Issue 2 Power issue 2(2).pdf · *What is a zine?? A zine is an alternative magazine. ... where do I put my money? ... Gay rights activists in Russia this year.

1

Issue 2—Power Winter 2013

FREE (black and white copies)

Limited edition colour copies - £2 each

2

Pulsin’ is a new seasonal zine* for

Sittingbourne. It is put together by

people with and without learning

difficulties based at The Pulse Café. We

gather a tasty selection of stories and

articles from local people for you to get

your teeth into. Pulsin’ is about equality.

It is about fairness. It is about creativity.

It is about cooperation. It is about think-

ing outside the box. It is about speaking up and being heard. It is about

rights and justice. It is about kindness. It is about food. It is about what is

happening in our community. It is about sustainability. It is about finding

out what is going on around the world. It is about having fun. It is about art.

It is about happiness.

Thank you to everyone who

contributed to this issue. We are

always looking for contributors for

future issues. Please send us your

articles and artwork. The contact

details are here —> —> —> —>

We can’t wait to hear from you—

deadline for submissions for the

Spring issue is 1st February 2014.

*What is a zine??

A zine is an alternative magazine.

Often written by fans and in a

‘do-it-yourself’ style.

Get in touch

[email protected]

01795 599899

Find us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter @PulseCafe29

www.skillnetgroup.co.uk

The Pulse Café, 29 Park Road,

Sittingbourne, Kent, ME10 1DR

Who we are and

what this is!

3

About this issue—a note from the editor

After the last issue of Pulsin’ on the theme of kindness, I didn’t think there

would be another issue I felt so excited about publishing. I was wrong.

What better topic than ‘power’ to bring us into the colder winter months

with all their festivities. We have just had fireworks night—an event

ordered by King James 1st 400 years ago to celebrate the fact that the

Houses of Parliament the King were not blown up. The story of a

Catholic man, Guy Fawkes, who had his right to practise his religion taken away from

him by the King and parliament in power (Roman Catholics

had to practise their religion in secret and people were fined

if they did not go to a Protestant church on Sunday). Guy

Fawkes and some of his fellow Catholics felt so

disempowered by the situation that he felt the only way he

could be heard was to take drastic action against those

ruling the country. Many people don’t think about that

when they are waving their sparklers or burning a ‘guy’ on

the bonfire…

In a few weeks it is Christmas. A celebration based on giving, kindness and goodwill. The

huge power advertising has, encouraging us to spend vast sums of money to ensure we

have the best Christmas ever! But not forgetting the power we also have as consumers

and neighbours. The power to choose where to spend our money and who to share it

with. The powerful effect of advertising and the media on making us feel we need to

spend money to be happy, healthy and beautiful. The personal power we have to do

something nice for someone else, to make a difference in their life.

The recent news that The Co-Operative Bank is to be taken over by capitalist, money

hungry US Hedge Funds has created a big dilemma for me—if The Co-Op is no longer

an ethical option for banking, where do I put my money? All of the other banks use our

money to invest in unethical practises and operate in a way I do not support—in

weapons manufacture, the tobacco industry, testing on animals and environmentally

damaging development. I feel completely

disempowered. Short of keeping my money under

my mattress, I no longer have somewhere I am

happy to keep it. Often we do have the power to

make responsible choices. It is when our power to

choose is taken away that we need to really stand

up, be counted and make our voice heard.

Do you feel powerful in your

community?

What does power mean to you?

Louise Allen—

Editor

Gay rights activists in Russia this year.

Photo courtesy of socialistunity.com

4

LOUISE MICHEL - SHARING POWER EQUALLY

Born in 1830, Louise Michel was a French school teacher who

became a famous leader when the French government was

overthrown in 1871. For 72 days, France was governed by

ordinary working people who shared power equally. Matt Clifton from Skillnet

Group discussed Louise’s inspirational life with Carmen Cassidy who is studying

with Skillnet Canterbury.

MATT

Carmen, what inspires you most about Louise Michel?

CARMEN

She risked her life to fight for the rights of people with no power. Louise spoke up

for people who could not speak up for themselves. Old people, children, the

homeless and people with disabilities.

MATT

When she was a child, she realised that both people and animals could be

powerless and treated cruelly. I think that’s what made her want to challenge

people who abused power. She wrote, “As far back as I can remember, the

origin of my fight against the powerful was the sight of men beating dogs, or

whipping horses. I felt pity for everything that suffers – man and beast.”

CARMEN

She brought animals and birds into her classroom. She was one of the only

teachers to teach children with learning difficulties. She brought them into the

same class as other children. She also had children from the poorest families.

She knew they needed pictures, drama and music to learn.

MATT

Do you think children with learning difficulties should be taught in the same

place as other children?

CARMEN

There are arguments on both sides. People should be mixed, but a child with a

learning difficulty needs supporting so they are not bullied. Teachers and

teenagers need to be educated about disability. I am angry because people

have ability, but people only see their disability and do not give them the power

5

to do things. We label people in ways that take away their power to do things.

Disabled, too old, too young or too sick. Louise Michel wanted to take all the

labels away.

MATT

Another label was male and female. In her time, men were much more

powerful than women. How did Louise respond to this?

CARMEN

She actually dressed up as a man and fought on the barricades in Paris. She

believed women could do anything men could do.

MATT

It is amazing that 63 years before women were allowed to vote, the Paris

Commune gave equal rights to women and men. Are men and women equal

now?

CARMEN

It is a lot better, but there is still more to do. Men can’t produce babies! But that

has been all some men see in a woman. Queen Elizabeth I said, “I have the

body of a feeble woman, but I have the heart of a king.” Even if a woman

wants to fight, she has the right. I also believe in a balance of domestic things. A

marriage needs balance and equal rights.

MATT

What can we do today to help people with disabilities become powerful?

CARMEN

We should help people understand disability. This is a strong message that we

get from Louise Michel. She understood people and saw their strengths. It would

be good to give people an experience of what disability is like. Try out being

blind or deaf, or what it is like to move around in a wheelchair. If we really

understand what disability a person has, the fear of the unknown is taken away.

We can see the many things a person can do.

Is someone has power over you, you feel vulnerable. But Louise Michel made

powerless people feel powerful. This can be a great inspiration to us.

By Carmen Cassidy

and Matt Clifton

6

“If you can’t change the world, change yourself; if you

can’t change yourself, change the world.”

I’ve been thinking a lot about power recently in all its various forms. As the owner of a small organic skin

care business I am faced with the dog-eat-dog nature of capitalism and the power of the multinational

brands every week. As someone who has spent years trying to make and

sell products that are genuinely 100% natural and organic, you wouldn’t

believe how frustrating it is to turn on the telly and watch adverts for

shampoo that supposedly turn your shower into the amazon rainforest and

scientifically proven skin care products (73% of 84 people say...) full of

dodgy chemicals that will make you look younger. They won’t. We know

the power of advertising and yet most of us buy into it anyway. Then

there’s the buying power of those larger competitors versus us small fish -

just look at the current death of the high street. I love independent

bookshops yet these days save money by buying most of my books via

Amazon. I know it’s killing the shops I love but when a book costs £8 less

online what can you do? Collectively, if we all said “no” to Amazon, things

would change and we’d keep our beautiful high street bookshops. Or if we

actually got together and forced the government to charge Amazon just a

little bit of tax then at least those bookshops would be fighting on a level

playing field.

But it’s not just capitalism that flexes its muscles and causes me problems. Last year the I had to put the

prices up on the raw ingredients for my products. Essential oils and vegetable oils went up in price because

of the droughts in Russia, the ruined harvests of lavender in France and the awful Orange crops in Florida.

This time my business was hit by the power of the natural environment. And it’s this conflict that concerns

me the most - the power of the environment versus the sheer size and mass of humanity. As a parent to two

boys - a 3 year old and a 6 month old baby - I face the same daily fears about them as any other parent.

Keeping them fit and well, safe and happy; making sure they grow into well adjusted young men. All the

usual stuff. But lately a more abstract fear has started creeping in - what kind of world we will be leaving

them and their kids in thirty or forty years? I’ve always grown up with the knowledge of the sacrifices the

generation before me - my parents generation - made for our future. Yet it is hard to shake the feeling that

we are the most selfish generation to ever walk the earth. We have it in our collective power to make a

change now and leave the planet in as good a state as it was when we came onto it, although time is

running out. Are we too selfish to do it?

The most recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is extremely worrying.

Remember, the report has been allowed to say is an extremely watered down and conservative version of

what the scientists wanted to say; the hundreds of different scientific experts and peer reviewers all had to

agree and even worse, they had to get it past 32 different governments for approval. And, despite what

your friend down the pub thinks, or what that taxi driver said, or what Lord Lawson or James Delingpole

or Peter Hitchens said (or any of the other hundreds of unqualified non-scientific pundits they roll out for

‘balance’ on TV) there is no doubt anymore, whatsoever, not even a little bit that mankind is ruining the

planet that it lives on and relies on. The ice sheets, sea ice and glaciers are disappearing faster than a

doughnut at weight watchers, the oceans are rising and subject to massive levels of acidification (look up

the statistics on the rates of disappearance of sea life - it is quite unbelievable) and freak weather patterns

are becoming the norm. And that’s just the beginning of it. (Don’t get me started on the mass extinctions

going on around the planet right now.) You’ll hear all kinds of theories from people who know nothing

about climate science as to why it’s all a green conspiracy, a leftist Marxist plot for funding, etc. But think

7

about this. That conservative IPCC document represents the most peer reviewed scientific document ever.

Without parallel. In other words, there is no doubt at all. If you think your microwave is safe to use, if you

think smoking causes cancer, if you trust doctors when they say it’s healthy to eat fruit and veg, then you

need to believe the world’s climate scientists (all of them), the world’s scientific academies (all of them)

and scientific universities (all of them) and governmental scientific bodies (all of them) when they say

mankind is truly, madly, and deeply buggering up the planet. Either that or you can believe that bloke who

writes for the Daily Mail.

So, coming back to power - what can we do as parents, as individuals, as local communities? It does all

seem rather hopeless. Governments are useless and most of them in receipt of funding from big oil,

fracking companies, energy companies. They are also too scared of losing votes to an electorate that still

sees green issues as something unimportant in comparison to the economy. One only has to look to the

cries recently to take the green energy taxes from energy bills, as if they are the real problem and not the

excessive profits of the companies themselves. And there is the very real fact that even if we stopped

burning all fossil fuel today, within a year China and India would have taken up our output. How does it

help if here in Kent we do a bit of recycling, stop flying short haul, get a more efficient car? Is there any

point to running an organic skincare business that probably makes no difference? Are we powerless? Can

we do anything that matters?

Yes we can. We need to make the effort now, at an individual and local level. Take the argument of the

economy being more important than the environment. Which country is currently the economic

powerhouse of Europe? And which country is making the fastest transition to renewable energy? The

answer is Germany. Here’s why - Germany are world leaders in manufacturing - yup, you’ve guessed it -

renewable technologies. Green jobs are no myth and if governments would be brave enough, change is

possible. And if European governments all change, then and only then can we look less economically

developed nations in the eye (who after all have not been burning fossil fuels like we have for more than

100 years) and talk about change. Back to the local level. In an article for The Nation in 2011, Naomi Klein

listed 6 that environmental change could and should happen, despite the power of the vested interests and

powerful corporations; (1) Reviving and Reinventing the Public Sphere, (2) Remembering How to Plan, (3)

Reining in the Corporations (4) Re-localizing Production (5) Ending the Cult of Shopping (6) Taxing the

Rich and Filthy. These might seem like lofty goals but it’s amazing how much an individual (and then a

local community) can do towards these goals. Individual recycling and energy efficiency might seem

irrelevant but if communities take on such measures as policy, things start to change. As such, when

drawing up community plans for the next ten years, local groups can start to think about the transition away

from fossil fuels. We can influence localized production by buying from local farmers and not buying fruit

from abroad. We all love strawberries but do we absolutely need them year round and flown in from South

America? This in turn leads to our love of shopping and the overconsumption of our generation. This is

probably the place where we can have the most influence - with our buying power and in making a choice

not to buy cheap clothes to throw away every few weeks and not to upgrade that phone every year.

So is it worth it? Of course it could all end up being worthless, a token

effort, mere tilting at windmills. They might seem like small measures,

but if our community takes them on board - thinks about each and every

policy with an eye to the bigger picture - and the next community over

does it and then the politicians start to notice... You get the point - it’s

worth a try at least, if only to be able to look our grandchildren in the

eyes.

By Esther Cohen

Founder and Managing Director at I Am Natural—

www.iamnatural.co.uk

8

What is Hemiplegia? Hemiplegia affects one in a thousand children and people in the UK each year.

The condition is either congenital, this means from birth or acquired this means

that a person can be diagnosed with Hemiplegia after having a stroke or illness.

For more information about Hemiplegia please visit HemiHelp’s website

www.hemihelp.org.uk

As someone who suffers with left sided Hemiplegia, I have found at times life to

be difficult and it has taken me a while to adapt to my strengths and weaknesses

through my early years at primary and secondary school. It wasn’t until I was in

sixth form where I studied art, I started to use my

Hemiplegia as a creative tool within my artwork. One

of my projects in my first year I produced life casts

one made of latex and plaster and the other was

made from wax of my left arm and presented them

on plinths entitled ‘Fragile’. As I progressed through

sixth form I produced a painting which was a

combination of my love of music and my condition

in a surreal approach, using a drum pedal as an

extension of my left arm

entitled ‘Self Portrait.’ I had

the opportunity to study at KIAD Rochester (University for

the Creative Arts) and studied Foundation Studies in Art

and Design. As part of my Final Major Project I decided

to create artwork using my arm hand entitled ‘Art from

the Left Hand Side.’ This piece was a series of mono

prints, which was presented with life casts of my arm

made from latex. The tutors loved it and they said ‘That

someone so young could be open with their disability.’

After I had completed Foundation Studies I was offered

a place at University at University for the Creative Arts

Rochester where I studied BA (Hons) Digital 3D Design.

One of my first year projects was to pose a hand out of

clay and in the digital, so I decided to pose it to

represent my left hand. For my

final major project in the third

year I produced an animation

entitled ‘One in a Thousand,’

which was a combination of 2D

and 3D. The 2D part I was the

animated character and the 3D

was the background.

9

To briefly sum up the film, the sequence opens with the main character walking

towards the camera. As he moves into the foreground he splits in half, to create

‘able’ and ‘less-able’ halves of the figure. The characters then approach an

assault course made from books and other learning equipment, representing the

challenges of education and physical obstacles faced by a hemiplegic.

Throughout the piece the ‘able’ half of the character helps the other half. This

was intended to represent how a hemiplegia sufferer can adapt to tasks by using

their able bodied side to support their hemiplegic side, and that they can still

achieve. Indeed, throughout my life I have found many ways to use the right side

of my body to manipulate the left to complete tasks. At the end of the film, the

character merges back together and the piece fades out to deliver information

about hemiplegia and HemiHelp.

I presented the animation to HemiHelp at the private view in London and they

loved it and the representative was close to tears, but understood that it

explained what Hemiplegia is. For a time it was featured on their website and also

featured in their newsletter and now is featured on their youtube channel.

By Thomas Holton

Over the next few pages you will find Thomas’ artwork. ‘The Thinker’ and ‘A Duck’ were

both pieces from ‘Art from the Left Hand Side’.

To contact Thomas— [email protected] or 07771 272611

10

Thomas Holton

11

Thomas Holton

12

Thomas Holton

13

Get involved—

Volunteering and work experience opportunities

Would you like to help in your local community? Fancy meeting

likeminded people? Want to add some experience to your CV?

Café Volunteers—The Pulse, Park Road, Sittingbourne

The Pulse is looking for people to help out in the café—roles include washing up, serving customers,

cleaning, marketing, lunch time deliveries and food preparation.

Contact Louise on 07780 985245 or email [email protected]

Assistant Manager apprenticeship—The Pulse, Park Road, Sittingbourne

The Pulse is also recruiting for an apprentice to be trained up to help run the café.

Contact Louise on 07780 985245 or email [email protected]

Wood work support volunteer—Eco Shed, Park Road, Sittingbourne

Eco Shed is looking for a volunteer to help support people in learning wood working skills—do you know

basic carpentry? Could you support people to make wooden artworks and garden items?

Contact Rich on 01795 438857 or [email protected]

Community allotment volunteers—Bob Fowler Community Allotment, Regis Crescent,

Sittingbourne

Volunteers wanted for new community allotment in Milton Regis. Volunteers needed for general

allotment tasks—weeding, planting, maintenance, workshops, tree pruning etc. See over the page for

more information.

VOLUNTEER

14

Bob Fowler (Regis Crescent) Community Allotment

We are developing a disused area of land and former fly-tipping site into a

community allotment. The allotment plot is located at Regis Crescent in

Sittingbourne. AmicusHorizon have invited local Children's Centres, Wood

Grove and Grove Park, and Skillnet Group CIC to work in partnership to

develop the land.

The allotment is designed using organic gardening and permaculture

principles, taking local people, environment and wildlife into consideration

throughout the process. It will provide the opportunity for people to learn

skills in organic gardening, vegetable growing, wildlife, permaculture and

sustainability. There will be areas for people to sit, relax and be around

nature, as well as plenty of tasks for those

wishing to get stuck in and get gardening.

We plan to hold more formal training

workshops for volunteers and members of

the community to learn specific skills. There

will also be a number of open days and

events running from the garden for the

whole community to enjoy.

Tree planting day

5th December, 10am—3pm at the

allotment.

Full training will be given. All ages welcome.

Bring suitable shoes and spades if you have

them.

Contact Louise for more details 07780 985245

or [email protected]

15

Blenwood Grounds Maintenance has kindly built the beds and pathways

for the allotment. Awards for all has just donated money to put in a

composting toilet, shed/sheltered classroom and polytunnel. Local

Councillor, Roger Truelove has also kindly donated to the project. The Big

Tree Plant and Woodland Trust have donated trees and funds to plant a

native, wildlife friendly hedgerow around the border of the allotment. We

will also be linking up with Milton Creek Country Park and joining the two

green spaces together through workshops and tree planting.

We need you!

If you are green-fingered, want to

grow your own fruit and veg or want

to find a way to get more involved in

your community, then this is the

project for you.

Contact Louise for more

information—07780 985245 or email

16

Poetry

Poetry is a wonderful thing as to many

people great joy it does bring.

Poems are written about a great many

things the better they are the more

happiness they bring.

Keats; Tennyson and Lord Byron were

poets of old, they also wrote poem books

of which quite a few were sold.

Writing poetry makes your thoughts come

alive but you will only be famous if you’ve

got the drive.

Nick had a period of writing poetry from the ‘90s’ to 2000 in this time

he wrote approximately 200 poems. One of his poems, dedicated to

the memory of Princess Diana, was purchased at a sale to raise funds

for Stonham Housing Association. Nick played chess for Kent twice

and is an ardent Man’ U fan. On this page we feature some of Nick’s

work. We hope you get as much enjoyment reading them as Nick did

writing them. In each issue we will feature different poems/extracts

from short stories. Nick is contemplating taking up writing again.

Nick’s Literary Page

17

Free drink for readers

This voucher entitles you to one free drink at The Pulse! Valid until 1st March 2014 when you show this voucher

Ghostly Rendezvous

by Nicholas Sharman I had broken down in dense and remote countryside after taking a wrong turning

on the way to Blackpool but now after walking for what seemed ages I could see

the welcoming light of an old house up ahead.

Walking up to the door with a thumping heart, I rang the bell as rain was now

beginning to fall, and darkness was starting its rapid descent. The door was

opened by a kind looking shortish woman, perhaps in her mid forties who took

immediate pity on me when I introduced myself and told her of my plight. After

phoning the RAC and telling me where I was, the woman who introduced herself

as Kate said ‘Nick, would you like to go into the front room while I make you a

cup of tea?’ Thank you,’ I said and just make conversation I asked Kate ‘Is this

anything to do in the front, TV or anything like that?’ ‘We have a TV or my son

Colin is in there by his chessboard.’

As soon as I entered the front room I spied Colin a fine looking boy, dark hair, dark

suit sitting in a chair in a corner. He was next to a big wooden chess table with a

wooden chess set on it. ‘I hear you play chess,’ I said, ‘that’s right and by the way

my name is Colin’ the young man said in eerie sort of way.

Yes ok and hello Colin my name’s Nick I said as I made my usual opening move

of p-k4 to which Colin replied p-k4 too, at this moment I received my cup of tea

from Kate for which I thanked her very much. Turning back to the game I moved

my kings Bishop to Bishops four so developing my first piece into play. At that

particular moment while Colin was thinking about his next move I was looking

around the room at all the old furniture that Kate owned, and as I did this the

Grandfather clock in the corner struck eleven.

Find the next part of the story in the next issue…..

18

SUPERPOWERS AND HUMAN INADEQUACY

ACT ONE: (The inane set up) As a young boy, quite some time ago, I distinctly

remember running around my street shouting “Smash! Smash! I am HULK!” before

ripping my shirt into shreds to emulate Bruce Banner’s* comic book character. I

should maybe add that there were other kids there, I wasn’t alone. Unfortunately for

me, my mum was watching through a bedroom window and swiftly administered some of her

own justice by rushing out, smacking the back of my legs and grounding me for a week

for ripping up “a good shirt” (which it really wasn’t). This is the day I learnt

that even superheroes have to answer to their mothers.

ACT TWO: (The facts) The Avengers, Joss Whedon’s enjoyable take on Marvel comics

“mightiest heroes” is the third biggest grossing film of all time. The film

completed “Phase One” of Marvel’s cinematic universe which included Iron Man, Iron

Man 2, Thor and Captain America. “Phase Two” films include the recently released

Thor: The Dark Word, Captain America: Winter Soldier, The Guardians of the Galaxy

(yaay!), Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man. Marvel have a release schedule for the

next three years and will begin work on even more films once “Phase Two” is at full

tilt.

ACT THREE: (Get to the point, mate!). So, what connects the points above? Well, the

success of the Marvel franchise goes hand in hand with the audience’s desire to live

through the actions of the characters on screen - we get excited by the actions and

we share the emotions of the characters (unless you’re my girlfriend who tends to

fall asleep in these films). Why are superhero films taking over the box office

schedules at this moment in time? What does it say about us as a society that these

films are popular?

Now, perhaps more than ever in peacetime society, we as a community feel totally

powerless and this is where our need to live through superhero characters in films

comes from. In a culture where trade unionism, and many other forms of collective

engagement, have been eroded by the poisonous ideologies of “our” government

(cheers for the legacy, Thatcher!) we feel more isolated than ever before. We now

spend so much of our time documenting our lives (constantly taking photos for

Facebook rofls) rather than actually living our lives. This has led to even more

distance between those closest to us as we communicate in status updates, “likes”

and tweets rather than face to face conversation with all of its intimacies and

idiosyncrasies.

19

Image courtesy of www.geekwisdowm.wordpress.com

The weakness that is felt, the sense of a lack of community and the loss of the idea

that people are looking out for us leads to a need to fill the gap. Films have always

reflected the fears and feelings of a particular generation and I think the glut of

superhero films and their success at the box office is really significant right now.

Maybe it will be easier to assess with the passing of time but by then I would

probably have forgotten what I wanted to say. Our own sense of inadequacy as humans

and a sense of futility that little can be done about the rise of multinational

corporations, globalisation affecting indigenous cultures etc. is clear from the

fantasy that we engage in at the cinema. Historically, humankind has looked to

individuals to provide the answer and a way out. We do the same now by putting all of

our hopes in heroes with extraordinary, inhuman powers who will be there when we most

need them to save us all. Just watch Bryan Singer’s awful Superman Returns film from

a few years ago and tell me that the Messianic references aren’t deliberate.

Either that or the films are just good, I dunno.

By Todd Dedman

*In the 1970s TV version of The Incredible Hulk the TV executives decided to change

the main character’s name to David Banner as they thought that Bruce was “too

gay”. True fact. Ridiculous.

20

Did you know Sittingbourne has a museum?

And did you know that it’s on the high street?

The Museum has a number of different collections of

historical artefacts relevant to Sittingbourne and its past

from Victorian items found in local buildings to brick

making equipment and a mock up 1940’s kitchen air raid

shelter and shop.

The Museum is open every Saturday

April till October from 10 – 4. Groups are

welcome on appointment during the week Tel 01795423215. In

the winter months the Museum is closed for maintenance. They

are always looking for volunteers and Supporters and are a

registered charity.

Sittingbourne’s fascinating facts

Sittingbourne is famous for three types of industry, brick making, paper making

and farming consisting mainly of fruit and hop growing.

There was a big demand for Bricks whilst Victorian London was being built.

Sittingbourne was the perfect place to Supply Bricks to London as barges could

take the bricks up Milton Creek to the Thames. The clay in Milton Creek was

used to make the bricks along with chalk and cinders from rubbish. Victorian

London made a lot of rubbish, the rubbish was sent down by barge to

Sittingbourne where it was used both in the bricks themselves and to power

the kilns they were fired in. (A Kiln is the oven clay is baked in to make it hard

it’s how we make pots china and crockery).

21

The clay and chalk materials available in

Sittingbourne made the Bricks cheap to make, they

were called the Kent yellow Stock Brick and were

used more than the Traditional red brick because

they were cheaper to make. This meant that

Sittingbourne became well known for its successful

brick making industry.

The bricks were then taken on barges along Milton Creek to the capital and

even abroad this is why a statue of a bargeman can be found on Sittingbourne

high street and Sittingbourne’s football team have the nickname ‘The

Brickies’.

Pot digging was a hobby for Sittingbourne residents who used to rummage

through the skips of rubbish brought down from London to find bits of

pottery from the city. A personal collection of these pots can be found on

display in the Sittingbourne Heritage Museum as well as traditional brick

making equipment and artefacts from Sittingbourne’s past.

By the Media and Publicity Group

22

Diary of a volunteer—Part 2

Israel 2013—by Christabel McCooey

20th June 2013

I feel very lucky to be here, that it is significant, leading somewhere. I have had interesting

discussions about Catholicism – there are lots of Catholics here. The Aussie said all of the saints

had something opposing the traditional view, some were excommunicated – its ok to be a

maverick and Catholic – I don’t know if it’s a possibility of God wanting me to be Catholic – I am

open to it but I would need much persuasion. My

relationship feels so right: “Guard jealously your

relationship with God”. I feel like I can restore my

faith when it’s knocked, even on small level. That I

can be filled at the core of my resources. Great

chats with 3 other women, they will be good

friends. People liked my dress- purple and green-

though it might’ve seemed daring to some

Christians!

21st June 2013

Finished the advocacy event. Feeling quite tired.

I’m at the Van Gogh hostel having a cherry beer. I

am slightly nervous having no hostel plans. But I

trust God it will work out better than I plan. I got

interesting contacts at this event and the

impression I could do an internship.

“Truth is not an intellectual construction but the

abandonment in love to a person who withholds

nothing good from us” Richard Wurmbrand.

“Don’t allow your sins to be a handicap in your

prayers. Jesus did all the good deeds you were

intended to. God sees them as if they were yours”

“Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be

saved” 2:21 Acts

Part 3 in the Spring issue.

By Rob Wood

23

Did you know that Sittingbourne is a

sight of significant Archaeological

importance, and that over 200

bronze age graves have been

discovered right on your doorstep!

Sittingbourne began as a settlement over 2000 years. 2000 artefacts have been

found by the Jenny Wren pub in an Anglo Saxon graves site as well as 229

bronzes age graves. The brewery paid for the excavation of half the site and

the archaeological team are looking for funding to

dig the remaining half.

The Conservation Lab is in The Forum Shopping

Centre on Sittingbourne High street. Here Dana a

qualified award wining archaeologist and a team of

volunteers have been

treating the objects from the archaeological dig .

The project has been a local initiative and

volunteers have been taught conservation skills

so that they can actively

be involved in the

conservation of the

artefacts.

Many historical objects have been found. They are using

methods such as x-ray to look at the

soil and find what’s underneath.

Natural, organics such as leather

and stone have decomposed and

are no longer there but from what’s

left archaeologists have been able to reconstruct what they may have looked

like. They have reconstructed a shield.

By the Media and Publicity Group

24

Sustainable Sheppey—article correction

Apologies for the error in the last issue of Pulsin’. John Whittington, Sustainable Shep-

pey Coordinate emailed me the details about the project.

Swale Borough Council are leading the project and there are 7 different strands within the pro-ject of which the Renewable Energy initiative is just one which is led by KCC

John coordinates the entire set of projects but the different projects are managed as follows:

Renewable Energy Feasibility Studies led by KCC

Community Allotments led by Sheppey Matters

Community Resilience – led by KCC Interreg IV

Sustainable Skills – led by AmicusHorizon

Sustainable Homes – led by Groundwork South

Sustainable Schools –led by Groundwork South

Waste Oil/Wood Recycling – Led by Work this way

[email protected]

Pulse Winter Meal and

Celebration

- all welcome!

Monday 23rd December at The Pulse Café

The Pulse, Soupy Loopy and The Good Bread Club are joining

forces to put on a warming, wholesome and seasonal meal

for Sittingbourne. We are looking for volunteers to help

publicise the meal and help on the day.

All we are asking is that people pay what they can towards

the meal—if you don’t have much spare cash then help us

clear the tables or take a turn on the open mic.

Veggie friendly—families welcome—all religions and

cultures welcome—musical entertainment and games

Contact Louise to book a place or for volunteering details—

07780 985245 / [email protected]

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is

the only thing that ever has” - Margaret Mead

25

Exhibition space

The Pulse is now offering affordable exhibition space for local artists. Gallery

fees start at just £30 per month and cost a maximum of £100 per month for

use of the whole cafe. Further discounts are available Swale Arts Forum

members. Space for crafters and designer/makers also coming soon…

Contact [email protected] for more details.

Swale Arts Forum

The Swale Arts Forum exists to promote and develop their Art and culture across Swale

and the community. The Swale Arts Forum are based in unit 25 in the Forum Shopping

Centre and are open 9:30– 5:30 every Tuesday-Saturday.

The Arts Forum is a shop/gallery space where local artists will be selling beautifully

crafted art works and objects

They have an information hub where you can

find out about what’s happening in and

around Sittingbourne.

They have a variety of workshops and events

available for more information please visit the

shop

They hold a storytelling chair for local groups

to use. See if you can find their Santa’s Grotto

at Christmas time...

Arty things

Recreate—Creative Networking FREE event! 3rd December, 6pm-9pm at The Pulse Café

Meet fellow creatives, find out about a new creative co-working space in

Sittingbourne and share ideas. Oh, and there will be free nibbles and wine!

26

Under 5s dance class

Every other Monday, 10am—11pm at The Pulse

“Here at Dinky’s all about having fun and moving to music. Dinky’s is for boys and girls

under 5. Dinky dance has been to play schools, preschools, parent and toddler

clubs, Sure start centres and hospitals. Dinky’s is a great way to Introduce young

children to dance. This will help the young child/baby to socialize, gain strength,

coordination and sound awareness. We use all kinds of music in these sessions from

hip hop and R&B this is something new and fresh. You can be sure you and your child

will love Dinky Dudes & Divas!” - Carla Hazell.

Classes are followed by an hour’s social time for parents and dinkies to get a drink

and snack from The Pulse Café, have a chat and enjoy the Pulse toys.

To book a place please contact Carla

07549 752354 or at [email protected]

£5 a class if booked in advance (or £6 on the day).

Dinky Spaces available for the

new term

Embracing your

“Shadow Self”

We all have an image of ourselves, who we are, what we’re like. It’s

important to try and accept both the things we like and the things we don’t

like about ourselves. Your ‘Shadow Self’, represents the qualities in you that

don’t often get expressed and you aren’t always aware of. For instance,

you might see yourself as mostly loud and outgoing, but there may also be

a side of you that is more withdrawn and needs quiet, peace and

reassurance.

Exercise - Write down 5 qualities that best describe your personality.

Beneath your answers, write down the opposite of those 5 qualities, E.g.

‘Loud’ = ‘Quiet’; “Jokey = “Serious”. These opposite qualities make up your

‘Shadow Self’ and are a part of you as well, which is equally deserving of

love. Sometimes, we limit ourselves if we only think about who we are and

what can do in a fixed way.

27

Pulse seasonal specials

Middle-Eastern Vegetable Stew

A spiced dish of mixed vegetables makes a delicious and filling vegetarian main course.

Chick peas provide lots of protein and calcium and the chilli gets your heart pumping and

helps circulation. Add more or less chilli as

desired.

Ingredients (Serves 4-6)

45ml/3 tablespoon vegetable stock

1 green pepper, seeded and sliced

2 medium courgettes, sliced

2 medium carrots, sliced

2 celery sticks, sliced

2 medium potatoes, diced

400g/14oz can chopped tomatoes

5ml/1 teaspoon chilli powder

30ml/ 2 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

15ml/1 tablespoon ground cumin

400g/14oz can chick peas, drained

Salt and black pepper

Mint springs, to garnish

1. Heat the vegetable stock in a large flameproof casserole until boiling,

then add sliced pepper, courgettes, carrots and celery. Stir over high

heat for 2-3 minutes, until the vegetables are just beginning to soften.

2. Add the potatoes, tomatoes, chilli powder, mint and cumin. Add the

chick-peas and bring to the boil.

3. Reduce the heat, cover the casserole, and simmer for 30 minutes, or

until all the vegetable are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper

and serve hot, garnish with mint leaves.

Variations

Other vegetables can be substituted for

those in the recipe, just use whatever you

have to hand- try swede, sweet potato

or parsnips.

Cook’s Tip

Chick-peas are traditional in the type of

middle-eastern dish, but if you prefer, red

kidney beans or navy beans can be used

instead.

28

The Pulse Café and venue

Public opening hours

Tuesday to Thursday, 9am—3.30pm

Friday—Monday—available for private hire and events.

Do you want a bright, airy and ethical venue for your

group, meetings, workshop or event?

Hire prices start from just £5 per hour.

Local and ethical catering available.

For bookings and enquiries—[email protected]

01795 599899 / 0778 985245

Ethical advertising co-operative

You could advertise here!

We currently email out to over 500 local people and distribute this zine

throughout public places in Sittingbourne and Swale. We have a team of

volunteer distributors ready to deliver to more people but to do that we need you to

advertise your ethical business or group here!

We are a not for profit group and are only charging :

£100 for one full page - A4

£65 for half a page - A5

£40 for a quarter page - A6

If you wish to be included in 3 or more editions we will offer a 10% reduction in price on

payment in advance. If you have an interesting story to tell, recipe to include or another

idea for an article, we will also feature an editorial on your business within the zine, all

included in the price. How good is that?! We are also happy for businesses to share a

space and the cost.