DECEMBER AT SQUASH
Come and find some light on this shortest day / longest night. You’re so welcome to nestle in around the fire and the front room for gentle chats, rituals, reflections and tastes. All welcome.
Our Winter Solstice gathering and Christmas Day opening are held in solidarity with the people of Palestine & Yemen and is a fundraiser for Habibti Liverpool, Medical Aid for Palestinians & Soup-it-Forward.
As we enter into the darkest weeks of the year, we invite you to gather in together around the fire to celebrate Samhain; the end and beginning of the Celtic New Year.
Add the names of lost loved ones to the altar, be they ancestors, family members, friends or those we’ve never met. Taste warming mulled apple & fire cider made at the Equinox. Have a chat through your hopes, worries, griefs & joys.
Bring something to burn.
“Samhain is upon us, marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, a time of cold and darkness when the veil between the living and the spirit world is believed to be at its thinnest. The word “Samhain” is derived from old Irish and means “summer’s end.” It is a time to bid farewell to the warmth and light of summer and prepare for the introspective and cold months ahead.” from Landworkers Alliance
Activists & allies; join in this workshop to help make immune-strengthening tonics & elixirs to get us through this autumn and winter. Join creative cook, artist & community food activist Annie Levy of Kitchen Counter Culture to make fire cider*, elderberry tonic & other healthful concoctions, and chat about what has been and what’s coming. In solidarity with all community activists who are holding multiple injustices to account.
Session is free to attend for activist or allies who can share what we make. Donations towards ingredients and materials always welcome!
Part of the EQUINOX WEEKENDER
On this Autumn Equinox afternoon, the gardeners of the Grapes Community Food Garden welcome you to find your balance in our beautiful urban paradise! There’ll be garden tours, mindful crafts, meditation & movement, apple pressing, hand massages, chats by the fire and great company! Bring your friends and family for a gentle autumn afternoon!
Part of the EQUINOX WEEKENDER
On the eve of the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, join us for a bowl of soup and a chat about the politics of food and politics in general with special guest, food & farming actionist Deirdre ‘Dee’ Woods.*
Squash first came across Digesting Politics in 2019 – an initiative designed by Keep it Complex / Make it Clear that ran at community space & social enterprise Company Drinks in Barking & Dagenham. DP was a series of communal lunches around the politics of food, with each lunch resulting in a series of calls to action and invitation to apply them for all present, and as a collective suggestion to the council to change local politics and to our local MP’s to lobby on a national level.
Looking forward to eating and talking together.
This event is free. If you are in a position to donate to Squash’s ‘Soup-it-Forward’ campaign (anyone who needs can get a free soup in the Squash cafe), please donate £3.75 or more at the event. If you’re unable to attend but would like to donate please do so here.
*Deidre ‘Dee’ Woods is a Landworkers Alliance co-founder & coordinating group member, co-founder of Granville Community Kitchen in NW London and an ambassador for Farming the Future. Dee is at the heart of holding Government and the regenerative farming movement to account by ensuring that social justice, racial equality, and gender parity, is engrained within the food system.
Part of the EQUINOX WEEKENDER
A balancing walk together along the 100-Year Street* from spring to oak. On this Autumn Equinox day of almost equal day and night, come for a slow, calm, balancing walk along wonderful Windsor Street. We’ll be strolling from the spring in the cathedral gardens up to Princes Park, passing and pausing at special stops observing rituals along the way – the Windsor Street chakras. Join somatic movement practitioners and artists Ithalia Forel, Maxine Brown & Clare Owens for gentle movement, blessings, laughter, quiet times and of course, dancing!
*Ours is a 100-year vision, inspired by nature; we are actively transforming our Windsor Street Neighbourhood into a people-powered place that is known throughout the world for being a playful, resilient and loving community where everybody thrives!
This event is free / suggested donation of £5/£10. Please donate generously if you can so we can keep Squash activities accessible to everyone.
Part of the EQUINOX WEEKENDER
‘Seed is not just the source of life. It is the very foundation of our being.’
-Vandana Shiva, environmental activist and global seed sovereignty advocate.
On this Autumn Equinox day, join in our annual seed-saving session led by local gardeners who steward the Toxteth Seed Library. Help us clean, sort and pack seeds after this bountiful summers growth.
Our annual seed share is a really important event in the Squash growing year. We’re passionate about seeds. We’ve been building the Toxteth Seed Library since 2010 – a fundamental element of our 100 Year Vision for Windsor Street and neighbourhood. Come and meet the Squash gardeners, who are the seed keepers and caretakers of this great legacy.
Alongside the seed share, we will be joined by artist Tamasine Seibold and craftavists Pauline & Jasmine for some mindful crafting.
Looking forward to a gentle Sunday morning together.
Drop-in. Free / by donation.
Part of the EQUINOX WEEKENDER
Interested in a career in food? Sign up to our exciting Food Biz course with the award-winning food team at Squash Community Hub. Discover new talents and interests, gain practical skills and experiences, increase your business ‘know how’ and meet inspiring local business leaders. Learn how to grow, prepare, cook, share and enjoy food that is good for you, your family, your community and for the planet!
The course is funded through Liverpool City Region’s Multiply Community fund that supports trainees to gain better understanding and confidence around the calculations, sums, measuring and maths of food business!
Come and have a chat with Becky, Waseilah & Sally-Anne to find out more & sign up at Squash:
Wednesday 11th, Thursday 12th, Friday 13th or Wednesday 18th September anytime between 10.30am-12.30pm
Or email becky@squashliverpool.co.uk or call 0151 7077897.
The course itself runs for 12 weeks on either a Tuesday or Wednesday morning beginning 8th and 9th October.
Come along for a magical eve of comedy & fun, and help raise funds to support local projects; Habibti Liverpool who support the medical staff and children at Al Sabeen Hospital, Yemen and Squash’s own ‘Soup it Forward’ initiative. If you can’t make the auction but would like to donate please do so here.
Auction lots can be viewed from 5pm on auction day. The Squash cafe will be open from 5pm for tasty seasonal dishes & treats.
Squash members – if ticket price is a barrier to entry, please email clare@squashliverpool.co.uk as there a limited number of concession and free places available.
Growers & Cooks! – have you grown something you’re really proud of this year? or made an amazing jam? then please get in touch to donate home or allotment-grown fruit & veg and preserves, ferments, or other delicious homemade seasonal treats. donation drop-off times at squash are 10am – 4pm 14th, 18th, 19th & 20th September.
For more info or to donate an auction lot email clare@squashliverpool.co.uk or call 0151 7077897.
Part of the EQUINOX WEEKENDER
