Three events happening this week, among the many, have a common thread of sustainability, self help and natural wellbeing. All of them focus on consciousness of the ecology of the world around you and practising mindfulness and working with nature in self healing and self awareness. These words 50 years ago were “hippy”, 20 years ago were “New Age” and now are part of the mainstream language. But the arts themselves go back hundreds and thousands of years.
Treflach Farm have a Straw Bale Build learning weekend, with practical tuition in making straw bales, setting within timber frames, building, and plastering. It is a great opportunity to learn how it is perfectly possible to build new homes to high insulation, eco and green standards, using straw, wood and clay sourced naturally and locally.
Our two expert herbalists at the Oswesty Herbarium are running a one day course on making natural beauty treatment products and remedies that, again, can be sourced from the natural world around you, are additive free and can be made at a fraction of the cost of mass produced goods, chemically based goods.
Finally, The Garth Organic Hillside Garden is hosting a series of Wellbeing days showing how to address mild to moderate depression and anxiety/ low mood by gentle gardening, practising mindfulness and talking with like minded people. The sessions take place in a place of true inspiration, an organic community garden carved out of a hillside and achieved with very hard graft and steadfast vision.
Oswestry is becoming a centre for practical principled people keen to promote self sustainability, self confidence and self growth, from Incredible Edible and CROP to the growing numbers of natural therapy, yoga and meditation centres in and around the town.
There is nothing wishy washy, fey or alternative about all of this. Rather it is an expression of the need for us to take responsibility for the grown and wellbeing of our lives, our community and our natural world. And that takes work and commitment and a down to earth determination.
