IN THE FRONT ROOM AT SQUASH, DROP IN / FREE / BY DONATION
‘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.
Our annual seed share is a really important event in the growing year and is the only one of its kind in Merseyside. At Squash, we’re passionate about seed-saving & sharing and have been building the Toxteth Seed Library since 2010 – a fundamental element of our 100 Year Vision for Windsor Street and L8 neighbourhood. Come and meet the Squash gardeners, who are the seed keepers and caretakers of this great legacy.
Every year, seasoned growers and budding beginners join us from across the city region with a shared passion and excitement for the great potential of the simple seed. Come along to pick up some free seeds to grow this spring and if you can, bring seeds you’ve saved to share. Our seed stock is abundant with many varieties of vegetables, herbs & salad with some flowers & wildflowers, nurtured organically with love on Windsor Street.
There’ll also be mindful crafting and art-making with seeds, lead by local crafters and gardeners.
IMBOLC
SUNDAY 1ST FEBRUARY 1-3PM
AT THE GRAPES COMMUNITY FOOD GARDEN
Come by and help celebrate Imbolc, the Irish/Celtic/Gaelic marking of the coming of spring and the first festival of the 8-fold year of 2025. Traditional foods associated with Imbolc are dairy* inc. milk, butter & cheese and grains/bread and will feature at this year’s Imbolc celebration. Help make fresh butter and taste our Squash-made sourdough!
For our gentle annual celebration, we also invite you to join local gardeners, artists & cooks to;
reflect together around the fire about winter challenges and hope for the coming spring
help make Brigid crosses with locally grown reeds
plant up onions, garlic and broad beans; some of the earliest veg we can sow in the year
bless the gardens of the street and look ahead to the growing year
draw & write spring affirmations and share rituals at the altar
taste fire cider and Imbolc herb tea
listen to early spring music
WASSAIL!
SATURDAY 17TH JANUARY 2pm till dusk…
Every January, we celebrate the apple & other fruit trees of Windsor Street and Princes Park by singing round the fire, making a racket with pots and pans to wake up the land, sharing messages & poems of hope for a good blossom & growing season, and welcoming the new annual apple guardians, which involves eating cake & sipping hot mulled apple punch.
This year, together with the Friends of Princes Park* and Hope Street Harmonies Choir, we invite you to join our Wassail Trail, from the Grapes Community Garden, journeying up Windsor Street ending up at the mini orchard in Princes Park, wassailing fruit trees along the way. We’ll sing and dance for the Windsor St community fruit trees, the crab apples of Windsor St School, the mighty Devonshire Rd quince tree and the apples & pear trees in the park! If you have a fruit tree you’d like us to wassail nearby, let us know!
ROUGH TIMINGS – WALKING & WASSAILING AS WE GO:
2PM MEET AT GRAPES COMMUNITY FOOD GARDEN FOR FIRE, SONG, PAN-BASHING & MORE
3PM WASSAILING AT SQUASH + APPLE CAKE NEW GUARDIAN WELCOME
3.30PM WASSAILING WINDSOR STREET
4-5PM PRINCES PARK ORCHARD WASSAIL
Everyone is welcome! By donation/solidarity fundraiser for Soup-it-Forward.
BRING AN OLD POT AND A STICK/WOODEN OR METAL UTENSIL TO BASH!
BRING YOUR BELLS AND WHISTLES. BRING APPLES TO SHARE.
DRESS FOR THE WEATHER AND TO GLADDEN YOUR HEART!
At Squash our apple trees are our ‘more than human’ partners in our 100-year vision – which began with the planting of apples trees in The Grapes Community Food Garden in 2010. If nurtured, an apple tree can live for up to 100 years. Our love of wassailing comes from a shared passion for ritual, being close to nature & community and feeling embodied in the seasons.
*The Friends of Princes Park are a group of local people who want to Princes Park thrive for people and nature. They are a volunteer led and run charitable organisation which works in partnership with the Liverpool City Council, organised by an elected FoPP Executive Committee. They do tree work including planting and coppicing, bulbs, shrub and wildflower planting and have planted over 4000 trees over the last 17 years, increasing the biodiversity and wildlife of the park. They organise other activities such as tree walks, wildlife walks and picnics. Volunteer sessions run in the park every other Sunday between 10:30 and 14:30 all year round.
Wassailing, from the Anglo-Saxon phrase ‘waes hael’, which means ‘good health’, is a traditional, rousing ritual of fire, food, song and togetherness in nature in the winter depths, to celebrate the apple trees and to warm them up for the coming spring and to encourage a bountiful harvest. ‘Historic UK’ say There are two distinct variations of wassailing. One involves groups of merrymakers going from one house to another, wassail bowl in hand, singing traditional songs and generally spreading fun and good wishes. The other form of wassailing is generally practiced in the countryside, particularly in fruit growing regions, where it is the trees that are blessed.Wassailing (historic-uk.com)This year we’ll attempt a bit of both. We’ll be collecting for our ‘Soup-it-Forward’ initiative along the way.
Apple wassailing was traditionally celebrated by orchard & cider-making communities in the West Country, and in the Welsh border counties. It happened on ‘Old twelfy night’ before the Gregorian calendar – which falls on 17th January. Modern wassails happen all over the country throughout January.
FOOD IS A HUMAN RIGHT
FOOD IS A HUMAN RIGHT poster project is a SQUASH collaboration with artist Corbin LaMont that has come out of conversations on the state of current & historic enforced starvations in many places across the world.
The A3 posters are available to purchase for £15 in the Squash shop or can be ordered in for collection. Profits from sales will go to Khartoum Aid Kitchen in Sudan and our own Soup it Forward campaign. See all the posters below.
The posters will be available to purchase on Christmas Day in the Squash shop when we’re open 12 noon till 2pm, and when we’re back open 10th January.
We put a call out for translations of the statement from our Squash community and have made posters in 13 languages so far:
In Jude’s own words; “This series of photographic images documents scenes from celebrational gatherings led by Squash Liverpool CIC throughout the Eightfold Celtic Calendar year. During these events, we are openly invited to come together onto the street, into the community garden and the local park to celebrate the seasonal turning and bridging points of the year, We are encouraged to explore themes of inclusivity, creativity, community, connection and joy as well as developing an awareness about the value of each season. In this modern society, often driven by quantitative results, these events are an invaluable and rare opportunity to be able to enter a space of reflection and deep time. Where stories are told, steps are danced, songs are sung and food is shared around the fire. Where strangers become friends and kindness is the currency of exchange. Where we may stop for a moment to open our hearts and minds.”
The photos below include some in the exhibition and others chosen by Jude and Squash social artist Clare Owens that show some of the breadth & depth of Squash ritual practice and Jude’s tender capture.
SUMMER SOLSTICE 2025BEALTAINE 2024IMBOLC, 2025HEALING GARDEN FIRE, 2021BRIGID CROSS MAKING, IMBOLC 2025SUMMER SOLSTICE, 2024SAMHAIN, 2025DUSKING, 2025BEALTAINE/MAYDAY, 2025IMBOLC, 2025SPRING EQUINOX, 2024JON B DRAWING IN THE GARDEN, 2021IMBOLC, 2025SUMMER SOLSTICE, 2025SAMHAIN, 2025SUMMER SOLSTICE, 2025SUMMER SOLSTICE, 2025IMBOLC, 2025WINTER SOLSTICE, 2021SUMMER SOLSTICE, 2025L8-FOLD YEAR WINDOW DRAWING BY ANGELICA VANASSE, 2025
WINTER SOLSTICE WEEKENDER
Come and find some light on these shortest days. Let’s walk out together, nestle in around the fire, and make time for gentle chats, rituals and reflections. All welcome for calm times. Access information below.
SOLSTICE EVE, SATURDAY 20TH DECEMBER 12 NOON – 4PM
FIRE CHATS & REFLECTIONS. 12 NOON – 4PM
Stare into the fire, catch up with yourself, have a chat… a gentle hearth for Solstice Eve.
FESTIVE TUNES FROM HOPE STREET HARMONIES CHOIR. 1PM
Come hear festive tunes round the fire from Liverpool’s acapella songstresses! Solstice and Christmas tunes plus fun favourites!
An invitation to gently prepare for solstice with song, movement, art, craft & fire cider in the gentle front room, with artists Angelica, Clare & Becky. We ask that you remove your shoes at the door for optimum comfort, so maybe bring warm socks!
SUNDAY 21ST DECEMBER 8AM – 4PM
SOLSTICE SUNRISE WALK. 8AM – 10AM
This Winter Solstice sunrise, come welcome in the returning light at the big oak in Princes Park, with communal songs led by Rachel from Holistic Harmonies. We’ll then journey together on a ritual walk up Windsor Street with the Squash crew & artist Andrea to the spring at St. James / cathedral gardens. See below for more info.
QUEER KIN COLLECTIVE 10 – 12 NOON
A beautiful wellbeing offering from Liverpool’s queer kin for all the community.
SEW THE SOLSTICE. 10.30AM – 1PM
Stop by for some seasonal embroidery in the calm front room with artist Tabitha
STREET RITUALS. 11-2PM
Join in solstice street drawing and ritual garlic & onion plantings with Jackie, Becky & Clare
FIRE CHATS & REFLECTIONS. 11AM – 4PM
Stare into the fire, catch up with yourself, have a chat… a gentle hearth for the shortest day.
The Squash cafe & shop will be open on the Winter Solstice Weekender from 10am – 4pm on the Saturday & Sunday for tasty festive food and great produce & gifts.
ACCESS INFO
Solstice Sunrise Walk. Sunday 21st December – Meet at the big oak by Woodhenge in Princes Park from 8am. Sunrise is 8.25am, so it will be gently light at 8am in civil twilight time.
The nearest entrance to the gathering in Princes Park is the gate on the corner of Devonshire Road West & Belvidere Road (approx postcode L8 3TZ). There is parking available on both these roads. From the gate there are 2 ways to arrive at the oak tree near Woodhenge, both are on uneven surfaces. One is via an uneven, stony & asphalt path to the right, followed by a short (20 metre) walk on a grass path. The other is over a grassed field, approx 100 metres. Any issues on the day call 07791155998. There is no toilet on site.
From approx 8.30am we’ll walk up Windsor Street to the spring in St.James /Cathedral gardens. This space is reached by a long downhill path and there are some uneven surfaces.
We will then walk to Squash for approx 10am. Squash, 112-114 Windsor Street, L8 8EQ
The Squash building is fully accessible including level threshold entrance (shop/cafe) and ramp access to the garden. Accessible toilet.
ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANGELICA VANASSE. GRAPHICS BY JON BARRACLOUGH
SAMHAIN
SATURDAY 1ST NOVEMBER
AT SQUASH 2-4PM. DUSK WALK TO THE OAK 4-5PM
An invitation to:
Gather in around the fire
Remember our loved ones
Gently prepare for winter
Walk together towards the dark half of the year
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. Honour the people of Palestine, living and dead. Taste warming mulled apple & fire cider. 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
We will be collecting for All Our Relations; community-led aid project in Gaza.
PHOTOS BY JUDE MCLOUGHLIN. ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANGELICA VANASSE.
IMBOLC
SATURDAY 1ST FEBRUARY
11AM-1PM AT SQUASH, 1PM WALK TO THE SPRING
DROP IN / FREE / BY DONATION*
Please note that this is a gentle drop-in with various shared community crafting activities as oppose to full workshops. Space is limited. Come and learn and share your knowledge!
Come by and help celebrate Imbolc, the Irish/Celtic/Gaelic marking of the coming of spring and the first festival of the 8-fold year of 2025. Traditional foods associated with Imbolc are dairy* inc. milk, butter & cheese and grains/bread and will feature at this year’s Imbolc celebration. Help make fresh butter and taste our Squash-made sourdough!
For our gentle annual celebration, we also invite you to join local gardeners, artists & cooks to;
reflect together around the fire about winter challenges and hope for the coming spring
help make Brigid crosses with locally grown reeds
plant up onions, garlic and broad beans; some of the earliest veg we can sow in the year
bless the gardens of the street and look ahead to the growing year
draw & write spring affirmations and share rituals at the altar
taste fire cider, made at the Winter Solstice
listen to early spring music
At 1pm we’ll walk together down to bless the spring in the cathedral/St.James gardens; which is known to some as ‘Bridey’s well’ after Imbolc goddess Brigid.
Imbolc, in the Celtic seasonal calendar marks the beginning of the lambing season and signals the start of spring and the stirrings of new life. It is time for us to let go of the past and look to the future, cleansing out the old, making both outer and inner space for new beginnings. It is a good time for wish-making or making a dedication.– The Goddess & The Green Man.
The wheel has turned once more, returning us to a time of hope and new beginnings. Be thankful for the ever-increasing warmth and light as we leave behind the cold, dark, stillness of winter. – Almanac, Anne Marie Lagram.
In between the middle of the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox lies the Celtic festival of Imbolc. Dating back to pre-Christian times, Imbolc celebrations revolved around the Goddess Brigid. Ancient Celtic mythology explains that she was born with a flame in her head and immediately drank the milk* of a mystical cow upon birth, which is where her common symbols of a flame and dairy originated from. She also represents fertility, and many women would travel to her sacred wells (the most popular one in Kildare, Ireland) to drink their water in hopes of conceiving shortly after. During Imbolc celebrations, those celebrating would light bonfires and make dairy-rich meals in honor of Brigid.
Now, Imbolc coincides with Saint Brigid’s feast day. Historians have shown that when Christianity was spreading throughout Ireland, the church was having a difficult time convincing pagans to let go of their gods and goddesses. Thus, Brigid was “reborn” into Saint Brigid, and her representations (i.e., fertility, the flame, and dairy farmers) were kept the same. – Marisa, Herbstalk
100 Year Street News is a collaborative publication to keep the fires of hope and possibility lit on Windsor Street. Within these pages, you will find artworks, poems and pieces of hope from our network of associate artists, cooks, gardeners and community members who came along to last year’s Autumn Equinox celebration in September. This paper exists to remind us where we’ve been, to build our shared narratives together, and to dream of what’s to come. Read it here!
The 100 Year Street began on Windsor Street in Liverpool L8 with the planting of apple trees in 2010 in our Community Food Garden.
These apple trees, like humans, if well cared for, can live for 100 years, and that is just what we at Squash want to see. We mark each calendar with 8-Fold Year celebrations rooted in Celtic and global traditions that connect us through land-based rituals and encourage neighbours and collaborators to stay grounded in the present while growing towards the future.
While political leaders turn over election cycles and the seasons change on annual rotation, our lives unfold with a flurry of activity, often taking us out of the present to what fire needs to be put out first. It is often the urgency of our daily lives and the times we are living in that prevent us from long-term thinking and building the world we want to live in. We all must be called to the greatest crises of our time; the deep inequality of our species and the collapse of our shared home, planet Earth.
Climate change is here, but how we adapt to it, how we build a more just world with our neighbours and how we create the relationships we can rely on, no matter the storms that come, requires tender collaboration and care. By tending to our street, our gardens and our communities throughout the year, we set into motion the network of care that can hold us. The Earth transforms in the seasons. How can we begin to transform our neighbourhoods as well?
Our 100 year street vision is a framework and an invitation to
connect joined up action
explore future thinking
create space for possibility
to affirm long-term commitment
imagine beyond our lifetimes
Over the last decade or so, Squash has created a space where belonging sits at the center of our work. From artist workshops to free soup, from plant knowledge to solidarity fundraisers, we are attempting to build the kind of relationships that people & places need most. How would our neighbourhoods, cities and countries transform if we began to put long-term thinking at the heart of how we come together, what we decide and what we make happen?
100 Year Street News Project By Designer Corbin LaMont & Social Artist & Squash Co-DirectorClare Owens
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.
On this years Winter Solstice (& Christmas Day) we stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine and Yemen. Any funds raised on the day will be shared between Medical Aid for Palestinians, our beloved partner Habibti Liverpool – the amazing local women who raise awareness and resources for Al Sabeen Children’s Hospital in Sanaa, Yemen and Squash’s own ‘Soup-it-Forward’ initiative. If you can’t make it along on the day, but would like to donate, please give direct through the links above or via Squash and we will share.
EMBROIDERY ARTWORK BY TABITHA MOSES
Images from Samhain Gathering 1st November. Photo credit Jude McGloughlin
