Here you can view films, photographs and artwork and read poems showcased on Something for the Weekend, and find links to websites and online events mentioned on the show. (You can watch the whole shows here). The content is usually listed in the order it appears on the show. This page is updated on Thursday afternoons and should be complete by 4pm.  We’d love to see any poems, arts and crafts you have created at home using the same themes or activities: info@together2012.org.uk

Click on any photo to see a larger version.

---

25 November 2021

Dressing Up to Go Out to Stay In. Julie dressed up to spend the weekend watching the recorded performances from the Together! 2021 Disability History Month Festival; Ju and Tracy dressed up to watch Hera’s digital opera at the Festival; and Robin dressed up for a virtual tour of the Red Cone Glass Museum (see The Week Ahead below).

Poems from the Together! 2012 Pop-Up Poetry Club Theme: ‘Autumn Colours’. Next week’s theme is ‘’. Find out more here about how to join the Club, which takes place on Wednesday mornings from 10.30am-12 noon by phone (we call you and pay the costs). Or join in from home – we’d love to see your poems if you do: info@together2012.org.uk

Blake Jarrette Gibbons: Autumn Health

Look at those lovely shades of yellow, dark reds, and not forgetting the various shades of brown on the leaves. The evergreen tree looks darker than ever, yet still stands Big and Bold. The grass slightly more quagmire-like to walk on. A few hours less daylight and more time in the dark. Less daylight, and more darkness.

This is that time of year, for many people things seem so much more stressful, less sunlight, the cold, the vibes can change. All can be mentally draining. Their emotions become like our drains blocked, building up and then, flush, all the emotions released, just like all the leaves and rainwater and mud flushes out the drains. All this is draining, mentally and physically. So please don’t be scared to say, I know there are hard and dark times, but please, let me help give you some light.

Even just a 5 minute chat can help light someone’s day full of beautiful colour. The autumn colours will be noticeable and not all now just shows in Black and White. Mental Health matters, Autumn is now Mother Nature having her time to rest up, she been filling our year full of colour and gives a new adventure to every day. 

Don’t be scared to speak out, go and enjoy nature’s colours throughout the year, autumn is amazing. If you go into the cafe, “still a bit chilly out, I will have a brew please, no sugar though, I’m sweet enough as it is.” 

Let’s sit down and talk, our health, any time of year, but this is now. Autumn Health. Let’s put colour in our lives and others, just like Mother Nature does for us, even in Autumn. 

Julie Newman: Autumn Colours

After the brash brightness of summer suns,
The autumn leaves fall on a quieter world.
Busy still. Getting ready for the barren times
Ahead with shorter days, and longer nights.

The rustle of small creatures amongst the leaves,
Give them life, even as they lie in dead heaps
Piled into corners. Their days as green foliage
Ended with the coming of the paler sun

And dark, cold days. The leaves change on the trees.
A different palette is used to paint the landscape.
Shrubs and plants now join the symphony
Of oranges and reds, turning to yellows and browns.

Now come the winds. Gusting and raging in a minute
Then suddenly still. The fury becomes a gentle breeze.
The leaves having no purpose in remaining tight
Upon the branches, release their hold.

As the greenery becomes a memory of a season
Now changing, so the leaves fallen join
The detritus swept along and piling high,
Opportunistically wherever catches the wind.

The yellows, reds and browns cloak the earth.
A mantle against the bitter days to come.
In time the banks will settle. No longer
Caught in the whirlwinds rushing past.

These sanctuaries provide cover for creatures
Seeking warm, dark corners in which to lay
In quiet slumber. The busy days of autumn soon
Pass into the somnolent stillness of winter frosts.

Dawn Barber: Autumn Smiles

All the colours of the trees and leaves make me smile.
Its like a piece of artwork on paper.
Its like walking through a dream of magical things.
The colours give us hope
And as we walk in nature
We calm our minds in colour and better health.

Crystal Peasey: Wintertime 

I like to talk about the wintertime.
Going through the leaves
That have come down from the trees.
The leaves lying brown and yellow.
Th leaves lying everywhere 
And the trees become naked.
The leaves are blown by the wind everywhere.
What I like about the wintertime 
Is when it is snowing.
White, white snow everywhere 
Covering the leaves.
Is that a break in the snow?
Is that more coming down?
The kids like playing in the snow
But sometimes the snow is dangerous.
You might fall down and break your legs!

Glory Sengo: Autumn Colours 

It was Autumn
But it snowed.
I was skiing down the hills.
Then the rainbow started coming.
It was coming brighter
And it was very light
With lots of colours.
I was skiing down 
trying to be careful,
So I was taking my time,
Taking my time to be careful.
I stopped so I could have a cup of tea
And biscuits.
Then I skied down faster.

Together! 2012 Art Club The Art Club runs a still-life session on Zoom from 11-12 every Friday morning: click on the photo to view a larger version and join in from home. We’d love to see your pictures: send them to info@together2012.org.uk Click here to find out how to join the Art Club. 

The Art Club also runs a Make and Natter session on Zoom from 11-12 every Tuesday morning. Bring along your own work, or join in with inclusive recycled craft activities. Click here to find out how to join the Art Club. You can view Duncan Bridgstock’s new exhibition of collages that he has created in the Art Club here.

Safiyya made a scrapbook from a cereal packet and paper. You can find the instructions here.Crystal Peasy started making a new pom-pom. You can see Crystal’s pom-pom fountain in the Together! 2021 Open Exhibition.

Join in with Tracy: Make a hanging bauble. (You can find more Join in with Tracy activities here.)

The Clockwork Paralimpics To join in at home, pick the toy on the right side or the left side of the screen to support before you start the video.

The Week Ahead

The Together! 2021 Disability History Month Festival runs from 11 November to 9 December with events every Tuesday and Thursday evening from 7-8pm and a family activity available to download every weekend. Everything is free with BSL interpretation for live events and captions on everything.

Available now:

• Together! 2012 Open Exhibition
• Vince Laws: Painting Myself Happy
• Duncan Bridgstock: Because I felt like it

Recordings of earlier events are also available on the relevant event pages.

7-8.30pm Thursday 25 November 2021. Hera presents ‘We ask these questions of everybody’, a digital opera reflecting the experiences of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants. The opera is followed by a discussion with some of the cast, chaired by our Artistic director Dr Ju Gosling. Book here. MUSIC / OPERA.

7-8pm Tuesday 30 November 2021. Sahera Khan presents No Words, No Safety, a new one-woman show about Deaf and Disabled women and community safety. The event includes a discussion where the audience can join in via Live Chat. In BSL with English interpretation and English captions. Book here. DRAMA.

7-8pm Thursday 2 December 2021. The Together! 2012 Pop-Up Poetry Café returns, compered by Ju Gosling aka ju90 with an Open Mic. Includes participants from our Sign Poetry workshop with DL Williams on 22 November. Book here. POETRY.

Friday 3 December – Sunday 5 December 2021. Together! 2021 Disability Film Festival. Our international film festival returns online with the same diversity of genres, films and filmmakers as always. Includes lunchtime conversations on Zoom on 4 & 5 December. FILM.

Ju also recommends…

Poetry Lit!. 8-10pm First Friday of each month. Free. Online. Poetry Lit! is a monthly online reading series for international poets and their fans. Each month Poetry Lit! hosts a Zoom event where two guest poets are invited to share their poetry, along with an Open Mic. Further details and book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/poetry-lit-online-reading-series-tickets-115998652091?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch&keep_tld=1

HIV+ Me. A series of 3 short films by Theatre in the Mill. Wednesday 1 December (World AIDS Day). Free. Online. HIV+Me showcases three ordinary people living with HIV and their extraordinary stories in three beautifully shot short films. Further details and book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hiv-me-tickets-216208033047

Black British Artists & Political Activism: The British Black Panther Party. 6.30-8pm Thursday 2 December 2021. Free. Online. Artist Keith Piper will join Elizabeth Robles in conversation to discuss the ways in which the politics of Black Nationalism, promoted by key figures such as Maulana (Ron) Karenga, and the internationalist socialism of the Black Panther Party were woven through artistic discourses of the early 1980s. Further details and book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/black-british-artists-political-activism-the-british-black-panther-party-tickets-184953118757?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch

Julie also recommends:

Watching a feast of family friendly films on Channel 5 and ITV2 on weekend afternoons, with Strictly Come Dancing in the evenings and Doctor Who as well from 6.40pm on Sunday. BBC 4 is showing An American in Paris on Sunday at 8pm to round off the weekend.

Artfactory is sharing a free online art group on Tuesdays between 2-3pm weekly until the end of the year. Each week a different artist is discussed, looking at their work and the styles of painting. Booking is via a telephone contact. https://www.list.co.uk/event/1714263-art-factory-online-art-group/ 

The Science Museum is hosting online panel discussion about the history of London and scientific discovery Stories from Science City. This takes place on Wednesday 1.12.21 between 7-8pm. There is an optional pricing arrangement including free to £10 when booking the tickets online. https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/see-and-do/stories-science-city

Robin also recommends…

Red House Glass Cone Virtual Tour. Free. Online. The Midlands has an incredibly rich manufacturing history, and some of it is the finest or arts.  The history of glass making in fascinating, and this virtual tour takes you to some of the amazing facilities that have produced some of the finest lead crystal glass ever made: https://www.dudley.gov.uk/things-to-do/museums/red-house-glass-cone/virtual-guided-tours/

Online Improv Comedy Jam. 10pm. Sunday 28 November. A free drop-in improv jam. No drills or exercises — just a pick-up game of improv. This free comedy improv jam is 2 hours long and available from anywhere via Zoom! No experience is necessary to join and participate. We’ll warm up and get everyone caught up to speed, and then the last 90 minutes, we all play together in a loose format: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/online-improv-jam-free-tickets-200377032097?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch&keep_tld=1

Tracy recommends…

Women’s Art Classes with Alix (Cardiff Women’s Centre). Free online art workshops for women. Wednesdays 10.30am-12.30pm. No need to have any experience drawing, or even doodling. We will experiment with different techniques that you can try at home to express ourselves, make friends and let out some tension.  You can use the same zoom link every week or sign up 24 hours before the class to receive the reminder: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/womens-art-classes-with-alix-online-tickets-56970877428?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Overcoming Fear of Public Speaking MasterClass. Sunday 28 November 10-11.30am or 6.30-8pm Monday 29 November. Free. Online. An event for those who are interested in building their public speaking confidence and technique in a small and safe space: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/free-overcoming-fear-of-public-speaking-masterclass-tickets-110874649060?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch

Universe. BBC iPlayer – Free anytime with a TV Licence. Professor Brian Cox asks the ultimate question: how did the universe come to be? It is daunting in its scale. We live on one planet of eight that orbit just one of the 400 billion stars in our galaxy, which in turn is one of trillions in the universe. Using incredible computer imaging Universe takes you to places beyond most people’s imagination and tells the story of how space has developed over the last 13.8 billion years of cosmic evolution: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p09ybz58/universe-series-1-5-the-big-bang-before-the-dawn

---

18 November 2021

Dressing Up to Go Out to Stay In. Julie and Ju dressed up for Having a Laugh; Tracy dressed up for an online card-making workshop; and Robin dressed up to garden.

Poems from the Together! 2012 Pop-Up Poetry Club Theme: ‘Puddles after the rain’. Next week’s theme is ‘Autumn colours’. Find out more here about how to join the Club, which takes place on Wednesday mornings from 10.30am-12 noon by phone (we call you and pay the costs). Or join in from home – we’d love to see your poems if you do: info@together2012.org.uk

Blake Jarrette Gibbons: Scaffolding Puddles

Don’t you dare race through the puddle and splash me! If you aqua-plane after soaking me then I will laugh and cry, water drops, just like the sky, only difference they will run more directly down my face. The dogs love splashing in the puddles, though getting back home, woof woof ‘get here, you need drying now’. Home now and time to dry myself.

Rain Rain Rain. This can be lovely, cold yet somewhat refreshing, however this can also end up being a pain.  Especially when just outside your window is a metal drain cover and above is a load of scaffolding. Even after the rain has stopped, drip drip drip, and hitting the drain cover, plonk. ‘Oh come on you plonkers! why did you put that gap in the boards by my window.’

Mind you I shouldn’t be too fussed, I’m still out in the rain more often than not. My high-headed shower is calling, it falls from above like rain. And no its not quite purple rain, why does it always rain on me? No it’s not me, that’s Travis asking.

Dawn Barber: Rain and Puddles

We have rain, we have puddles
We cannot give them cuddles
Sometimes the rain is heavy
Sometimes the puddles are big and wide
We like to hear the rain on the window sill
But not when we are outside
Children like to splash in the puddles
But mums do not want to get wet
Birds and pigeons drink out the water
When the rain stops, sun shines on the puddles
It lights up like a mirror of hope.

Crystal Peasy: Rain

There was a lot of raining
There are a lot of puddles
And the puddles are all different colours
Raining Sunday on the raincoats
And raining outside.

But the jumping is a great game
And the kids play in the rain
The children are splashing in the puddles on the sidewalk.

I don’t like the rain because it makes me very ill
And my wheelchair won’t work properly when it’s raining
I hate getting wet when I’m driving my wheelchair
And I find it difficult to drive.

When I drive I have crashes all the time
When I drive my wheelchair I cannot see
And if I keep crashing they will take my wheelchair away.

Paizah Neave Malek: Puddles 

At the age of seventy eight
I still enjoyed and feel great
Going into every puddles on the road
Making sure they are free from toad
As they love to jump from one puddle to another

Bathing and swimming in the clear water
I really enjoy going through each puddle
Ensuring that I don’t get into trouble
Splashing any passers-by 
Instead of saying hi.
I like puddles for specific reason
Especially during the rainy season
My wheels are stuff with dry falling leaves
And my tyres are coated with mud like reeves
How do I get rid of them?
Before going shopping at Debenhams
People would think I live in farms
No, I live in clean and busy East Ham
But there lots of puddles around
Where I can clean my wheels, tyres up and down
Puddles dried up when sun shines
And I look forward to next time.

Julie Newman: Puddles

The shower starts falling, softly at first.
Barely marking the dry, dry road.
The birds notice the sound, which
Gradually spreads with the slapping of leaves.

The gentle drumming grows with an increasing
Beat to the building rain. No other music is
Needed. The symphony sounding now. Drowning
The everyday noises into the background.

And the puddles appear. From nowhere they emerge.
Bottomless, dark, dark wells calling to the thirsty,
Dry, dusty parched world. Then suddenly pools
Merge and start to flow with a driven force.

Rivulets push their way from the side of the road
Over the rapidly disappearing surface,
And the steady stream of fast flowing water
Rises onto the pavements, over the curbs.

The current grows, pushing the flow even faster.
Swallowing up all in its path in a hunger to
Move towards the ultimate, unknown end.
Storm pipes filled by this torrent of its substance.

Then abruptly the rain stops. No more than a few
Recalcitrant drops fall. The wind lessens,
All that is heard is the sound of rushing water.
The torrent pulses with a life now independent,

Fed by the push of the drive to merge. To find
The Great Water. The river calls the flood waters
Home to join the journey to the sea. To join.
This land, once barren now flooded and changed,

Has become a waterway. Part of the rising tide
Against a resistant world. The land will fight back.
Roads and fields emerging from the receding
Flood levels will form a causeway, gradually.

Tentative at first. No sudden parting of the waters.
But over days the water will recede, leaving
Muddy footprints with the sludge of memory.
Until the puddles formed will dry.

Together! 2012 Art Club The Art Club runs a still-life session on Zoom from 11-12 every Friday morning: click on the photo to view a larger version and join in from home. We’d love to see your pictures: send them to info@together2012.org.uk Click here to find out how to join the Art Club. 

The Art Club also runs a Make and Natter session on Zoom from 11-12 every Tuesday morning. Bring along your own work, or join in with inclusive recycled craft activities. Click here to find out how to join the Art Club. You can view Duncan Bridgstock’s new exhibition of collages that he has created in the Art Club here.

Join in with Tracy: Make a paper bag. (You can find more Join in with Tracy activities here.)

Depending on the thickness of your paper you may want to glue two sheets together for strength. Use a ruler or hard edge to make you folds as flat as possible. Please also allow glue-drying time, depending on the glue you use. You can also view a YouTube tutorial here.

Join in with Sterre: Make a bonfire picture from leaves. You can find more Join In films from Sterre here.

The Clockwork Paralimpics To join in at home, pick the toy on the right side or the left side of the screen to support before you start the video.

The Week Ahead

The Together! 2021 Disability History Month Festival runs from 11 November to 9 December with events every Tuesday and Thursday evening from 7-8pm and a family activity available to download every weekend. Everything is free with BSL interpretation for live events and captions on everything.

Available now:

• Together! 2012 Open Exhibition
• Vince Laws: Painting Myself Happy
• Duncan Bridgstock: Because I felt like it
• Signdance Collective work-in-progress preview of Oriente Plus

7-8pm Thursday 18 November 2021. Having a Laugh. New women’s comedy and comic poetry from home with Helena Ascough, Cheryl Mclennan and Wendy Young, introduced by Together! 2012 Chair Julie Newman. Book here. COMEDY / POETRY.

11am-12noon Monday 22 November 2021. Dance on Screen workshop with Signdance Collective International. Book here. DANCE / WORKSHOP.

2.30-4pm Monday 22 November 2021. Sign Poetry Workshop with DL Williams (for BSL and other Sign users). Participants will be supported to perform their work at the Together! 2012 Pop-Up Poetry Café on Thursday 2 December from 7-8pm. Book here. POETRY / WORKSHOP.

7-8pm Tuesday 23 November 2021. Postcode Stories. Act Up! Newham present new multimedia stories based on their lived experiences of life in East London. After the stories are screened, there will be a discussion and Q & A about how their work as an inclusive community theatre company has developed as a result of the pandemic. Book here. DRAMA / STORYTELLING.

10.30am-4pm Wednesday 24 November 2021. Finding Solutions Together! Delivering inclusive festivals and outdoor events in the age of Covid-19. A free conference on Zoom for event organisers, Disability Arts workers and everyone who is interested in improving inclusion (event management students welcome). Book here. CONFERENCE.

7-8.30pm Thursday 25 November 2021. Hera presents ‘We ask these questions of everybody’, a digital opera reflecting the experiences of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants. The opera is followed by a discussion with some of the cast, chaired by our Artistic director Dr Ju Gosling. Book here. MUSIC / OPERA.

Ju also recommends…

Seated/wheelchair dance sessions. Every Friday 11am-12noon. Free. Online. Organised by the Leonard Cheshire charity. Further details and book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/seatedwheelchair-dance-tickets-137596945167

Julie also recommends…

Sunday 22 November 2021 Laugh and Draw between 5-6pm is a an opportunity to draw objects chosen by four comedians.  The event is led by art tutor Frances Stanfield, booking is through Eventbrite and donations welcomed but not essential.  The comedians are Helen Bauer, Chloe Petts, Sophie Duker and Rosie Jones. Just bring 10/5 sheets of paper and pencils or drawing materials. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/laugh-and-draw-rosie-jones-sophie-duker-chloe-petts-helen-bauer-tickets-173728716267?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch

Robin also recommends….

BEDLAM – Arts & Mental Health Festival. 15-30 November. Online. Anytime. Mostly Free. BEDLAM Festival, based in Birmingham and Solihull, has a comprehensive online offer of films, discussions and performed events representing Mental Health system user-survivor experiences through art: https://www.bedlamfestival.co.uk/whats-on-303106-185756-596570.html

Deal Breaker (Book 1 in the Myron Bolitar Series) by Harlan Coben. Available in paperback, as audio book or audible account, or on Kindle (various prices from £4.99 upwards). If you need a new read and you love gritty urban crime drama then this series is a must.  Harlan Coben introduces us to Myron Bolitar, sports agent and soon to be sleuth, and takes us into a the town of Livingston, New Jersey, and further afield as the story grows.  Not only are then 10 books in this series but Coben has created a whole world of books that dip into and out of the characters, stories and locations that share story space with each other: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Deal-Breaker-Myron-Bolitar-Book-ebook/dp/B002U3CCTW/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=Myron+Bolitar&qid=1637232157&s=digital-text&sr=1-7hardback,

Tracy also recommends…

Handmade: Britain’s Best Woodworker. Channel 4 Thursdays at 8pm plus on demand. Catch up on the latest craft competition TV show – this time taking carpentry to a new level.  Mel Giedroyc hosts as talented, good-with-wood craftspeople compete to be crowned Britain’s best woodworker by award-winning architect Alex de Rijke and queen of furniture making Helen Welch: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/handmade-britains-best-woodworker

And finally…

Robin Surgeoner interviews musician Elle Chante and she shares her new video.

---

11 November 2021

Dressing Up to Go Out to Stay In Julie and Ju dressed up to attend the launch of the Together! 2021 Disability History Month Festival; Tracy dressed up to attend the Yorkshire Festival of Story (see The Week Ahead below); Robin dressed up to support an international swimming meet in Scandinavia.

Poems from the Together! 2012 Pop-Up Poetry Club Theme: ‘Glitter and sparkle’. Next week’s theme is ‘Puddles after the rain’. Find out more here about how to join the Club, which takes place on Wednesday mornings from 10.30am-12 noon by phone (we call you and pay the costs). Or join in from home – we’d love to see your poems if you do: info@together2012.org.uk

Dawn Barber: Sparkle All the Way 

Glitter and Sparkle,  that’s the way to do it
Let’s make it a magical time
Let’s wear it as a necklace, clothes, things we put on Christmas trees, our shoes, our bags and so on
It lights up our world
It makes us happy
It sends us into another world that is mysterious
Glitter and sparkles, life is so much better with you around.

Dwain Bryan: Sparkle and Glitter

Sparkle and glitter can shine on your suit
Sparkle and glitter can shine on your boots
How magical and fabulous it looks
The effect can attract a thousand looks
I bet it’s expensive, may cost an arm and a leg
But don’t let the glitter go straight to your head
I see glitter and sparkle on people’s suits
So believe you me they look cute
What would you do if you had something sparkle and glitter?
Would you be happy or would you be bitter?
If I had lots of money, I’d probably wear the same thing
And impress everybody, that surrounds me like a ring.

Crystal Peasy: Glittery Sparkles

I have many shoes with glittery sparkles
I love anything with glitter and sparkles
And I also have clothes with glitter and sparkles
I like glittery butterflies
I have different colours of glitter and sparkles on my flat wall
And I have many bracelets with glitter and sparkles
And when I go shopping, if i see anything with glitter and sparkles I will buy it
I also buy wool with glitter to make pom-poms
And I believe a pom-pom without glitter is not interesting
And anything not glitter or sparkles is very boring for my eyes!

Julie Newman: Glitter and Sparkle

The Grey Cat sits at the window.
Her attention is caught by a movement
Outside in the bushes. The breeze
Has stirred the wind chimes.

It moves, gyrating from one side to the other,
As if a spirit inside is trying to break free.
The Grey Cat is mesmerised. Sitting very still,
She barely breathes for danger of alerting

The mysterious beast dancing in the shrub.
The wind picks up and with a frenzy
The chimes respond. Beating against
The unseen force pushing and pulling.

Moving against the wind, the chimes
Give sound to the force that insists
On creating the music. Bells ringing
Out from the beat of glass against glass.

The light catches the angles of the chimes
As they fly back and forth. Creating a
Rhythm that is almost demonic in the
Desperate beating to break free.

Little sparkles shine and glitter in the darkness
Of the leaves. The deep green broken by the
Glimpses of fairies, dancing and singing as
The World of People brace against the coming storm.

The Grey Cat moves a fraction. Her ears tilting
As they catch the wonderful cacophony.
And knowing that all is well, she gently
Turns, moving to curl up and sleep.

Together! 2012 Art Club The Art Club runs a still-life session on Zoom from 11-12 every Friday morning: click on the photo to view a larger version and join in from home. We’d love to see your pictures: send them to info@together2012.org.uk Click here to find out how to join the Art Club. 

The Art Club also runs a Make and Natter session on Zoom from 11-12 every Tuesday morning. Bring along your own work, or join in with inclusive recycled craft activities. This week the Art Club made paper lanterns with our Youth Development Worker the artist Kate Rolison – on Saturday 13 November a video of this activity will be available to download from the Family Activities section of the Together! 2021 Disability History Month Festival page. Click here to find out how to join the Art Club.

Join in with Sterre: Make a Spider. You can find more films from Sterre here.

The Clockwork Paralimpics To join in at home, pick the toy on the right side or the left side of the screen to support before you start the video.

The Week Ahead

The Together! 2021 Disability History Month Festival runs from 11 November to 9 December with events every Tuesday and Thursday evening from 7-8pm and a family activity available to download every weekend. Everything is free with BSL interpretation for live events and captions on everything.

Available now:

• Together! 2012 Open Exhibition
• Vince Laws: Painting Myself Happy
• Duncan Bridgstock: Because I felt like it

7-8pm Tuesday 16 November 2021. International dance company Signdance Collective previews excerpts from their new show Oriente Plus from across continents followed by a Q & A. Plus a spoken word video performance by the late Lionel M. Macauley. Book here.

7-8pm Thursday 18 November 2021. Having a Laugh. New women’s comedy and comic poetry from home with Helena Ascough, Cheryl Mclennan and Wendy Young, introduced by Together! 2012 Chair Julie Newman. Book here.

Ju also recommends…

Sense Arts Online Sharing. 11am-12.30pm Thursday 18 November. Free. Online. Meet Sense artists at the launch of the new Arts and Wellbeing studios at Sense Touch base Pears, explore their national digital offer. With BSL interpretation, captioning and audio description. Further details and book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sense-arts-online-sharing-tickets-182492789847

Making Accessible Theatre by Daryl Beeton. 6-7.30pm Thursday 18 November. Free. Online. What does ‘accessibility’ mean for theatre-making today? Director Daryl Beeton shares how to integrate accessibility into your production. Further details and book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/making-accessible-theatre-by-daryl-beeton-tickets-167314483123

Julie also recommends…

The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico, has a free virtual tour of the gallery. Guided by the curator, Ariel Plotek, this twenty minute video is posted on their YouTube channel and available by clicking on the link on the Museum’s website: https://www.okeeffemuseum.org/georgia-okeeffe-museum-virtual-tour/

Sealife Melbourne have a page devoted to virtual tours on their website. The tours include live feeds from penguins, plus family based resources that can be accessed for free via the website: https://www.visitsealife.com/melbourne/whats-inside/virtual-aquarium/

London Zoo has a page of virtual tours that can be accessed for free on the website. These include glimpses of very young Sloths, one of which was born just a few weeks ago, the wonderful antics of the Lemurs, and the stately moving Giraffes: https://www.zsl.org/zsl-london-zoo/virtual-london-zoo

Robin also recommends…

Forza Horizon 5. X Box & Microsoft Windows £50 or included with X Box Game Pass. Forza Horizon 5 is a 2021 racing game set in a fictionalised representation of Mexico.  It is a huge game with a massive map, weather systems, a great variety of driving options, and most interestingly, you can design your character including such choices as optional prosthetic limbs and gender assignment. A really fun game although expensive as an outlay our family’s experience suggests it will be played for a long time to come.

Speaking Volumes on Childhood Memories. The British Library 7-8pm Monday 15 November. Free. Online.  Our early years should be carefree, stress-free, worry-free. Yet all too often we’re made to feel ‘not quite right’ in some way. But what happens to our own memories of that time when we grow up, or when we become parents ourselves? And what do we do with the knowledge that formative years are experienced very differently across cultures — and that ‘childhood’ is, after all, just a sociological construct that changes with the times? Further information and book here:  https://www.bl.uk/events/speaking-volumes-on-childhood-memories

Tracy also recommends…

Yorkshire Festival of Story. 12 – 28 November. Free. Online. Join mythologist Dame Marina Warner as she talks about myth and feminism, discover who Michael Morpurgo thinks is the next big thing in storytelling and join Laura Simms in Rejoice Regardless. Join leading storytellers, artists and thinkers, as together we can will reflect on our dreams and navigate the future through lively panel discussions, performances and masterclasses. Discover more: http://www.yorkshirefestivalofstory.com

And finally!

Robin Surgeoner MBE interviews Disabled activist Ellen Clifford about her new book The War on Disabled People.

---

4 November 2021

Dressing Up to Go Out to Stay In Julie dressed up to help Dr Who; Ju dressed up for Zoom Together! (4 November 7-8pm – email info@together2012.org.uk for the link); Tracy dressed up to protest at COP26; Robin dressed up to clear plastic waste from the Arctic.

Poems from the Together! 2012 Pop-Up Poetry Club Theme: ‘Plastic waste’. Next week’s theme is ‘Glitter and sparkle’. Find out more here about how to join the Club, which takes place on Wednesday mornings from 10.30am-12 noon by phone (we call you and pay the costs). Or join in from home – we’d love to see your poems if you do: info@together2012.org.uk

Crystal Peasy: Plastic Waste

I recycle plastic containers
And plastic bottles.
Plastic waste affects the environment.
Plastic waste also affects human health,
And causes pollution.
Plastic waste affects wildlife.
To save the environment and wildlife
Everyone has to do their bit by recycling plastic waste,
And we can do this together,
To save life and the environment.
Plastic waste bins are everywhere.
Different colours for different bins
Show where you put different waste.
You can put the right waste in the right bin.
You can get sweet boxes made of cardboard,
You can recycle the cardboard so it’s not wasted,
And you can put any cardboard inside the recycling bin.
Plastic waste destroys our world and our health
And everyone should put their litter in the bin,
And you can recycle all kinds of plastic waste.

Glory Sengo: Plastic Cup

You put water in the plastic cup to drink it.
Also you can taste pineapple juice,
And after that you can drink milk.
Then you can drink apple juice
And Orange juice as well.

Dwain Bryan: What We Throw Away

I throw away cans,
I throw away tins,
I throw away other recycling stuff
In the bin.
Is there something for me to hold?
Is there something for me to keep?
Which one can I save for many, many weeks?
They say recycling is good for the planet
But let’s be honest
Can people stand it.
They say recycling can save time and money,
So why don’t I recycle I could be lucky.
I think recycling is a good thing,
Just think of the joy it brings.
It keeps you active and it seems so right,
It gives you happiness and it makes you feel bright.

Dawn Barber: Plastic Waste

Lets hurry and get our boots on
And get rid of our pollution and plastic waste
Cardboard and string and lots more of everything.
It’s destroying our world,
And our animals.
It’s time, it’s time to do our very best
And get this world out of our mess,
For a cleaner safer world.
Let’s keep going and growing safely,
Let’s take the world in our hands.

Julie Newman: Plastic Waist?

Kate Rolison: The Marsh

There’s a body in the water
No, a shop mannequin
Nothing behind the painted eyes
Wreathed in duck weed, a supermarket trolley’s
Wheels jut out, aiming for the canal path
Where unwanted history books tell redundant histories
Splayed open in a puddle;
Puddle educates itself
(Puddle dries itself of boredom)
From time to time a narrowboat pulls up
Crates of 45s laid outside
Vinyl’s in again, these records won’t be
Thrown like a discus into the scummy water
But played at dinner parties
The hosts and guests wouldn’t dream of consuming
Single-use plastics
As they dance in their seats
To the well-worn grooves.

Alison Marchant:  Plastic Waste

A piece of plastic,
A simple piece of plastic,
Causes so much damage.
The Supermarket sells oranges in plastic netting
It becomes micro-plastic and
Before then causes animals on landfill sites
To entangle their feet.

A carrier bag floats on the ocean
And sea creatures are eating them.
The plastic lines their stomachs
They are dying.
Plastic bags float to the surface
Of the oceans, rivers, and lakes
There is more plastic at the bottom
Of the ocean lying there.
While consumers use them by their millions
A few use and reuse paper bags.

People are using face scrubs,
The abrasive contained in them
Are micro-particles of plastic
That are washed down the sink
Into the sewers floating into the sea.
There are tiny micro-plastics in shell fish
And probably the water that we consume…

Together! 2012 Art Club The Art Club runs a still-life session on Zoom from 11-12 every Friday morning: click on the photo to view a larger version and join in from home. We’d love to see your pictures: send them to info@together2012.org.uk Click here to find out how to join the Art Club. 

The Art Club also runs a Make and Natter session on Zoom from 11-12 every Tuesday morning. Bring along your own work, or join in with inclusive recycled craft activities – we have just started salt dough modelling. Click here to find out how to join the Art Club and go to Join in with Tracy for instructions about salt dough modelling.

Tracy gave a talk about actions we can take at home to protect the environment – here are the links:

Going Zero Waste This is a web site with loads of links to ethical suppliers and manufacturers of sustainable and ethical clothing, including re-usable sanitary/menstrual underwear: https://www.goingzerowaste.com

Re-usable straws Re-usable straws are a great way of not using plastics and are a cheap alternative. There are many options from many suppliers so the link below is just an example:

Shampoo Bars As an alternative to washing products in plastic bottles, these days most high street shops and supermarkets will sell shampoo in bar form which is much better for the environment.  Please ask where you shop, or check out the many options online.

There will be new opportunities to Join in with Tracy and Join in with Sterre next week.

The Clockwork Paralimpics To join in at home, pick the toy on the right side or the left side of the screen to support before you start the video.

The Week Ahead

Ju recommends…

Film Screening: The Ants and the Grasshopper. Live Event at the UN-COP26 streamed online. Free. 7.30-9pm Sunday 7 November. A new documentary by author, filmmaker and academic Raj Patel shows how the fight for climate action will also be a battle for food sovereignty, racial justice, and gender equality around the world. A conversation between Patel and Food Tank President Danielle Nierenberg will follow the film’s screening. Further details and book here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/film-screening-the-ants-and-the-grasshopper-live-event-at-the-un-cop26-tickets-189844609337

The premiere of The Giant on the Bridge. 7-8.45pm Monday 8 November 2021. Free. Online. “This compelling combination of story and song interweaves five unique perspectives on prison homecoming. A giant trapped in a dungeon searches for her heart, a daughter waits for her daddy to come home, an artist tries to help people make sense of it all.” Further details and book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/distant-voices-festival-premier-showing-of-a-giant-on-the-bridge-tickets-180140474007

On and off screen diversity: Why does it matter? 1.30-3.30pm Thursday 11 November. Free. Online. “Have you ever thought why diversity matters in the cultural industries, or how representations about race are made? This event will answer these questions and explore with you how things can be done better.” Further details and book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/on-and-off-screen-diversity-why-does-it-matter-registration-180856656127

The Song Swan Project Singing Group. Free. Online. Thursdays from 7.30pm. A friendly and welcoming harmony singing group for all abilities facilitated by Jess Baker, beginning each week with vocal warm-ups. Further details and book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-swan-song-project-singing-group-tickets-167288852461

Julie recommends…

Peaceful Mind. 7-7.45pm. Tuesday 9 November 2021. Free. Online. A fascinating talk with Ben Tufnell, Parafin Gallery, comparing ancient Korean art with contemporary British art, reimagining concepts of nature. Further details and book here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/peaceful-mind-british-contemporary-vs-korean-ancient-art-with-ben-tufnell-tickets-203172714057?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch&keep_tld=1

The Royal Maritime Museum has an free online exhibition exploring the relationship between the ocean and the planet. This exhibition is full of content and has been created with the COP 26 conference as a reference point: https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/our-ocean-our-planet

Dr Who has restarted on BBC 1 on Sundays, at 6.15pm, or you can catch up on the BBC iPlayer website. There is a dedicated page on the BBC website, devoted to Dr Who and with links to previous programs as well as the current series: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006q2x0

Robin recommends…

The Nickel Boys – by Colson Whitehead. Podcast. Available for free anytime with TV Licence. Colson Whitehead’s electrifying and heart-breaking Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, set in Florida when black people were segregated: two boys are unjustly sent to a hellish reform school, based from a true story of racism in the American system, where oppression and brutality are accepted as the norm’, a norm that must be challenged: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/m000p6f3

The Stanford Neurodiversity Summit 2021. 4.30pm-4.30am daily 7-10 November. Free. Online. This virtual summit is a unique conference bringing together neurodiverse / neurodivergent individuals, employers, service agencies, educators and students, parents, and professionals from all areas of the field. The conference planning has Universal Design in mind, to maximize accessibility and inclusion for any individual to participate: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/stanford-neurodiversity-summit-2021-tickets-168116072699?aff=ebdssbeac

Tracy recommends…

The Bidding Room. BBC iPlayer – Free anytime with a TV Licence. Reality game show presented by Nigel Havers where people with interesting items to sell try to get the best price from a room of dealers trying to make the highest bid:  https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000jygn

Animal Park (free app). https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/zoo-craft-animal-park-tycoon/id1247409901

And finally

Robin wrote a new song about the environment – see the lyrics here.

---

Click here to view the Highlights & Links from the previous month’s show.