Anyone fancy cycling from Glasgow to Edinburgh on 12 September?  I’m thinking about doing the Challenge Ride… Just thinking, but if someone wanted to keep me company…

And it’s all in aid of Maggies Centres.

Festivals come and go, but this one is, I think, the one that Scotland has been waiting for.  A place to share ideas, to hear deep thoughts, to sing a new song and hear a different melody.

Solas is inspired by Greenbelt but has a very Scottish flavour, both in the words and songs.

Scotland needs a space like this.  If you missed it this time then make sure you get there next year.  It could just be what you’ve been looking for.

Off to Solas tomorrow.  Hope to see some of you there!!!

11am on 19 June 2010

St Mary’s Cathedral, Great Western Road, Glasgow

a wee act of blessing open to people of all faiths or none, celebrating glasgow’s blossoming bicycle community and blessing cyclists as they pilgrim across our city…

What to Expect?
Bicycles and their riders of all shapes and sizes and ages (hybrids, folders, fixies, mountain bikes, recumbants, tourers tandems and childrens bikes are all welcome!) INSIDE, lining the aisles of a gothic revival cathedral. A few words of blessing from The Very Reverend Kelvin Holdsworth. An opportunity to remember cyclists who have died on our roads. To end, a chorus of bicycle bells filling the the building in celebration of the gift of two wheels as we depart.

Don’t forget your bicycle! Wear what you like – whatever you cycle in is fine, although maybe be considerate with your cleated shoes – shimano steel + stone floors maybe don’t go too well together.

The event won’t last all that long – so we suggest arriving promptly!

for any enquiries please contact glasgowblessingofthebikes [at] gmail [dot] com

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=128571403837410

http://www.thisiscentralstation.com/events/blessing-of-the-bikes-glasgow.aspx

http://glasgowbicycleblessing.wordpress.com/
http://www.twitter.com/bicycleblessing

Here are some appearances we’ve already got pinned down…

KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST SOLAS NEWS
Have you seen our new blog? It’s pretty nifty. We’re updating it all the time with news and information to keep you in the loop and whet your appetite for the weekend.
Our favourite part is the Solas Countdown clock at the bottom – we’re getting more excited by the hour!
Find the blog here - and if you’d like to submit a piece on what you’re looking forward to at the festival, email it to office [at] solasfestival [dot] co [dot] uk
You can also follow us through our website and our Facebook page and on Twitter (if you are a Tweeter, then you can use the hashtag #solasfest to help promote the festival)

With volcanic ash and potential strike action on the cards it makes more sense than ever to holiday at home and take in the new Solas Festival on 25-27 June at Wiston Lodge near Biggar.

There are some fantastic speakers including Douglas Alexander MP, Gerry Hassan, John Swinton, Kathy Galloway, Chris Harvie MSP, Shaun Burnie, Dan Glass, Doug Gay, Cole Moreton, Alastair McIntosh, Vérène Nicolas, Eugenie Harvey, Richard Holloway, Kathryn Heyman, Osama Saeed and Stuart Blythe.

Musical highlights  feature The Russian Choir, SuplexTheKid, Kitty the Lion, Yvonne Lyon, Jo Mango, Calamateur, Rory Butler, Brian McGlynn, Monica Queen & thrum, Mr McFall’s Chamber, Esther O’Connor, Peatbog Faeries, McIntosh Ross, Juliet Turner, Iain Morrison, Fair Witness and We See Lights.

There is also a great programme for children and young people, a performing and visual arts programme and a huge range of worship.

You can now download the latest solas leaflet for may.

The Scottish network of community based Christian youth workers

The date for the next meeting of the Network of community based Christian Youth Workers is on

Friday 28th May from 10.00 am to 1pm

at: International Christian College 110 St James Road Glasgow G4 0PS

Christian Youth Work and Ethics

Led by Prof. Howard Sercombe

University of Strathclyde and author of “Youth Work Ethics”

At the end of 2009, following much debate, the CLD Standards Council decided to pursue a Voluntary model of registration for workers, managers, training providers and others involved in CLD. They decided that the core criteria for registration would be: · signing up to a Code of Ethics · making a clear commitment to the CLD values and competences · ongoing development and improvement of practice Youthworks will consider how the Code of Ethics will impact on Christian Youth Work and give the network the opportunity to discuss how these ongoing developments impact our practice and organisations. There will also be time to worship, pray and fellowship together as a network of community based Christian Youth Workers.

youthworksnetwork.co.uk

Last chance to get early bird tickets.

There are just a few days left to buy your tickets at our lowest rate. Get your tickets before the end of February and you will save money – and help out our cashflow.  Need more persuasion? Take a look at some of the highlights already conformed for our line-up.

LINE-UP – listen, learn, create, watch, join-in, debate, play.

If variety is the spice of life, then SOLAS 2010 is red hot! We want to reflect the diversity of the Arts in Scotland with a programme that welcomes all ages and caters to all tastes.
We think there is something in here for everyone and there’s much more to come…

So keep checking our website regularly for updates!

MUSIC
Our eclectic music programme celebrates the Scottish music scene in the context of a world stage – here are just some of the artists we’ve already booked :

Steeped in the rich tradition of Americana, MCINTOSH ROSS have blended the sounds of Caledonia and California – you may be familiar with their work in Deacon Blue, but this is the First Couple of Scottish pop as you’ve never seen them before

Scotland’s favourite festival band PEATBOG FAERIES have taken their unique brand of Celtic fusion all over the world

Irish songstress JULIET TURNER revisits the intimacy of her early sound with acoustic guitar and narrative story-telling

BIG GROOVE SAMBA DRUMMING will be there to get you dancing

TALKS
Immerse yourself in issues of faith, justice, politics and climate change with our programme full of talks and debates. We’ve invited some of the most engaging speakers, writers and activists we could find, inside and outside of Scotland :

One of the most controversial religious figures in the U.K, writer, broadcaster and Chair of the Scottish Arts Council – RICHARD HOLLOWAY

Described as one of ‘Scotland’s top 100 thinkers and opinion formers’, (the Scotsman), one of the county’s ‘brightest and best’, (the Sunday Herald), and ‘Scotland’s most influential Muslim’, (the Sunday Times), – OSAMA SAEED

A fiery and lyrical commentator on faith and culture in Scotland – poet, preacher, and campaigner for justice, and currently Director of Christian Aid Scotland – KATHY GALLOWAY

Labour MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire, and Secretary of State for International Development – DOUGLAS ALEXANDER MP

Independent scholar, activist, speaker, writer and broadcaster – ALASTAIR MCINTOSH

PERFORMING AND VISUAL ARTS
Participation will be at the heart of our performing and visual arts programme, so you can join in with a whole host of workshops and creative opportunities. We’ve also got some exceptional performances and a whole mini-festival for film buffs to get their teeth into :

Award winning novelist and film-maker BERNARD MACLAVERTY

Star of Sweet Sixteen and Red Road – MARTIN COMPSTON

Presenting a traditional puppet show of the Ramayana with live Indonesian music – MAGS SMITH

GIFT AMU LOGOTSE AND HIS AFRICAN ADVENTURE – just one exciting event amongst our extensive programme of all-age multi-cultural story-telling

CHILDREN”S PROGRAMME
We’ve selected entertainers who really know children – and their parents. There’ll be plenty of fun activities for families to enjoy together :

With their unique blend of top quality music, entertainment and emotional and spiritual sensitivity… – FISCHY MUSIC

Live and Loopy for 2-6 year old’s – STICKY KIDS SINGALONG with Molly Muddle

Presenting their new summer show – Brand New Andrew and Fair Trade Fred – HOPSCOTCH THEATRE CO

In addition to these (and many more) child-friendly performances, you will be able to book your child into ONE supervised session per day at the festival. Sessions will be limited and places will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. You can pre-register your child by following the instructions on the website as soon as you have booked your tickets – another great reason to get them early!

YOUNG PEOPLE’S PROGRAMME
For those that are too cool for school (but still have to go!), there will be instructor-led activities and a safe, creative space where you can shake off your parents for a bit and and make some new friends :

THE RESOLUTION PROJECT – video animation workshops and short film-making for 11-18 year old’s

MEGAMIX – with youth leader-led outdoor activities including den-making, Bogie construction, Tipi building, rocket launching, extreme Frisbee and circus skills

GET INVOLVED – VOLUNTEER
We hope that everyone who comes will be an active participant in the life of the festival and there will be plenty of opportunities to join in. We are also looking for volunteers and contributors -

click here to visit the page on the website for more information on the many ways you can get involved.

SUPPORT SOLAS _ BECOME A SOLAS SAINT
Please consider giving Solas your financial support by becoming a “SOLAS SAINT”. Our goal is to get 100 people to pledge a minimum of £5 a month. If we can meet or exceed this target within the next few weeks, it will give added strength and stability to festival planning and programming. An early pledge of at least £5 a month (Gift Aid will boost its’ value), will help SOLAS (Gaelic for light), to shine…

click here to visit the Solas Saint webpage

So, be a shining example – become a SOLAS SAINT today!

Who Would Jesus Vote For?

In the near future, probably May 2010, we are expecting a General Election across the United Kingdom. Over the last 2000 years the relationship between Christianity and political power has been constantly changing, whether it be a very close relationship such as that in the Post-Constantine Roman Empire or whether it be in the very complex relationship in the United States of America. One of our key questions as Christians at this time must be whether it is appropriate for us to be involved in the political process and if so, on what basis and over what issues.

This 6 week series of evening classes is aimed at debating some of these issues from whether Christians should vote through to issues such as environmentalism, political parties or Scottish Nationalism. Whether you have a view or not on some of these issues, this will be an opportunity to explore the different avenues and prepare ourselves in advance of the media hype and the ballot papers.

The provisional programme is as follows:

There is no obligation to come to every class (classes can be paid for on an individual basis).  For further details contact Sandra McSporran (sandra [dot] mcsporran [at] icc [dot] ac [dot] uk).