we love the earth centre

meet up at the earth centre jan 9th

2010-12-13T14:31:00.000-08:00

For anyone that wants to see the Earth Centre and its many resources and for anyone that wants to meet with others that would like to see the earth centre back in the hands of the local community a meet up has been arranged for Jan 9th 2011. We will be having a new year picnic and skillshare at the Earth Centre in Denaby, Doncaster bring along your mittens and snacks.

Local people will be there to share their stories of the Earth Centre and show anyone round that hasnt seen the site before. Around the local area is an abundance of wildlife and beautiful walks and history, you can enjoy the river don, sprotborough woods, the stunning viaduct, the pennine trail, conisibrough castle and loads more.

We will announce a time for the meet at the beginning of january if you wish to be informed please email welovetheearthcentre@gmail.com and check out the facebook page 'save the earth centre, doncaster' for more info and chat.

FOR SALE again! the fat cats will have their claws out so watch out!

2010-10-25T10:43:00.000-07:00

Howdu everyone,

The Earth Centre is FOR SALE email thereismore2lifefolks@yahoo.co.uk or jason.smith@doncaster.gov.uk for the sales particulars and tender form.

Doncaster Council has their signs up and apparently the entire earth centre site is up for grabs. This is yOur space they are flogging, remember community land = business opportunity! Boo!

Will the community get a look in, will the new owners give a shit, will it be for the benefit of the local community and environment or will greed get in the way again?

If you have any desire to purchase the land you must act quickly, the police, the mod and RTTG have had their eyes on it for a long time. The council has previously rejected offers of purchase from community enterprises and local businesses so lets see where this is going. Hark! did you hear that dodgy handshake! Does anyone really believe that joe public will feel the benefit of a quick sale of the site? What about the abundant wildlife and rare species that habit the space, its been derelict for 6 years and has grown into a beautiful nature spot full of food and life.

Please remember the land was occupied by the community long before the earth centre designers muscled in on it and over £100,000,000 of public funds has disappeared into the vortex that is the earth centre. Local community near the EC have struggled to find funding and support for years due to the ridiculous amount that was spent on the space during the earth centre's life, we think they deserve better.

The Land is yOurs!

Love and respect x

Life grows on at the Earth Centre - come on people take it back!

2010-06-01T13:04:00.001-07:00

On Monday, activists climbed the fence guarding the still empty Earth Centre and did some gardening. For 6 years now the Earth Centre has been closed to the community and each year a whole harvest of amazing herbs and plants has gone unattended. While the plants thrive the buildings gather dust and as community workers struggle for resources the Earth Centre resources remain locked behind very closed doors. Back in October the community pleaded with council to allow the people in to harvest the apples, they were lied to and refused so they took apple action and retrived a healthy hoard of juicy apples.

As the only people that appear to have permission to use the site still are the MOD and RTTG, community activists again took action on monday and collected roots and cuttings for propagation so they can be shared and enjoyed by all.

Oh the irony, lets get together people and clean up this corporate mess!

Ooo arr! the only pirates that play on this ship now are hairy men and women with guns boo! Lets give it back to the children of Denaby and Doncaster that helped create this space hurray!

Once Europes largest solar canopy we wonder did it ever work? it boasted 80,000kw of energy a year on top of sustaining the centre, how many people in the village struggle to pay their rising electric bills?? DIY is the future make your own energy we dont need that much really ;0)

Beautiful Gingko Trees, you can pick the fallen yellow leaves in autumn and make tasty tea which is said to have memory boosting properties and other health benefits

The conference centre below is made of reclaimed materials and other stuff! The community groups of Denaby and around struggle for space and funding, it seems really stupid that the Council would rather pay a huge amount each year to keep it closed when it could benefit so many people

Flowering Chives cover the roof of the centre like a lovely purple and green edible carpet.

The not so welcome any more centre

All around the Earth Centre are reminders of the wasted resources and utter lack of respect for the land and the people, like a bad joke education equipment is left strewn allover the area

Computers, tills, merchandise layed all over the floors - its like they all just vanished,
recycle, reuse, reclaim we say!

Below is the £75,000 woodchip burner that heats enough water to sustain the centre it sits sadly in the shop collecting dust, the local community would love to open the space as a cafe and freeshop, it overlooks the river don and many thirsty people pass by everyday.

The Earth Centre could feed an entire community and has enough life to be enjoyed by all, why it is closed to the public and heavily guarded remains a mystery to most, we think that one day its doors will be opened for the people by the people, sharing is the way forward!

last chance to get community voice heard

2010-03-07T15:48:00.000-08:00

hello to all,

there is now only a couple of months before DMBC plan to take bids for the earth centre, its reported that some 30 organisations are interested, we know some of them to be the Police and RTTG. Its an amazing space and could be used to feed a community and educate many children. The plantlife and wildlife are without a voice but they are essential to preserving our culture and environment and are in abundance in and around the earth centre.

RTTG are having another 'open day' on March 31st get your invites quickly by emailing mike@therttg.org (the welovetheearthcentre campaigners are not allowed on the guest list again!) please go along and make sure the communities and the earths voice is heard!

It remains clear that DMBC has made no attempt to assist local community groups with interest in the space and selfishly let another years massive food crop to go waste. It is also now clear that DMBC have assisted RTTG for over a year in their plans to take over.

What do we know of RTTG? They have been liaising with DMBC for a year, they have now held one 'open day' at the earth centre and no one from the community was invited infact many were refused after making enquiries, the Managing Director of RTTG said he does not believe community comes first! Below is a list of partners of the company RTTG; investigate their activities and motives!! many are responsible for chemical, construction, aerospace, defense, 3d tech, nuclear, audiovisual engineering and although there are some creditable organisations amongst them there is no question most are totally dodgy!
Costain, White Design, eOn, Scottish Southern, Modcell, Royal Haskoning, Complete Energy Solutions, National Non-Food Crops Centre, SITEC, MTech, Pilkington, Peglers, Senior Architectural Systems, Glazpart, LBK Packaging, JCB, Kita, Holz Schiller, Saint Gobain, Beta Technology, Stramit, Hemsec, Titon, BASF, Greenspec, Green Building Store, Ransomes,Kognitiv, Polyflor, First Vision, Logix , Corus, Marmox, Balehaus, Cospica, MET-UK/Spice, Strata Housing

On the morning of the first RTTG 'openday' welovetheearthcentre campaigners and local residents arrived at the so called 'open day' and were refused entry, some of those local residents were the very people that began the community farm that once stood where the earth centre now stands, their project was inspired by the need for community self sufficiency and they took the initiative to reclaim and caretake land in their village (former denaby main colliery, now heavily guarded derelict earth centre) in the 90's they were visited by jonathan smales who quit his post as greenpeace director to come and build a environmental theme park on the area used at the time by the residents of Denaby, documents were signed, hands shook and the gravy train moved in totalling the existing community project and replacing it with commerical claptrap and many suits! Then when they'd had their cake they jumped ship and moved on to even 'greener pastures' leaving a legacy of debt, job loss and a community that cant access funding anymore since 100,000,000 was wasted/squandered on a fancy flop on their doorstep.

It was a sunny morning and as the invited guests were led into the earth centre for the 'open day' RTTG's nervous looking managing director offered to attend a seperate meeting at the Denaby TARA to try and console these annoyed and dissapointed members of the community. He explained that RTTG was a not for profit company that would be facilitating experiments and sharing technological ideas with the heavy construction industry, Rapid Technology Transfer with the aim to make large and small companies more 'sustainable'. Welovetheearthcentre campaigners suggested that making companies such as Eon and BASF and Costain (just to name a few of the partner companies due to benefit) would be a step in the wrong direction. They said we need to move totally away from big business and centralised power and that the industry involved (heavy construction) supported by RTTG is to blame for many environmental and cultural crimes. Local TARA representatives gave the MD a lowdown of how they were involved in the earth centre and made clear that they had seen it all before and were not about to see another bunch of suits with technology walk all over their community again! The Managing Director said that he did not believe that community comes first he spoke about the global community and urged all to understand his bigger picture, this did not have the desired effect on the locals or the campaigners. A suggestion was made that RTTG consider the community and hold an 'open day' that would really be open to those interested he said he would be in touch and he has..............

In his email to welovetheearthcentre campaigners he thanked us for getting him in touch with the TARA group and then proceeded to inform the campaign that they would not be welcome as he doesnt see us as'producing the kind of relationship RTTG had hoped for' well the feeling is more than mutual and welovetheearthcentre core campaigners want nothing to do with this type of organisation or its concept and would never condone the work of many of its partner companies - please check them out for yourself

we are a global community that we can agree on but the community that is home to the earth centre is still disempowered by past and present mistakes of big business and technological growth, they need most to have more say in their future and the shaping of the land they live upon. We are on a destructive path and more heavy construction (destruction) is not good for anything but profit for the few. As the old saying goes you cant eat money and local people should take back the right to use land respectfully to meet their needs. Globalisation loving not for profit organisations, nuclear research facilities in Rotherham, habitats and species lost and destroyed so we can build new roads to accommodate 'abnormal loads' woodlands destroyed in the name of Tarmac and tescos, isnt time we stopped this carry on!

If 'the future is made of saint gobain' and we choose companies like Polyfloor 'covering the world' and Eon (working with the police to pepperspray their customers who wont pay up) then there is no doubt we will have a lovely world of glass, plastic, nuclear waste and totalitarism on our hands. RTTG can go back to their triangular wheel as far as we're concerned we dont want them here, we definitely dont need them, we are aware not everyone will share our opinion but thats to be expected and we remain full of love and hope for all our futures.

community led proposal

2010-01-20T03:14:00.000-08:00

hello, it seems there are only 4 months before DMBC is opening the door to proposals fof the Earth Centre, this site is obviously a target for many businesses and its gonna take alot of public support to make sure that the outcome is one that benefits the land and the people!

below is a copy of the proposal for a community led People's Earth Centre, we need help to make this a viable option for the council and the community, we ask you to contribute, this is an important piece of land and it would be a crime and a real shame to see it in the hand of greedy corporates once again!

The People’s Earth Centre

A proposal for a community led centre

The People’s Earth Centre is a volunteer based environmental community
project, seeking to facilitate community education and environmental
awareness programmes demonstrating household-level methods of sustainable
energy generation. With volunteer coordination of training programmes to develop new working skills, such as the installation of solar-panels, wind
generators, ground-source heat pumps and high-tech building solutions.

It is the intention that the centre becomes primarily a showcase for the
UK and other international communities, acting as a 'activity and
demonstration centre of excellence' to local schools, universities,
societies and individuals through educational training, with the target
user-group in this regard being local schoolchildren and young people and
the young and long-term unemployed. The secondary function of the centre would be to offer training courses to develop new working skills in environmental technology, for which the target user-group would initially be young people and the young and long-term unemployed.

Volunteers and professionals will deliver workshops to the community that target lowering energy costs and impact on the environment. Workshops will cover, grey water systems, cob building, insulation, pedal power and other affordable alternatives to enable people to support themselves and each other. Links will be made with Good Energy and Ecotricity and other ethical companies to establish employment opportunities.

The objective is to maintain and reopen this facility and to partially
adapt its use for the benefit of local people. The project will be rooted in
community-based development embracing old and new sustainable design principles. This project will help to ensure both the economic and environmental sustainability of a community that has been victim to long-term structural unemployment - a legacy of the closure of Denaby Main coal pit in the mid-1980s.

The centre is built on land that has a long and significant history, where
thousands of men, women and children worked the land and hundreds lost
their lives working in harsh conditions for corporate coal masters.
The mine was central to the life of the community until its closure in
1968 and what was left behind was a legacy of despair and high
unemployment among the local population of Conisbrough, Denaby and
Mexborough. In order to preserve the history and the memory of the lives
lost a community led initiative is being implemented to ensure a long and
sustainable future.

The Earth Centre has been derelict for five years with little maintenance therefore we propose a sensitive refurbishment of the existing buildings, regeneration of the landscape, utilising a good mix of traditional techniques and modern technologies to provide a sustainable place for the community and a strong precedent for other communities to take direct action within their own environment.

The People’s Earth Centre is to be run primarily by volunteers and donations. We have established an initial team of 30 volunteers that can commit 900 hours (equivalent of £7 per hr) a week for the first year of operation, this equates to £6300 time in kind per week totalling £327600 per year. The volunteers have had extensive experience in running environmental community projects and will have relevant health and safety certificates and CRB checks. A ‘Volunteer Coordinating Team’ will co-ordinate the safety and security of the site and of the community whilst they are using the space.

Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council (DMBC) will be invited to have representation on the project’s Coordination and Organisation Committee, responsible for overseeing the strategic management of the project as a key stake holding partner of the project. The following is a model of The People’s Earth Centre management plan,

“Coordination & Organisation Committee”
Members include representatives from local community and voluntary orgs, the community development dept of DMBC, architects, renewable-energy appliance design experts, a representative from the local Community Development Trust and reps from the local education authority.
\/
Strategic Supervision
\/
The People’s Earth Centre, (within
which there will be a Management
Committee, who devolve tasks to
a Volunteer Coordinating Team).

The proposal is that the People’s Earth Centre would have flexibility to have responsibility for day-to-day management of the proposed project, with the Coordination and Organisation Committee meeting regularly once every 6 weeks to oversee the progress of the project, in general ensuring the project is maintaining it’s achievement of fulfilling it’s short to medium term goals and that long-term strategies remain on course, as well as, if appropriate, monitoring the allocated budget should monies have been received.

Raising funds and resources to sustain The People’s Earth Centre

The project is designed to run without incurring huge costs, money ruined it last time. In order to establish the resources needed to achieve this we will use an initial start up grant of £5000 from South Yorkshire Community Foundation and will apply for further funding from a number of other sources including The Coalfield Regeneration Fund. This will enable the centre to have sufficient tools and certification to begin the first stages of the project.

Once The People’s Earth Centre is running we will apply for funding from The Arts Council for installation projects and will investigate further sources of funding throughout.

We anticipate that within the first year we will double the amount of volunteer time committed to the project estimating time in kind in the second year to be £655200 per year. This is based on the interest received from volunteer organisations such as ‘Pixie Works, British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV), Voluntary Action Doncaster and Rotherham, Circle Communities, businesses such as Zedfactory Ltd and individuals that have expressed intentions to be involved.

A shop and café will be opened as soon as sufficient health & safety measures are in place and will be run by the volunteers. Products will be made from locally sourced food and organic food that will be grown on site. The People’s Earth Centre will establish a relationship with local food outlets to acquire donated food and vegetables that can be used to create meals and snacks. This will help to promote sustainability and community cohesion, the shop and café will promote healthy eating and will adopt a no meat policy for health & safety reasons and to lessen any impact on the environment. Research has shown that local people that currently use the area around the centre would use the shop and café regularly.

A recycling facility will be constructed on site and local community and business will be invited to use the facilities to reduce their impact on the environment. The materials collected will either be used in installations or exchanged for cash at local recycling plants. A composting area will be open to the community who can use it to dispose of their green waste.

During the first year of The People’s Earth Centre creative events will be held where camping will be an option. A contribution of £20 for waged and £10 for unwaged will be the minimum fee to camp. We estimate that an average of 30 people will attend each event. This is based on interest received from individuals and the success of similar events at gatherings held by likeminded organisations such as Coed Hills, Northern Green Gathering and Treefest. The camping events will include environmental workshops and campaigns, permaculture, organic veggie cafes, stalls, healers and alternative therapies, kid’s space, theatre and circus workshops, and a showcase of environment living in action, including solar power and wind power (eg a solar powered cinema). Our aim is to promote sustainable living and co-operative working.

Local businesses will be offered advertising space and market space during events. There will be a small charge for this service. Based on the success of trading market space achieved by similar local projects such as Northern Green Gathering, Treefest, Shambala, Bomfest and from the interest already shown by the local community we estimate that this will generate funds for the centre.

Volunteering is one of the most rewarding ways you can make a real difference to people living in the toughest circumstances. Most people volunteer because they want to give something back and find they get much more in return. The People’s Earth Centre will work closely with volunteer organisations to provide opportunities for local and international volunteering. This will generate vast amounts of time in kind that will help cover maintenance, housekeeping, caretaking and teachings of the site.

The original Architect of the Conference Centre and the Shop, ‘Bill Dunster’ and his team have agreed to contribute through voluntary action. This would be to assist volunteers to gain the correct knowledge of the buildings in order to maintain them and learn about the skill used to make them. This will help reduce costs and provide learning opportunities and skill share situations for volunteers and local community.

WWoofing opportunities will be offered at The People’s Earth Centre, WWOOFing is volunteering to work on organic farms to learn the principles involved in organic farming. A WWOOFer is a volunteer who works on an organic farm for a few hours (generally 5-6 hours a day) in exchange of food, bed and learning experience. The person who owns the organic farm is called a WWOOF host. To facilitate the entire WWOOFing activity, there are various WWOOF Organisations. These are not for profit organizations that provide a list of hosts and membership cards to aspiring WWOOFers. Dorm and camping facilities will be free to individuals committing time in kind through this activity. Hedge laying will be carried out with the aim to completely remove the metal fencing. Allotments and the Forest Gardens will be maintained and cared for.

Bee keeping will be introduced to the site with the aim to help local biodiversity and educate children about wildlife and the environment. Volunteers will have the opportunity to learn how to keep bees and process the honey.

Community Welfare & Education

We plan to collaborate with the Miners Gala that runs once a year in Denaby and aim to work closely with the ‘Pin The Pits’ Campaign to support their work and the local community. We feel that ‘Pin The Pits’ the campaign headed by local artist Rachel Horne is an important goal for our nations history and culture and that it complements the landscape and community that is home to The People’s Earth Centre. The activities involved bring together old and young from many backgrounds and areas and will benefit our local and wider community.

A weekly seed exchange will be held at the centre and the community will be invited to help construct a seed and plant information base. This project will help to establish native species and share the knowledge of our local environment. Volunteers and communities will then collaborate to connect and develop local Abundance Projects to create a map of wild food throughout the region. A website will be launched to publicise and network the project.

Local naturalist groups, Wildlife Trust, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Friends of the Earth (FOE) will all be invited to work with the centre to develop a regional map of wildlife. Local community will be involved in running a project to preserve and protect areas and species.

The Café will host a monthly ‘Community Cook-up’ event where all are invited to bring along an item of food that will be prepared and served by volunteers. The event will incorporate art and music and give local artists an opportunity to showcase their talents and meet their communities. The event will promote healthy eating, The People’s Earth Centre, community cohesion, local business and environmental awareness.

The jetty and ponds on the Earth Centre site will be open for fishing and an onsite fishing steering committee will be established and run by volunteers to ensure the proper use, management and caretaking of the activities. This will benefit local angling clubs and youth.

An open air art gallery will be established with local artists invited to carry out installations as well as schools, universities, children’s groups and others. Art is an integral part of human nature and The People’s Earth Centre intends to be a common ground for creativity and expression to be used by all. The art will be shared with all the area.

A skate park area will be designed through a project where local youths and skateboarders take the initiative and help to build the area. This will engage the local young people and create a vibrant centre. The youths will have the opportunity to then volunteer for other activities and learning programmes on site.

Local outdoor pursuit volunteers have agreed to assist the running of the climbing and zip wire facilities. They are experienced instructors who hold appropriate certificates and have had extensive training. Plans are to organise canoeing and a range of outdoor adventures.

Traditional activities will be available to the community and organisations they will cover a wide range of traditional craft and ancient skill. Such as:

Woodland crafts; coppicing, besom (broom) making, basket making, chair making, hurdle making, rake making, fork making, handle making, ladder making, charcoal burning, broaches and pegs
- A green woodwork area will be constructed using recycled materials and locally sourced timber. Volunteers and community will use the facility to make their own tools and art.

Building crafts; bender building, yurt building, earth ship construction, roundhouse construction, steam bending, walling, wooden building, thatching, slate cutting
- Materials will be selected from local sustainable sources or recycled material. Opportunities for schools and community groups to construct their own shelter will be offered this will serve as an educational exercise to raise awareness of low impact living and community action.

Crafts of the field; hedge laying, dry-stone walling, making stiles, animal husbandry
- These techniques will be used to reconstruct the borders around site by volunteers from local colleges and community with the aim to eventually take down the metal fence which will then be recycled and used for art.

Workshop crafts; coracle making, charcoal burning, chair making, founding, turning, boat building, rope and net making, knife making, stick and crooks, making field gates, potting, brick making, tile making, paper making, basketry, rush and straw work, jewellery craft, sled making, carving
- Plans are to construct a foundry and use existing buildings and materials to hold the suggested workshops. Trained and skilled volunteers will assist participants to learn the skills and create pieces of work.

Textiles and home crafts; spinning and weaving, wool craft, cotton craft, dyeing, candle making, soap making, cloth making, needle craft, felting, hat making, clothing alterations, blanket making
- A sewing room will be created with facilities and machines for public use. Participants will be encouraged and assisted to make their own looms and use recycled materials to create household essentials and art.

Power of the Community – Our story

Although the much loved Earth Centre had become a curiously vacant ghost ship the people had not forgotten. Many had wondered why it was no more, and more questions arose as a corporate war-games company moved in followed by the Police and the MOD. This once lively colourful resource was now in the hands of the few and they were shooting at each other!

A group began searching for like-minded folk and it wasn’t long before a few became many. To begin with they contacted the Council and asked politely if they could access the site to harvest the abundant fruit and medicinal plants so that they could be distributed to local community groups. Unfortunately they were refused on the grounds that the fruit was nearly all rotten and infected. Saddened by this the group took direct action and retrieved a haul of apples that were then made into lovely pies and shared amongst the community.

The group decided then that more community action was needed and that The Earth Centre was far too important and must be saved and reopened for the people. Initially they asked the Council to hold a meeting with the community to discuss the future of the site but to no avail. In response a public meeting held by the people was arranged and local press was contacted to spread the word that all were invited to share in this meeting and have their say over the future of the Earth Centre.

The public meeting was a huge success for the campaign and the community, it was well attended by locals, former employees, councillors from various parties, Green Party members, local volunteer workers, BTCV, ‘Compost’ John of York, local businessmen and women and community groups such as Pixie Works. It was established that all were in favour of reclaiming the Earth Centre as a community led project. The meeting venue was Denaby & Cadeby Miners Welfare Club and it was noted by former worker and Labour Councillor for Denaby, Chris Mills that ten years ago the original Earth Centre group met in the very same place. The feeling was positive and a second meeting was arranged.

During the campaign members of the We Love The Earth Centre group meet every Sunday at the Earth Centre to greet new people, learn more about the ecology of the area and enjoy the space around. An event was organised prior to the public meeting so that people could meet each other and take part in ‘Bender building for a better world’. On the day there was a great mix of community members such as local families, university students, local artists and local tradesmen and surprisingly the Police although they did not help construct the bender!

The group has met every Sunday since October not always in great numbers but we anticipate once the winter passes the people will grow like wildflowers. We intend to continue to share skills with one another and make positive actions to highlight the need for The People’s Earth Centre and to complement through art and community action the natural landscape.

This is a rough draft and we invite you to contribute to your ideas and thoughts this is a proposal for The People’s Earth Centre and everyone is welcome. thereismore2lifefolks@yahoo.co.uk

Community first! We dont trust the fox to fix the chicken coop

2010-01-12T14:02:00.000-08:00

The Earth Centre and ensuring that the community is at the heart of its future.

As you may be aware a campaign has been running to revive the Earth Centre in Doncaster as a community space and environment skill centre. Since October we have had no help or support from Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council (DMBC). Our calls to DMBC for a public meeting have been ignored and in response the people held their own meeting on December 15th 2009. From the meeting it was established that a common interest to see the Earth Centre used by the community was shared.

Our next public meeting is scheduled for January, 19th at 7pm at the Denaby and Cadeby Miners Welfare Club
– all are welcome and we will be discussing the outcome of campaigners meeting with the Millennium Commission on January, 14th and the Mayors response to questions by campaigners posed at the Full Council Meeting on January 18th. We Love The Earth Centre campaign has it own proposal for a community led People’s Earth Centre with volunteering environmental education and skill sharing at the heart of activities and this will be shared at the meeting on the 19th.

In the last few days it has come to our attention through much research that a limited liability company (RTTG) Rapid Technology Transfer Group and the DMBC have been privately making plans for the future of the site including an open day. To our knowledge this has not been publicised and very few people in the community are aware so in order that the community not be excluded again! We feel it important to share this information and urge you to attend:

Earthw rks
Development Planning 2010
First Quarter – Open Days - Tuesday, Feb 9th and Wednesday, March 31st
This is an open invitation to all organisations and individuals willing to contribute expertise to restore the site of the former Earth Centre as a national resource for researching, understanding and practising sustainability. Please e-mail mike@therttg.org to register and receive full details. Outdoor wear is recommended. Photography for personal use is permitted in all areas.

The We Love The Earth Centre campaign is concerned that this event has not been shared widely and we remain insistent that the community be put before profit and that they are involved in all aspects of planning and developing the future of the Earth Centre. It is also important to us that the site be used for grassroots development and be inclusive of all so we hope that you will study the motives and plans of this company and share your own visions.

Below is a list of partners of the company RTTG; investigate their activities and motives!! Together they are responsible for chemical, construction, aerospace, defense, 3d tech, nuclear, audiovisual engineering and much more!
Costain, White Design, eOn, Scottish Southern, Modcell, Royal Haskoning, Complete Energy Solutions, National Non-Food Crops Centre, SITEC, MTech, Pilkington, Peglers, Senior Architectural Systems, Glazpart, LBK Packaging, JCB, Kita, Holz Schiller, Saint Gobain, Beta Technology, Stramit, Hemsec, Titon, BASF, Greenspec, Green Building Store, Ransomes,Kognitiv, Polyflor, First Vision, Logix , Corus, Marmox, Balehaus, Cospica, MET-UK/Spice, Strata Housing

In April DMBC will be accepting proposals this open day is part of the RTTG proposal. For information about the We Love The Earth Centre proposal please email thereismore2lifefolks@yahoo.co.uk or come along to the meeting on the 19th alternatively keep checking our blog all are invited to contribute.

It is the aim of the We Love The Earth Centre group to bring together community to share ideas and skills and to work to preserve and protect our environment and our culture.

Love and respect.

open day at the earth centre

2010-01-11T07:01:00.000-08:00

An open event has been arranged at the Earth Centre by the Council and a company wishing to take it on, the company is RTTG Rapid Technology Transfer Group. It has not been publicised to our knowledge and we must make sure that the community is not excluded again! So here it is.........................

Earthworks - Development Planning 2010

First Quarter – Open Days

This is an open invitation to all organisations and individuals willing to contribute expertise to restore the site of the former Earth Centre as a national resource for researching, understanding and practising sustainability.

Please e-mail mike@therttg.org to register and receive full details.

Outdoor wear is recommended. Photography for personal use is permitted in all areas.

Tuesday, February 9th

Site assessment 11.00 – 13.00 Guided tour of land and all
facilities of the former Earth
Centre at Conisborough, Senior
manager of Doncaster
Metropolitan Borough Council
available to answer questions.
Buffet lunch

Discussion 13.30 – 15.00 (Optional) Opportunity to identify
areas of potential collaboration and site/operations development.

Wednesday, March 31st

Site assessment 11.00 – 13.00 Close examination of land and all
facilities of the former Earth
Centre at Conisborough, Senior
manager of Doncaster
Metropolitan Borough Council
to provide update on site proposals.
Buffet lunch

Discussion 14.00 – 17.00 (Optional) Opportunity to detail
areas of likely collaboration and outline development schedules.

Earthworks/Earthlabs is an RTTG open partnership initiative

The Rapid Technology Transfer Group

The RTTG is a consortium of members and partners committed to the development and use of responsible technologies. A not-for-profit business, it works with industrial, commercial, professional, academic and community interest organisations that share its ambition of intelligent sustainability.

The Earthworks/Earthlabs Initiative

This initiative responds to the collapse of the Earth Centre Millennium Project in 2004 and to the opportunity to bring the former Earth Centre site into use again.

Against strong competition from commercial developers, the RTTG has been engaged in dialogue with the new site owner, Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council, for more than a year and has put forward an outline proposal for the 45ha site’s use as a key resource for ‘intelligent sustainability’.

The proposal is based on developing the site as a centre for discovering and demonstrating technologies and techniques that contribute to sustainable development. It sketches future arrangements in which activities are carried out by diverse organisations using their expertise to achieve shared objectives.

Discovery activities will range from doctoral research to field-based enquiry by young children, creating an inclusive capacity to ask questions and to find routes to the answers. This is the Earthlabs strand of the initiative and is open to responsible bodies in any sector.

Earthworks will focus on the development and demonstration of what makes an effective contribution to intelligent sustainability at any level: knowledge and understanding; techniques and practices; technologies and products. Also based on open partnership, this strand will provide detailed information to a wide range of audiences.

The site is well-resourced in terms of buildings, space and infrastructure and its landscape and planting can be brought back into full management within three years. It is both a challenge and an opportunity for responsible interest groups to share.

There is no doubt about the difficulty of combining expertise in activities that will produce a self-supporting facility and earn the esteem and support of diverse public, private and independent audiences. But the opportunity to reshape the purpose and future of the site is something that responsible organisations and individuals will not ignore.

The Open Days are designed to encourage thought and discussion about the formal proposal that should be presented in April, 2010 to Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council’s Cabinet. They are beginning of the opportunity to be part of a unique collective effort to establish intelligent sustainability in the fabric of industry, society, education and government. All relevant expertise is welcome.

Earthworks/Earthlabs is an RTTG open partnership initiative

Millennium Commission agrees to meet - we need your help!

2009-12-27T14:03:00.000-08:00

The Millennium Commission have responded to our freedom of information request - they state that they cannot provide us with documents as it would take two and a half days to find them all. They have instead offered to meet us! Hurray!

This meeting will take place on Jan 14th at their offices in Leeds - This is our chance to have our say!

We Love The Earth Centre campaigners now ask for your help, we would like to voice everyones concerns and questions at this meeting and ask you to email us with your thoughts.

The Millennium Commission say they put 36 million into the project that eventually ran to a reported 114 million pounds, we are going to ask them to revisit their responsibilities as a commission and to help us revive this valuable resource for the community and the wider world.

The next public meeting is to be held on Jan 19th at 7pm at The Denaby & Cadeby Miners Welfare Club - all are welcome lets work together and reclaim reuse recycle!

Freedom of Information Response 2

2009-12-27T13:57:00.000-08:00

Doncaster Council

Regeneration Department, Blue Building, 38 – 40 High Street, Doncaster DN1 1DE

Contact: Trish Wood

Tel: (01302) 736916

Fax: (01302) 737362

Email: FOI@doncaster.gov.uk

Website: www.doncaster.gov.uk

Date: 23rd December 2009

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request dated 1st December 2009 for

information about the Earth Centre. Please find below Doncaster Council’s response to the questions you have raised.

1. Most recent details of any quarry expansion plans in the Borough of Doncaster

Notice under Section 17(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 - REFUSAL TO

DISCLOSE INFORMATION

The council has decided to refuse to disclose the information you have asked for under

Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

This law allows us to refuse to disclose information through the Freedom of Information

Act process which is “reasonably accessible through another route”. This is called an

“exemption”.

Why does the exemption apply in this case?

All information regarding Planning applications for quarry expansions and the

Development Plan (the Doncaster Unitary Development Plan), which contains policies

on quarries within the Minerals chapter and within Appendix 12, are within the public

domain. For your information, you can find information regarding planning applications

on the Council’s Public Access for Planning web page. You can see details of current

applications, monitor the progress of applications, submit comments on current

planning applications and search a constantly updated list of applications received and

decisions issued each week.

From 1st September 2009, you can view all documents and plans accompanying

planning applications and decision notices issued by using the View Associated

Documents tab.

Please use the link below to view details of applications:-

http://local.doncaster.gov.uk/PublicAccess/default.aspx

Doncaster Council

Regeneration Department, Blue Building, 38 – 40 High Street, Doncaster DN1 1DE

Please use the link below to view Decision Notices issued before 1st September 2009:-

http://www.doncaster.gov.uk/Living_in_Doncaster/Neighbourhoods/Planning/developm

ent_control/planning_information/Planning_Applications_Decision_Notices_Issued_200

9.asp

In addition, planning applications from 1979 to 2003 can be viewed on microfiche, To

make an appointment, please telephone TSI Local Searches on 01302 734864/734940

or email tsi@doncaster.gov.uk.

Application case files from 2004 to 1st September 2009 are available to view in paper

form at the offices of Development and Planning at the address at the bottom of this

letter. To make an appointment to view paper files, please telephone 01302 734859.

You can also find information regarding the Doncaster UDP on the Council's website.

Please use the link below to view the UDP:-

http://www.doncaster.gov.uk/Living_in_Doncaster/Neighbourhoods/Planning/our_plans/

Doncaster_UDP_Document.asp

The Doncaster Local Development Framework will also contain policies regarding

quarries. The documents that have been published to date can be viewed on the

Council's website. Please use the link below to view the LDF pages:-

http://www.doncaster.gov.uk/Living_in_Doncaster/Neighbourhoods/Planning/Local_Dev

elopment_Framework/Local_Development_Framework.asp

2. Details of Earth Centre Ownership

Doncaster Council is the freehold owner of the land.

3. Details of DMBC agreements to maintain the Earth Centre for educational purposes

There are no agreements.

4. Details of all documents held by DMBC with regard to the Earth Centre

To answer this question properly, the Council would require more specific details of

what type of documents you are referring to. If you would like to submit a further FOI

request with specific details of the documents you require, we will consider your request

further.

Reviewing any decisions made:

You can ask us to review any decisions made about your request. You do this by writing

to:

Freedom of Information Officer

Council House

Floor 2

College Road

Doncaster

DN1 3DA

Doncaster Council

Regeneration Department, Blue Building, 38 – 40 High Street, Doncaster DN1 1DE

e-mail: FOIAppeals@doncaster.gov.uk

You can apply to the Information Commissioner for a decision about our compliance or

otherwise with the Freedom of Information legislation. Please contact the Commissioner

for details on how to do this – Telephone: 01625 545700, Address: Information

Commissioner, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF. Website:

http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk/

Yours sincerely

Trish Wood

FOI Lead Officer

Regeneration Department

positive community in action!

2009-12-19T09:01:00.000-08:00

Much fun was had last sunday at The Earth Centre. Many people made light work of our bender building for a better world, everyone got stuck in and the result- a lovely willow and hazel shelter.

A BIG THANKYOU TO EVERYONE WHO CAME AND HELPED

Our community bender is for all to enjoy and we welcome anyone to add to our creation and to come along any sunday to join in the fun.

JUST GOES TO SHOW YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE BIG TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

We love the earth centre community was formed as a direct response to the derelict Earth Centre, we share a common interest in seeing the space returned to the people as a community resource, environment and skill share centre and eco village.

Our next public meeting is on tuesday 19th January 2010 at 7pm at the Denaby and Cadeby Miners Welfare Club. All are welcome.

We would like you to share your ideas about the future of the Earth Centre and together as a community we can revive this great space!

Thankyou to all who contributed to a great first meeting

2009-12-16T12:13:00.000-08:00

We love the earth centre group thanks everyone that made it to the meeting and those who contributed even though they could not be there. The meeting was really inspiring for those of us who began this campaign and it is appreciated that we're not alone and people are trying. There is an obvious strength of the community in the area and people have genuine concern for their environment and its inhabitants.

The follow up meeting has been arranged for 19th Jan again at 7pm at the Denaby & Cadeby Main Miners Welfare Club (thankyou to the club for having us)

The next meeting will cover ideas and proposals, forming a group and planning positive community actions. All are welcome we look forward to seeing you.

x

Bender building this Sunday at 1pm - all are welcome

2009-12-08T05:59:00.000-08:00

Hello,

This sunday 13th dec at 1pm we're going to be constructing a communal area next to the entrance of the earth centre, its gonna be lots of fun bending wood and mucking in to create a cosmic shelter for all. Meet at the welcome point and bring some sticks!

This is a warm up and welcome event leading up to the public meeting to reclaim the earth centre on tuesday 15th dec at Denaby & Cadeby Miners Welfare. The meeting has been organised by the people for the people in response to the misuse of public funds and neglectful way that the council and the millenium commission handled the earth centre and its many resources. We will reclaim the land and our rights to decide our own futures!

Directions to the Public meeting:
Nearest Train station is a ten minute walk - Conisbrough one stop away from Doncaster

Denaby & Cadeby Miners Welfare

Tickhill Square, Denaby Main, Doncaster DN12 4AW

01709 862 157
‎

Also the Consibrough Train stop is just outside the Earth Centre so come on down!

Shame on you Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate change

2009-11-28T13:12:00.000-08:00

Friday the 27th Nov - Doncaster climate hearing, more like doncaster green wash! This event was organised by oxfam, some very good people attended and its fantastic that local people are addressing issues that we all face and talking about ways to be sustainable, unfortunatley there was 'a wave' of insincerity from a few but this doesn't matter working together does!

we love the earth centre campaigners went along to pose the question to our mp for climate change and energy -

Why has a multi-million pound sustainable living education centre been left to rot for five years?

http://www.youtube.com/user/thepixiecrew#p/a/u/1/fpeu5RSyJXo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQjtfXqDxi0

From Mr Miliband's response it seemed strange that he showed very little knowledge of the Earth Centre, curious since we've contacted his offices and his colleague, Denaby MP Caroline Flint, neither has responded. Considering Milband's job title you would think that he would have recognised the significance and true potential of this amazing resource and beautiful space. Also you would think that he would be aware that the MOD are looking to aquire a sustainable living education centre in his area, however he is from oxford!!

Local community projects in Denaby struggle to access funding because the Earth Centre swallowed up the quota in the area and this still has reprecusions five years on. Resources were mysteriously flying out of the Earth Centre in the end and we would like to know where they went too as millions were spent on them.

We say reopen the Earth Centre and allow the community to benefit from its resources rather than having to watch the Police and MOD training with guns and dogs and wargame enthusiasts running about with pretend machine guns and smoke screens.

Ed Miliband this is a time for truth, no more greenwash!

Public meeting to decide the future of the Earth Centre all are welcome its to be held at the Denaby and Cadeby Miners Welfare Club, Tuesday 15th Dec at 7pm. Please come and have your say :0)

Public meeting - people unite and have your say!

2009-11-25T14:04:00.000-08:00

Public meeting regarding the future of the earth centre and the peoples campaign to reclaim the land and our rights to make decisions on community issues
Tuesday, 15th December 7pm at the Denaby Miners Welfare Club - see you there!
As many local people will know, the Earth Centre, a multimillion pound project funded at huge cost by the public with clear aims to be used as an educational facility for the community, has been squandered and left to rot. It is currently been used by war-game enthusiasts and as training ground for the MOD and the Police, the image of grown men running about shooting each other on children’s playgrounds and in the forest gardens simply makes us sick.

The site was closed down because it was not breaking-even. This was mainly due to the over-reliance on the project being a tourist-mecca, but also the mis-spending of money throughout the project's existence, as vast sums were squandered on consultancy fees and extravagant, unaccountable
spending. If the centre had been run with more involvement of local people, it may not have turned into the white elephant it is today.

Our civilisation is witnessing the prospect of run-away global warming and a further increase in freak weather patterns, with world leaders negotiating a deal to reduce carbon emissions worldwide, we strongly feel that a project which demonstrates alternative energy systems that society needs to switch to, at both the regional and household level, is something worth sustaining.

We see the Earth Centre as a world class environmental facility for all to utilise and enjoy. We want this facility open particularly in South Yorkshire as we think that it can make a difference here the most with people given training in new working skills such as the installation of solar-panels, wind generators, ground-source heat pumps and high-tech building solutions.

The Council has refused to hold a public meeting with regards to the future of the Earth Centre. They have blocked requests from local community groups to harvest the fruit and medicinal plants and have effectively turned their backs on this opportunity to safeguard our children's future. We have a duty to them and the planet to encourage the community and the wider public to gain knowledge of the significance of new energy-saving technology and other aspects of sustainable living

The people are holding their own meeting on tuesday 15th december 2009 at 7pm at the denaby main miners welfare club. Please come along and support the campaign to reclaim our rights to decide what happens in our own communities. Have your say, power to the people, together we can make postive change!
Love and respect
Pixies

Proposal for earth centre site to be - uk's centre for climate change

2009-11-24T10:25:00.000-08:00

This is for distribution contact thereismore2lifefolks@yahoo.co.uk for a copy

To attendants of the Doncaster Climate Change Hearing,

I would like to take this unique opportunity to propose a new use for Doncaster's
former Earth Centre project at Conisbrough.

The Earth Centre was originally conceived as ‘an exhibition of sustainable development practices and an international centre for related research and education’. Unfortunately, as we all know, the project lost its way and closed down five years ago even though its fortunes had finally begun to change for the better. The site is still home to some of the most advanced sustainable technology currently available (near silent wind turbines, an advanced 'living machine' sanitation system, solar canopy, extensive allotments & forest gardens, etc.), but it is currently being used by a corporate 'war-games' company and as a film set – hardly ideal uses considering the potential that this site and its existing resources has to offer.

I would like to propose that the former 'Earth Centre' should become the UK's 'National Centre for Climate Change'.The location is central to the rest of the UK and a highly sustainable infrastructure already exists. I feel that the former Earth Centre should once again be used as an international research and education facility with 'Climate Change' as its central remit. The main building could be be used for research and development; whereas some of the grounds, gardens and the former shop could be handed over to local community to encourage the development of grass-roots climate change initiatives. I have been working on a more detailed proposal but for the sake of brevity I will not expand on the idea at this time. Hopefully I have said enough to whet your appetite.

Oxfam could invite other major Climate Change charities to support the proposal and North Doncaster MP - and local climate hero - Ed Miliband could liaise with Doncaster Council to save the site from the developers. The fact that the buildings and resources already exist means that a conglomeration of charities could assume joint management of the centre at greatly reduced costs to all involved - as long as the political willpower exists. I firmly believe that a national research, development and educational centre could be of immense benefit to all those concerned with the devastating effects of climate change. I also believe that such a facility could be beneficial to Doncaster. If you feel the same way please get in touch and lets push for real and lasting change in our region.

Kind regards,
Warren Draper

Doncaster Climate hearing - fri 27th nov - lets make some noise

2009-11-24T06:19:00.001-08:00

This is pure genius nice one! Doncaster Climate hearing this coming friday meeting details can be found here - http://www.doncastercvs.org.uk/events/eventsitem/120

hope to see as many people there as possible this is a great opportunity the mayor has held private meetings this week about the earth centre our calls for a public meeting have been denied so together we will hold our own details will be announced soon

following letter courtesy of a nice green man.....

Hi,

I am a resident of Doncaster who will, hopefully, be attending the Doncaster Climate Hearing in Bentley on Fri 27th November.

I would like to take the opportunity to put forward a proposal regarding Doncaster's former 'Earth Centre'.

The Earth Centre was originally conceived as ‘an exhibition of sustainable development practices and an international centre for related research and education’. Unfortunately it lost its way and closed down five years ago even though its fortunes had finally begun to change for the better. The site is still home to some of the most advanced sustainable technology currently available (near silent wind turbines, an advanced 'living machine' sanitation system, solar canopy, extensive allotments & forest gardens, etc.), but it is currently being used by a corporate 'war-games' company.

I would like to propose that the former 'Earth Centre' should become the UK's 'National Climate Change Centre'.The location is central to the rest of the UK and a highly sustainable infrastructure already exists. I feel that the Earth Centre should once again be seen as an international research and education facility with 'Climate Change' as its central remit. The main building could be be used for research and development, whereas some of the grounds, gardens and the former shop could be handed over to local community to encourage the development of grass-roots climate change initiatives. - I do have a number of other ideas which can be discussed further if Oxfam decide that they may be able to help :-)

Oxfam could invite other major Climate Change charities to support the proposal and North Doncaster MP - and local climate hero - Ed Miliband could liaise with Doncaster Council to save the site from the developers. The fact that the buildings and resources already exist means that a conglomeration of charities could assume joint management of the centre at greatly reduced costs to all involved - as long as the political willpower exists.

Friday's meeting would seem to provide a unique and opportune moment to put this proposal to the people who can help bring it to fruition. Together lets put the idea forward?

and the freedom of information response (typical)

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request dated 30 October 2009 for information
about the Earth Centre. Please find below Doncaster Council’s response to the questions
you have raised.

1. I would like to know the deadline date for submitting proposals to the DMBC
regarding use of the Earth Centre site.
The Council has not formally invited proposals from interested parties for the Earth Centre and hence a deadline has not yet been set.

2. I would like to know the details of any proposals already submitted regarding the
Earth Centre site.
The Council has received expressions of interest from a number of parties but as stated above the council has not formally invited proposals.

3. I would like to see a copy of the agreement between the Millennium Commission
and DMBC regarding the transfer of ownership of the Earth Centre site.
There was no transfer of ownership to the Millennium Commission. The Council was and still is the freehold owner and granted leases to the Earth Centre; when the EarthCentre entered receivership the leases were disclaimed and vested back to the
Council.

I hope that this information is useful to you.
Reviewing any decisions made:
You can ask us to review any decisions made about your request. You do this by writing
to:
Doncaster Council
Regeneration Department, Blue Building, 38 – 40 High Street, Doncaster DN1 1DE
Freedom of Information Manager
Council House
Floor 2
College Road
Doncaster
DN1 3DA
e-mail: FOIAppeals@doncaster.gov.uk
You can apply to the Information Commissioner for a decision about our compliance or
otherwise with the Freedom of Information legislation. Please contact the Commissioner
for details on how to do this – Telephone: 01625 545700, Address: Information
Commissioner, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. Website:
http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk/
Yours sincerely

although the questions could have been worded better this response is just what we expected our intentions are to shed truth on the obligations of the council to maintain the site for educational purposes we urge you to ask more questions everyone is entitled and the truth will out!

People call for a public meeting!

2009-11-19T02:54:00.000-08:00

We ask you the people to contact doncaster council and your local community and demand a public meeting regarding the future of the Earth Centre, again the people responsible are trying to exclude us from having any say in what happens to this space. We think that the earth centre should be run as an autonomous community garden and eco village maybe you have your own ideas too but the only way we can ensure that its not lost to corporate greed is to unify and stand up!write to the Mayor, please send your letter/email to:

Peter Davies, The Mayor of Doncaster
Floor 1
Council House
College Road
Doncaster
DN1 3AJ

Email: themayor@doncaster.gov.uk
Telephone: 01302 862225
Fax: 01302 862232

This is the letter we recieved from the council.........

Thank you for your recent correspondence in respect of the Earth Centre. The Mayor, Peter Davies, has asked me to respond on his behalf.

Please be assured your continued interest has been noted and I would advise you that the Council has received a number of other expressions of interest. These parties, like you, are also keen that a resolution is reached enabling a move forward. As you will be aware the Council is currently reviewing potential options for the future of the site and will be asking for expressions of interest in the site shortly. All interested parties will be contacted and asked for further details of their proposals.

Whilst writing I would mention that I am aware of your Freedom of Information request which I can also confirm is receiving attention. In addition I am also aware of your recent requests to run an educational workshop for the community on the site and to also pick Ginko leaves. Unfortunately these requests are declined as the Council is unable to permit open access to the general public due to security and indemnity insurance considerations.

I hope this explains the current position and answers your queries.

Yours sincerely,

SCOTT CARDWELL, Assistant Director - Regeneration

And our response is........................................................

Dear Mayor, Scott, Pauline, whom it may concern,

All we want is to pick some leaves at the front entrance why is that such a difficult task when you allow people with pretend guns to run amock allover the childrens play areas and all over valuable plantlife and wildlife spots. The Local Police and your own Neighbourhood Management team offered to help surely this would be sufficient security if you really are concerned.

Scott and The Mayor, I understand that you are new to the earth centre and may not have experienced its value to the community and nature as a whole. If we consider that together we need to raise awareness of Agenda 21 from the Rio Earth Summit of 1992 which is as poignant now as ever, it was the precursor to the Kyoto Summit, focusing our minds towards the important decisions to be made in Copenhagen Summit, this December ‘09. These meetings of world leaders are the evidence that we all need to make changes to the way we live our lives in order to sustain our environment and protect the lives of future generations, animals and our earth. We see the earth centre as a world class environmental facility for all to utilise and enjoy. We want this facility open particularly in South Yorkshire as the area has high unemployment, very low average income, racial tension along with drug and alcohol problems and displaced youth. We think that it can make a difference here the most and it already has a connection with the area. Following our research especially over the last year it is apparent that South Yorkshire does not have sufficient facilities for alternative education and skills. The area has been hit by climate change very recently and many people were affected, they were mostly reliant on local authorities to respond and it is clear that people require knowledge of alternative methods of living that can impact less on the environment and save money.

I request on behalf of the community and the wider world that is aware of the reality of climate change and its social implications, that you hold a public meeting to discuss the future of the earth centre a multimillion pound project paid for by public funds with clear aims to be used as an educational facility for the community.

The public expect a response!

Thank you

Teenage Mutant Nuclear MP

2009-11-10T05:01:00.000-08:00

So local MP for Doncaster and Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Ed Miliband announces to a undisturbed public that Britain shall have ten new nuclear power plants by 2018.

Tumble weed............

Well as far as we're concerned if you support nuclear you must be stark raving mad, the men responsible for these plans have no concern for the health and survival of this planet or anything on it. It might only be a film but for those of you that have seen 'threads' a film set in sheffield post nuclear disaster you will know the terrifying dangers of these monsterous mutant machines.

How and why are these decisions getting through parliment without any consultation with the people of the land, they have utter disregard for nature and wildlife and the future of our race.

The earth centre is an ideal spot for uniting communities to stand up and have their say, we urge you to take action and stop this greedy regime.

dont despair just do it th'sen

2009-11-08T12:17:00.000-08:00

The land at the earth centre has been worked by many hands we remember the miners and their strength in hard times

I have visited your website http://www.freewebs.com/yorkshiremain/ and found it too be a very good guide and particularly enjoyed the documented photo's. I am part of a group that is currently working with the space on top of the former cadeby colliery, the derelict earth centre. As you may know the designers of the earth centre had a hideous party with public funds that saw a small number of already very rich people paid alot of money to create an educational space that they then walked away from and have left to ruin. Its fair to say they pulled a fast one on an already kicked community, the earth centre during the time it was open was used by many locals and also provided a significant number of jobs.

Now derelict for 5 years the council leases it to a wargame company that run about on the childrens play areas shooting each other and the police use the space for training. None of these activities benefit the community or the landscape. The council now plans to sell the site and we are not going to let them. We see that the land belongs to the people and that we have a right to maintain it and use its resources to live a sustainable lifestyle. We aim to reopen its buildings to the community groups and schools that can then benefit from what was once a valuable community resource. With the spirit of the miners that lived it deep in the pits we will not leave this alone and we invite all to show solidarity in this time of political treason and depleting landscape.

Don't despair just Do it th'sen! we welcome you all to meet at the welcome point of the earth centre every sun 1pm we're all very friendly x

amazing school visits

2009-11-07T10:51:00.000-08:00

It is a crime to let the earth centre be lost to more greed and destruction, please see

http://www.townfield.doncaster.sch.uk/pages/welcome.htm

huge respect to the school for their outstanding guide to the earth centre

x

too little too late dmbc

2009-11-03T10:36:00.000-08:00

doncaster council said today that the fruit was still mostly rotten and they will contact the group to organise a walk around the centre for just one group member sometime soon

we say no way!

apple action

2009-11-02T14:10:00.000-08:00

Earlier today a group of activists took apple action and liberated a haul of delicious fruits from the abundant forest gardens at the derelict earth centre. Weeks of meaningless promises and blatant lies from Doncaster Council led the group of harvesters to take action.

This may seem like a small feat but as numbers and support grows the move to reclaim the land at the earth centre is getting closer!

Doncaster council first responded to requests to harvest the fruit three weeks ago they said the fruit was simply too 'rotten and infected by wasps'

After consecutive lies and fobbing off from the local authorities it became clear that action had to be taken, the extent of waste involved in the earth centre scandal goes deep and we are here to expose the truth and heal the wounds of the land

we met with local development trust workers that shared their experiences of the earth centre saga and expressed their dissapointment and frustration at its demise

we want local people to be proud of this space and work together to care for it without the suffocating ties of red tape and greed

we welcome anyone that wants to be involved - reclAim the earth centre!

We now meet every sunday at 1.30pm

2009-10-31T01:50:00.000-07:00

hello so that its easier for some people we now meet every sunday at 1.30 at the welcome point near the train station (conisbrough).

our numbers are growing and we welcome anyone that is curious or has ideas about the future of the earth centre

people power!

reclaim the earth centre for the people

2009-10-28T03:26:00.001-07:00

meeting every friday at 1pm by the welcome point near the trainstop (conisbrough) come along show your support, share ideas and help return this space to the people

some historical inspiration to us all

2009-10-26T16:01:00.000-07:00

The World Turned Upside down (the diggers song)

In 1649
To St. George’s Hill,
A ragged band they called the Diggers
Came to show the people’s will
They defied the landlords
They defied the laws
They were the dispossessed reclaiming what was theirs

We come in peace they said
To dig and sow
We come to work the lands in common
And to make the waste ground grow
This earth divided
We will make whole
So it will be
A common treasury for all

The sin of property
We do disdain
No man has any right to buy and sell
The earth for private gain
By theft and murder
They took the land
Now everywhere the walls
Spring up at their command

They make the laws
To chain us well
The clergy dazzle us with heaven
Or they damn us into hell
We will not worship
The God they serve
The God of greed who feed the rich
While poor folk starve

We work we eat together
We need no swords
We will not bow to the masters
Or pay rent to the lords
Still we are free
Though we are poor
You Diggers all stand up for glory
Stand up now

From the men of property
The orders came
They sent the hired men and troopers
To wipe out the Diggers’ claim
Tear down their cottages
Destroy their corn
They were dispersed
But still the vision lingers on

You poor take courage
You rich take care
This earth was made a common treasury
For everyone to share
All things in common
All people one
We come in peace
The orders came to cut them down

some interesting you tube videos on the earth centre

2009-10-26T06:28:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywfyyFi6xbs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB-4CbgM84o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74CZPGEKRQY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNTKzGCi1LM

peace and love

come along and see for yourself

2009-10-26T05:24:00.000-07:00

why not have a mooch to the earth centre there is a train stop (conisbrough) right at the entrance

cross the bridge a public right of way, explore the neighbouring forest, follow the trail to the pennine way and climb the hill for an amazing view of this special place, historic landscape and beautiful wilderness

we meet up every friday at 1pm to do the same so your more than welcome to join our party

power to the people! be the change you want to see.....

together we can do it - reclaim this space for the people of the earth

2009-10-26T05:06:00.000-07:00

Forget how much money was wasted, forget the politics and red tape that halts positive flow!

we can return this space to nature, let the wild take hold of it and nuture its resources and our community spirit

unity, solidarity, love and respect ;)

if you have any ideas and want to be involved in any way please comment or contact welovetheearthcentre@gmail.com

'if you think your too small to make a difference try sleeping with a mosquito!'

people unite the earth centre is waiting to be reclaimed

2009-10-26T04:55:00.000-07:00

what the hek is going on now????

2009-10-26T04:41:00.001-07:00

currently the earth centre is used as a playground for ex military people that fire pellets at each other and carry out wargames

- for those of you that engage in these activities we wish not to offend you we simply want this amazing space to be used by all and for the purpose of empowering people to respect and actively support the health of the earth and all its inhabitants

i hope that you agree and understand why we are campaigning for its return to the people

love and respect

so what was it all about?

2009-10-26T04:00:00.000-07:00

The Earth Centre was dreamt up by Jonathan Smales, a former director of Greenpeace
Mr Smales wanted to create an environmental centre that would stimulate the growing interest in the future health of the earth. The centre would be self-sustaining, both ecologically and financially. It would also demonstrate how modern technology and the latest architecture, landscape design and responsible farming could work together to revive a despoiled and redundant industrial landscape.

"We want the Earth Centre to be very much a part of Doncaster and not some exotic bloom," Mr Smales said. "

and they sure went to town with their funding.......

80% of building materials were either reclaimed or recycled
Europe’s largest flat-foot solar installation.1,300m2 canopy containing 250 photovoltaic panels – generating 80,000 KW of electricity per year and would run the systems and the galleries.
Conference centre constructed largely from reclaimed materials including telegraph poles, crushed concrete, glass and radiators.
A shop and café area
6500m2 black box gallery space conditioned through an underground thermal store called the Labyrinth
"Living Machine" sewage treatment plant. A local water treatment system processing all waste water coming from Earth Centre toilets, basins and kitchens, operating entirely through biological reactions, using both bacteria and nutrient-demanding tropical plants in the warmth of a greenhouse.
water management system that incorporates rainwater harvesting and the treatment, storage and recycling of water use in irrigation and water features and as a wildlife habitat.
100,000 new trees including 15 acres of willow as well as some ancient woodlands, two rivers and a variety of ecological grasslands and wetlands
Demonstrations of organic gardening methods, fruit orchards, willow sculptures, forest and bog gardens, and other flower and sculptural gardens

All this and a pirate ship!

Children visited the earth centre as part of their education topic into growing things. Hundreds of local people used the forest gardens and allotments and the earth centre was a space enjoyed by all.

the earth centre closed in 2004

2009-10-26T03:52:00.000-07:00

the earth centre went into administration in october 2004, it has remained closed to the public eversince.

recently curious public have been escorted off by armed police! walkers have been met with access denied to the penine way which is situated behind the earth centre and requires you cross a bridge to get to it, they closed the bridge a public right of way!

the mayor at the time martin winter said: "I am determined that the ethos of the earth centre site is preserved for future doncaster generations… I intend to set up an advisory group to help me guide the future of the earth centre site and this will include community and former earth centre trustees."

don valley mp caroline flint said she welcomed confirmation that the Earth Centre would be taken over by doncaster council, saying that the commission would only agree if the council maintained the educational work performed by the centre.

5 years on and the site remains derelict and closed to the public, however the council made sure that at least someone got use of it.......

welcome to the story of the earth centre

2009-10-26T03:41:00.000-07:00

the earth centre is an amazing space at denaby main, doncaster, south yorkshire it is built on derelict land left over from former coal pits, it was the ‘museum for the millenium’. Initial plans were for community-led projects and apprentice training. The first stage of that project opened in 1994, including a sustainable aquaculture centre and a community farm.

In 1995 the Millennium Commission made a massive award to Earth Centre, which became one of its ‘Landmark Millennium projects’. It was redesigned and virtually all existing landscaping and projects were destroyed, which lost the goodwill of the local community who felt excluded from the project.