Friends of One Tree Hill

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who came to the One Tree Hill / 120 Years event last Sunday, and particularly to everyone who spoke or facilitated.

It was a beautiful afternoon! Lots of ideas for future projects for the Friends, and lots of great connections made.

Alex Hodson from Past Tense led a radical history walk through Peckham Rye and Nunhead, then finished at the top of the hill with an account of how the disorderly multitudes prompted the liberation of One Tree Hill, for the people, forever.

John from the Friends unique and dynamic ecology of the Hill, outlined the work of the Friends, and how everyone can get involved, no least through our new microresidency programme.

One Tree Hill poet-in-residence Hasti debuted their magnificent poem about the Hill: “The meaning of landscape and world is to share it…“

Sitting on the ground at the foot of the One Tree, Jazmeen Isa Qureshi talked about queering ecology, and used acorn galls as a powerful metaphor.

Seniz Mustafa shared details of her work as an ecologist working with beavers, and the importance of opening up green spaces and ecological work to traditionally underrepresented communities.

Bec led a foraging walk focused on acorns, the first activation in their micro-residency. They are going to make acorn flour.

Evie de la Torre gifted handmade ribbon badges mounted with twigs from the Hill.

Jack Cornish, author the Lost Paths, talked about reclaiming public space, and how the struggle to protect our green spaces is never over.

And Alex Bretell played two new songs about the liberation, as well as some stirring covers, while a bonfire burned on the gun emplacement.

And there was a a intervention from the Young Friends of One Tree Hill, an ultra-radical splinter faction #rewildzoneone

Then we retired to the Watson’s General Telegraph who generously provided us with a bar tab.

Thank you so much to Jemima Broadbridge for the photos, with additional reporting by Oli Steadman and Sophie Hollows.