News – and so she thinks

New music festival hits Peckham Rye

admin — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 18:43:02 +0000

Peckham Rye Music Festival announces it’s inaugural multi venue London festival launching in May 2016.
Taking place across 13th – 15th May across hip and vibrant venues such as The Bussey, CLF, Rye Wax and The Nines, this highly new weekend festival will celebrate the local music scene and the hive of creativity taking place in this buzzy corner of Sough London. artists, labels and record shops will all come together in a a series of hugs, workshops, markets and more to showcase the scene, and play at their well loved independently run local venues alongside headline acts from across the globe. Organisers Friends Of Ours have said that ‘We’re so excited about bringing some of our favourite artists to Peckham to play alongside friends that make the local scene what it is. From the workshops we’ve got planned on the Friday, all-day dancing on the Saturday and the slightly more chilled plans for Sunday it’s going to be a really fun weekend.’
Early bird tickets are on sale from today at just £18, and keep a listen out for line up announcements very soon!

Black History Month – Making a difference with diversity

admin — Fri, 20 Nov 2015 11:38:35 +0000

‘Too white, too male, too middle class.’ It’s a soundbite we hear too often in the UK, and in 2013 was the words of an independent review Government review into skills and leadership in the voluntary sector, led by Dame Mary Marsh.
October is Black History Month, a time to celebrate and acknowledge black history, art and culture, and the value that diversity brings to society. This value exists in the third sector as much as anywhere else, but whilst there are a number individuals from BAME (Black, Asian, and minority ethnic) backgrounds doing amazing work, they are still underrepresented and their contribution under recorded.
A 2011 study by Clore Leadership found that BAME represent 7.7% of the third sector workforce – compared to 9% in the total workforce, and 14.9% of the population – increasing to 40.2% in London. One in four school children are from BAME communities – our society is becoming more diverse, and so the organisations and systems playing a part in those societies must become more diverse to be most effective. Organisations working for society should be attuned to the culture of the population they are serving, which is easier when the organisation is reflective of that group.
A workforce of individuals with varied backgrounds, cultures and experiences creates an environment in which different ideas and skills can come together and contribute to a more innovative and creative environment. It’s not only soft measures that are apparently improved by higher ethnic diversity – research by McKinsey showed that companies with higher ethnic diversity were 35% more likely to exceed industry averages in terms of their financial returns.

It’s clear that improving diversity is important, but how can this be best achieved. Some of the work that Charityworks trainees have undertaken has sought to answer this question.
Ensure that recruitment processes are fair and transparent
Widening the pool from which applicants come from by advertising in different areas, seeking out recruitment partners who focus on BAME, and ensuring that imagery and wording do not subconsciously set up a bias in favour of white applicants can all help to improve the recruitment process with a focus on diversity.
Improve monitoring systems
It is difficult to get in depth data about the representation of BAME within the sector. More detailed and robust processes will help monitor recruitment and enable changes to be implemented where necessary. This will mean that decisions can be more informed, and it will lessen the chances of unconscious bias impacting upon recruitment. Consistently using diversity monitoring data, not just collecting it, is crucial.
Encourage people to get involved at all levels
There are high levels of young BAME people volunteering, but those in positions of leadership are low. In the top 50 fundraising charities only 12 per cent of chief executives, 6 per cent of senior management team members and 8 per cent of trustees are non-white. Trustee positions, leadership roles and volunteering are all options to support charities and for individuals to engage in the third sector, and organisations must utilise the skills available to best serve their needs and the needs of their communities.
Role models
Having high achieving role models as inspiration can help generate enthusiasm and ambition amongst the next generation of leaders. Individuals currently working in the sector could become more involved in outreach work at educational institutions, cultural groups and increase presence in the community. One of the main barriers for recruitment is a lack of knowledge about the sector, and so actively building connections with BAME organisations and groups, making people aware of the opportunities available, and doing so in an inspiring way, is crucial.

Scriggler: Live

admin — Sat, 12 Jul 2014 16:46:30 +0000

A night of creativity and inspiration for the thinking person
Music and words, stories and songs, poetry and performance all come together at The Harrison Bar, London, on Thursday 18th September for Scriggler: Live.
Celebrating the launch of Scriggler, a hub for words, a magazine, social network, publishing and blogging platform for anyone who wants to read, write and discuss any topic in any style, the evening is one of inspiration and imagination.
Scriggler: Live brings the online offline, this night of music, literature and debate continuing in the ethos of allowing stimulating and creative content to be shared. Featuring the best of both established and new spoken word artists, actors, writers, poets, musicians, the live events will enthral and entertain.
And so we have Sam Berkson, the ‘poet thug’, giving us his take on the issues he sees in London, counter balanced by the sweet and gentle yet no less powerful Jo Brandon. See magical work courtesy of Anna Beecher, hear some work submitted to Scriggler, and listen back as lovely and lilting Hannah Scott plays some acoustic tunes.
Thursday 18th September 2014
7.00pm for 7.30pm start
£5 in advance / £8 on the door
Get tickets in advance from We Got Tickets or Eventbrite, and follow Scriggler and me on twitter for more information.

Whose job is recycling anyway?

admin — Wed, 01 May 2013 10:44:07 +0000

Rubbish is bad, recycling is good? Right. But who’s job is it? Should each individual take responsibility, or is it up to the government to encourage, coerce, or force where necessary, people to recycle their unwanted goods and packaging.
Targets have been set for the UK. By 2020 the UK is expected to have reached a ‘zero waste’ situation whereby all rubbish is turned into energy or recycled. An EU directive in 1999 mapped out targets to cut the amount of biodegradable waste in landfills, with fines of £180m for failure to meet these. The reduction from 18.1m tonnes in 2008 to 9.2m in 2013 is on track to be met, and by 2015 the amount being sent to landfills should be a third of that in 1995 – thanks to who?
Officially, it is the role of county councils, unitary authorities and borough councils to provide the facilities for waste collection and waste disposal, whether this via local council tips, weekly recycling collections, or public bins. Providing the capabilities for recycling to take place is only one stage – people actually have to do it – but it is one that the UK is particularly poor at. Local recycling facilities are patchy and piecemeal, another gamble with the postcode lottery. Homes in some area able to recycle plastic for example, but their neighbours not, whilst others have weekly recycling collections for paper, but must save up food jars for a month.
It should not be too hard for people to take their recycling somewhere else, rather than have it collected, and it is the habit of rubbish collections that mean we don’t. However, where to take the recycling that is accumulating in the corner of your kitchen? Most recycling bins are out of town, often housed at supermarkets, and require a car and a dedicated trip. Practicalities mean that rather than build up a pile of slightly soiled plastic to then battle with on the bus to take to the recycling bank is never an attractive option.
Zero Waste is a collective that aims to achieve just that, and their recent annual activity week centred around the theme of ‘One More Thing.’ If every household in the UK recycled ‘one more thing’, the total amount collected for recycling could increase by more than three quarters of a million tonnes, showing the power of the individual action.
Targets are all very well, but numbers do not always stack up, and vary between sources. Around 60% of rubbish in the average household bin could be recycled. Local authorities are targeted with recycling 30% of all waste in their areas. Approximately 17% of UK waste gets recycled. And we can’t rely on the government – in 2005 a BBC investigation revealed that 500 tons of ‘recycled waste’ had been dumped in a landfill in Indonesia.
It is possible. Other countries are bounding ahead. The vast majority of packaging waste is recycled in Denmark (84%), Belgium (79.1%), and the Netherlands (74.9%). Split bins exist on every street some areas of Eastern Europe. In the US and Canada many universities have banned bottle water – oblivious to the outcry from the manufacturers that is often deemed more important. Most families throw away around 40kg of plastic per year, but if that could be thrown away into the right bin, or saved to be easily collected, this would drastically reduce.
After the Climate Change Act 2008 was passed, trials of bin taxes took place in 5 areas, but were quickly scrapped. Cries of big brother and an uncomfortable feeling at the idea of your rubbish being monitored made people uneasy. If people are adverse to councils and authorities checking that recycling is going ahead, they must do it themselves. There is also the question of whether households should bear the brunt for a manufacturing environment that relies upon producing plastic goods and is over zealous in its packaging. There are estimates that between 10 and 20% of the cost of goods goes on the packaging, which ends up in the bin. Reduction at the source could well be not only the most environmentally friendly answer, but also cash efficient.
Windsor & Maidenhead Council partner with Recycle Bank to run a scheme whereby households are given redeemable points for the amount they recycle. In 2009, its first year of operation the area saw recycling increase from 35% to 45%. One of the keys to success has been the fact that many homes have their own individual wheelie bin – arguably it is not the cash injection, but the effort saving that is really winning people round.
A study by Recycling Guide found that 9 out of 10 people would recycle more, if it was made easier, and the general consensus that recycling is emphatically the right thing to be doing suggests that it is not carrot nor stick strategies that are the way forward, but providing the opportunity for recycling. Whether it can be deemed the ‘job’ of the society and framework in which we operate to allow individuals to take on the responsibility themselves it does seem that this is one of the few ways that it will happen. And we must make it happen.

Den Haag – Trials and Tributes

admin — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 21:03:44 +0000

Formed in early 2012, Den Haag are looking to top off a strong 12 months with the full digital release of their debut mini album ‘Trials And Tributes’. Ranging from the more contemplative ‘Hope And Fade’ to the full on ‘Tensions’, the full release available as of now.
Inspired by post-punk-new-wave icons such as Joy Division, Depeche Mode and The Cure, Den Haag are also a band with something new to say. Named after The Hague international criminal court – hence the album name ‘Trials and Tributes’ – they are looking to create music sprung from the grass roots of their chosen genre, stripping it down to make their recordings sound as raw and live as possible.
By eschewing the usual production techniques, Den Haag have created a rough around the edges sound that genuinely draws the listener in. Standing at six tracks, the EP showcases a true sense of identity which not only makes for a strong first release, but bodes well for the future.

Three for Free

admin — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 21:22:36 +0000

January 7th 2013

Tom Odell – Songs From Another Love

Boy bandish, wholesome, smooth lovelorn songs for your more sentimental moments.

No Ceremony – Feelsolow

Super anthemic dance…and just wait for that drop!

Tropics – Invitation

Upbeat and anthemic pop from the Portsmouth producer.

The best Christmas present yet?

admin — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 14:14:43 +0000

Pulp – After You

It’s All Happening loved their socks, were rapt at the gifts of cheap aftershave, and utterly delighted with the sixth tin of Family Circle biscuits, but this post from Jarvis and the gang has got to top all the presents. The enviably lucky attendees of Pulp’s recent Sheffield homecoming show were were given Christmas cards with a download code for ‘a little present’ which was to be submitted to the band’s website on Christmas Day. Written in Jarvo’s satirical style, fans were instructed not to peak, as that would be ‘naughty.’
After You track was first demoed by the band during the sessions for 2001’s We Love Life, but this version is a new studio recording produced by James Murphy in the last couple of months, during their Coachella gigs. Plans for 2013 include ‘sailing off into the sunset.’ In a recent interview with Q Jarvis Cocker concluded that whilst ‘we’ve played for a while and it’s been really good…you can’t keep doing that forever.’
Until next time, we’ll take After You and be estatically grateful. Ta, guys.

Photo via Bar Italia

City Reign – Ahead of Ideas

admin — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 20:36:01 +0000

Released 5th November on Car Boot Records

A voice like Roddy Woomble, a shoddy yet likeable rawness, a tip for the top from Steve Lamacq – City Reign seem to have all the elements that could propel them to success. Ahead of Ideas is the new single from their debut EP Numbers for Street Names, released on 21st November. See the video here, before pre ordering the EP…

You should go to this…

admin — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 19:57:15 +0000

Tom Odell – Another Love

admin — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 10:54:59 +0000

So he looks like a model/Backstreet Boy, and his music was chosen by Burberry to front their Spring/Summer catwalk show, has been signed to Columbia, and is on tour with Jake Bugg. Multiple reasons to dislike Tom Odell? Maybe, but the warm vocals and twinkling melodies on his Songs From Another Love EP may convert us yet…
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQZfFrNjkoI]