SOLIDARITY SOLSTICE GATHERING

SUNDAY 21ST JUNE 2026

4.30AM – 7.30AM AT SQUASH BUILDING

This summer solstice, on the longest day of the year, come by Squash for an early, gentle community gathering honouring the people, lands & nature of Palestine*. Let us welcome in the dawn of the longest day together, supporting each other.

Join us, local gardeners & artists and youth-led climate & nature advocacy group MerseyWilders for:

Solstice fire
Simple breakfast
To watch the sun rise together
Solidarity
Ritual planting
Sip Windsor St elderflower cordial
Rest
Singing
Listening
Gentle movement

Everyone is welcome. Free/by donation (see below).

Please bring something to add to the communal altar & breakfast table (please note Squash is vegetarian & alcohol-free).

Hope Street Harmonies choir will be sharing solstice songs at 7am.

*At our annual squash planting day on 29^th April, we planted squash & cucumber seeds gifted by our friends Exeter Seed Bank. These seeds were grown & saved by the Palestine Local Seed Bank, West Bank & collected by: Petra Mansour in June 2025 when she visited the seed bank. We will be planting on the young squash plants at the Solidarity Solstice gathering.

We first connected with Exeter Seed Bank them when we read their statement condemning the destruction of the Seed Multiplication Unit of the Palestine Local Seed Bank in Hebron by Israeli forces on 31 July 2025. ‘The destruction of any seed bank is a loss for us all.’

We will be collecting donations this solstice for the Palestine Local Seed Bank, part of the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (a Palestinian non-governmental organisation dedicated to supporting farmers and promoting sustainable agricultural practices) to support their vital work restoring and protecting remaining seed sources in Palestine.

A group of Squash gardeners & artists along with MerseyWilders will be walking through the night, via the Mersey & nature spaces, from solstice eve to solstice dawn, to honour those not free to roam or to return to their lands.

‘From the river, to the sea, Palestine will be free.’

Access info: The Squash building is fully accessible including level threshold entrance (shop/cafe) and ramp access to the garden. There is an accessible toilet. Please note the Squash cafe/shop won’t be open during the gathering but building will be accessible for shelter & loos.

Squash, 112-114 Windsor Street, L8 8EQ.

Timings: Sunrise is at 4.43am. Civil twilight from 3.50am