Todmorden Harvest Festival 30th Sept 2012 - The Sculptures
Incredible Edible at Todmorden
There has been a lot written about Todmorden, Incredible Edible and and all that, but not much about ..... well maybe there has. But there must be room for a few more words. Incredible Edible was created by a number of incredible ladies who are organised as a casual Democracy. This is an incredible Democracy where the maximum is achieved with the minimum of red-tape. For example, Prince Charles met them all in London and then he visited them in Todmorden. Prince Charles was met by the ladies off his train and was shown the incredible vegetables growing in the streets of this old mill town in the Calder Valley. |
The sculptures arrive in Todmorden
It was raining. It had been flooding so we were told that this raih was nothing, just a bit damp. The rain makes everything seem so green coming from Norfolk, where we have to water our vegetables almost every day. There was some sunshine on the Saturday so we took the sculptures on a walk-about around the town. We discovered a beautiful house between wonderful arched viaducts and an extraordinary cinema all due for demolition to make way for an ugly supermarket. A suprermarket right opposite the towns lively and traditional indoor and outdoor markets. Unbelievable. |
Despite the rain outside, it was warm and dry in this church.
Stalls had served food outside all day. Inside the people of Todmorden had brought their produce which was spread throughout the church as children played between the pews and made things from the food as children do at Harvest Festivals. |
In the evening there was a candle lit supper for the visitors from other Incredible Edible off-shoots. People from Hungary, Ireland, Germany, France, Slovakia and other countries.
The sculptures were happily outside in the wet, very wet with a few soaked children and a goose enjoying them with a huge chicken and some men warming themselves around a brazier. |
Music
And then there was music. Two guitarists set the scene singing songs form the roaring sixties before a charismatic lady from Ireland grabbed the guitar and burst forth in songs and everybody joined in, singing at the tops of their voices. After which each country spontaneously stood up and sang songs from their own lands. |