The Urbal Fix -Visions of a Green Community/City

The Urbal Fix 1 (Introduction) from TomBliss on Vimeo.

I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for a good excuse for a party. The party on the 29th October from 7pm to 11pm in St. Thomas’ church hall, ‘Visions of a Green Community/city’, is a really good excuse to get lots of lots of green minded people together for an enjoyable evening.

I’ve been Vicar of St. Thomas’ Heigham for over four years. The day after I became Vicar an arsonist badly damaged the church hall which meant that we had to completely redecorate and re-order the hall and it has now become, again, a centre for community activity – a much loved Victorian building with its high beamed ceiling and excellent dance floor.

I have a vision for the hall being used for One World Events, Peace events, and Green events – I am passionate that we need to push ahead with Transition ideas and action, and challenge people to transition to sustainable living in creative, imaginative and fun ways.

I recently became aware of a very inspiring film made in Leeds by Tom Bliss. The Urbal Fix is a great film that clearly presents the problem of Peal Oil and of continuing to live in our world as if resources are unlimited and always going to be cheap.

I am excited by the film as is it presents solutions which are very thought provoking and full of creative energy. It involves action on all levels from Town Panning to digging up the ground to create green spaces and community gardens.

It talks about creating green corridors in cities with the example of Leeds (but entirely transferable and relevant to Norwich), about alternative energy, transport systems, food distribution and building solutions in a very creative and energetic way,

I think it will be great to have a party to show the film, discuss the ideas and to feed the energy created into local green action through Transition Norwich and other initiatives. When I became Vicar in this area of Norwich, I was delighted to be coming to an area where there are lots of people aware of environmental issues.

It would be great to harness all that green energy and idealism and to become a pioneering community. Why not come along to St. Thomas’ Church Hall on October 29th to see if we can create a green community, based locally here, but with ideas and actions that could transform our City and the wider world. Philip Young

Photo: Grapes Hill Community Garden