 17 years overseas and has been a member of Tweedgreen since its inception.

Free Talk @ Eastgate Theatre: Alastair McIntosh – The Pornography of Consumerism

9th February 2012 7.30pm

International speaker, Alastair McIntosh returns to the Eastgate to deliver another thought-provoking and stimulating presentation. Academic, environmentalist, activist and founder member of the Gal Gael Trust in Glasgow, the author of “Soil and Soul” and “Hell and High Water” and regular contributor to Thought for Today on Radio Scotland, Alastiar will explore consumerism and other related topics.

A Taste of Peebles

10 September 2011

Tweedgreen Event to Celebrate Local Food

Enjoy a Taste of Peebles, an opportunity to sample local food during the Tour of Britain.

On the evening of 10th September, Peebles High Street will be a blur of activity, as professional cyclists race around town competing in the Scottish Borders Exhibition Criterium Race. To heighten the festive spirit of the Tour of Britain, and to provide refreshments to spectators and competitors alike, Tweedgreen is organising a street food fair. “A Taste of Peebles” will be held on School Brae from 5.30pm to 8.00pm.

Gary White, Tweedgreen Project Coordinator said: “The Taste of Peebles event is designed to showcase our local food producers, retailers and suppliers. The event will be an opportunity for local food traders to provide a sample of their delicious food during Saturday’s Tour of Britain programme”.

The Taste of Peebles event will provide opportunities for families to relax and enjoy the evening in a relaxed, lively atmosphere and try samples from some of our most famous restaurants, cafés and local food retailers.

The Taste of Peebles event is also a part of Blasda, a national local food feast initiated by the Fife Diet group.  (Blasda is Gaelic for tasty!).   Tweedgreen is proud to have been selected as one of 12 groups nationally to take part in Blasda.    For more info on Blasda, please click here

Entry is free

PLEASE NOTE:  THE FAMILY FUN RIDE HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS

 

 

 

TweedLove: The Peebles Sprint and Family Ride

14 June 2011

Tweedgreen is supporting the The Peebles Sprint and Free Family Ride on Tuesday 14th June. We’ll be there on the day and you’ll be able to find out more info about Tweedgreen, and our campaigns.

Visit the TweedLove site to find out more about The Peebles Sprint and how to get involved in the family ride.

TweedLove: The Glentress Seven

11 June 2011

Tweedgreen is supporting the The Glentress Seven on Saturday 11th June. We’ll be there on the day and you’ll be able to find out more info about Tweedgreen, and our campaigns.

Visit the TweedLove site to find out more about The Glentress Seven.

A Green Twist on the Peebles Guizards’ Play

28 August 2010

Historic Peebles Street Play raises funds for victims of Pakistan’s floods:

Peebles shoppers were met by strange sight on Saturday, one not seen for many a long year on Peebles High Street – the ‘Peebles Guizards’ – complete with juggling, longsword dancing and traditional music. The Peebles Guizards were townsfolk that performed a local variant of a guisers or mummers play and the last known performances were somewhen between 1820-1850. Guisers plays were performed in the Borders and other parts of Britain at Hogmanay and other times, in return for refreshments and money.

Rooted in traditional culture but with a modern message the Peebles Guizards 2010 version performed in association with Tweeddale’s sustainability network – Tweedgreen, has a ‘Green Twist’. It is an adaptation of the original Guizards Play incorporating parts of the similar Seguisers Play from Biggar.

Saturday’s performances were held in the Burgh Hall Quadrangle and outside the Tontine Hotel. The Play starts with the lines;

Here stands I Old Oak Tree
For countless years here I be
Right in the middle of Wild Wild Wood
Keeping Earth a’turning just as I should

Then in comes Talking Man and six dancers dressed in colourful green ‘tatters’ and sporting tree masks performed what can be considered Scotland’s ‘lost’ dance form – the Longsword (see more below). Then the cast of nine get started with Old Oak Tree and with Talking Man introducing the players, the fighters Black Knight, Turkey Snipe, Galatian and Beelzebub. In the battle Old Oak Tree is killed and an innocent Young Man was falsely accused this heinious crime of ecocide! Fortunately good Dr. Brown saved the day and brought Old Oak Tree back to life to much rejoicing, and reminding us we need to restore the planet’s tree cover. The dancers are also accomplished jugglers and then performed synchronized and individual juggling performances culminating with a ‘lets not juggle with our future’ performance getting the over the message that we need to bring our consumption footprint to within that Earth can sustain. The current footprint of humanity is 1.4 planets – not something that can be kept up for long! Finally Johnnie Funny made a collection and £145 was raised for the Pakistan flood victims, reminding us that we are all in the serious business of climate change together.

Accompanying the dancers were suitably ancient, modern and world instruments including unique large and small ancient ‘single’ bagpipes – such as depicted in stone in Rosslyn Chapel, a flute and the west African djembe hand drum. Historically the first record of the British longsword dance come from Edinburgh in 1590; Elgin in 1623 and Perth from 1617-33. In Elgin five masked sword dancers were arrested for performing in a Kirkyard! As living traditions Longsword Dance survived in Shetland on Papa Stour and in Yorkshire, but is rarely performed in Scotland at the present.

The Play
The play is one variant of a Guisers’ or Mummers’ plays that were performed in the Borders and other parts of Britain at Christmas and other times, in return for refreshments and money. The basic plot is that two heroes fight and one is killed. A quack doctor is engaged to bring the fallen hero to life – this he does having all made friends and amends the company sing and dance together. The play is in the tradition of the Bottom and his homespun mechanicals performance of Pyrimus and Thysbe in a Mid Summer’s Night Dream complete with ham acting and poor jokes.

The play has 9 short parts and takes 10-15 minutes. It can be performed with fewer people although 5 is probably the minimum. The play is performed on the streets or in pubs and there is minimal costumes. Each actor is responsible for his own and carries it with him/her during a tour.

The Peebles 2010 version is adapted to have a Green Twist, and is combined with some of the Biggar Seguisers Play – New Millennium edition.

Long Sword Dance: The Guisers’ plays were often accompanied by a British Long Sword dance – this is Scotland’s forgotten, almost lost dance tradition and not to be confused with Highland Sword Dance. It is a hilt and point circle dance where the dancers hold the tips of their neighbours swords and dancers weave in and out in a way similar to some Scottish dance figures. As living traditions Long Sword Dance survived in Shetland on Papa Stour and in Yorkshire. The earliest known sword dance records from Great Britain come from Edinburgh, 1590, Elgin, 1623, and Perth, in 1617-33. The record from Elgin is where five sword dancers were arrested for performing in a Kirkyard. The tradition was likely to have been heavily suppressed during the reformation. The tradition we shall attempt (enthusiasm permitting) is the Goathland Plough Stots from North York Moors (see video below).

For more information on Guisers go to: http://www.folkplay.info/index.htm

For the original Peebles text go to: http://www.folkplay.info/Texts/84nt24cr.htm