Radical Bakers Summer Gathering 2024

Thursday 4th July until Sunday 7th July 2024, at Crabapple Community near Shrewsbury, Shropshire, one of the UK’s oldest housing co-ops.

Summer Gathering is a weekend filled with focused activities and delicious food, along with professional bands on the Green Dragon Solar Stage. The Baker’s Arms café bar offers a fully catered option. Our courses are taught by experienced and knowledgeable people. We keep our gatherings small and friendly and sell no more than 100 adult tickets with all workshops included in the ticket price. Tickets available only from the bottom of this page.

Arrive from Thursday midday to enjoy live music and pizza at the Baker’s Arms on Thursday night. The Gathering Introduction is Thursday at 8pm with live music, a bar and a relaxed atmosphere where you can meet people and unwind ready for the focused workshops. We really like people to come to this and stay for the weekend. The workshops begin on Friday mid-morning, with live music from 9pm. Saturday workshops start at 10am and run until 4pm. In the evening, test your animal knowledge with a Animal Quiz, followed by live music, a bar until midnight, and a communal fire with acoustic tunes until 1am. Sunday workshops also start at 10am, finishing at 6pm. Wind down with wood-fired pizza from 6-8pm, a bar, and the RB Cabaret and open-mic on Sunday evening. You’re welcome to stay until 2pm on Monday.

Workshops are first-come, first-served, and everything is included in the ticket price. Some things fill up very quickly and only have limited spaces, our only advice is get here early! A detailed timetable will be available before the event, with an updated version posted on the chalkboard outside the Café.

These were the Workshops in 2023, watch this space for 2024!

Our workshops cover a wide range of sustainable living topics, with an emphasis on practical skills. Streams include Green Technology, Crafts and Nature, Food, Self-Care and Community.

Green Technology

• John Williamson – Low impact Architecture: Designing food storage and processing areas in your home or smallholding.
• Nicola Talbot – Natural Building with Cob, clay plaster and hempcrete.
• Blake Sanders from Green Dragon – Blake will be offering a variety of courses throughout the weekend. Course options include Reclaiming Lithium Cells, Basic Low Voltage Battery Electrics and Safety (beginners) or Larger Scale Solar Power Installation (intermediate). See the full course list HERE.
• Janine from Resource CIC – Learn to identify different types of plastics and create useful, long-lasting products from recycled materials.
• Dave Hayhurst – Basic Auto Mechanics: Learn how engines work, diagnose common faults, and gain the skills to repair your own vehicle.
• Seggy Segeran – Small Scale Solar Power: A beginner-friendly session introducing the basics of solar power.
• Sara from SMPTree – Upcycling Paper: Weave waste paper into functional and striking containers.
• Stu Watson – Gas Digesters: Stu will explain the practicalities of building and maintaining a gas digester, demonstrating a large one at Crabapple.
• Andy Alder – DIY Hydroponics from Reclaimed Materials: Build your own hydroponic system using easily found, cheap and free items.
• Danny Hodgson from Hand-Powered – Scything: scythe selection, set-up, mowing technique and maintenance.

Crafts and Nature

• Pippa from Those Plant People – Forest Gardening and Permaculture: Backyard Forest Gardens
• Joey from Merched Y Berllan – Orchard Management: This year, the focus will be on summer pruning techniques.
• Sam from Scruff Stuff – Bird Language, Marvellous Mammals, and a Wild Play session for the Kids.
• Neil from Forgeways – Bushcraft, Mindfulness, and Appreciation of Nature: Neil helps us develop a deeper connection with the natural world.
• Mike Craig from MC Woodcrafts – Green Woodworking: Learn green woodworking skills and gain understanding of trees and woodlands.
• Hamilton Smith – Basket Weaving: Create beautiful baskets from willow grown on-site.
• Mark – Big Spoons!: make some large wooden implements for catering.
• Fi Oberon – Cordage Making: Craft cords from foraged plants and create patterns by binding rocks. Fi will also be running a session on Four Strand Braiding.
• Sandra Padbury – Organic Soap Felt Exfoliators: Create unique, eco-friendly exfoliators using organic soap and wool.
• Lisa Moomin – The Art of Chunky Crochet with guided instruction from the Moomin-Mama.
• Sophie DePas – Needlepoint: Learn the basics of needlepoint and create your own intricate designs.
• Cat Anson – Darning: Fed up with holey socks and woolies? Come learn how to mend them with Darning.
• Nic Grainge – General textiles skills.

Food

• Lucy Aphramor – Diet and Nutrition Discussions: Engage in meaningful conversations about “healthy eating”.
• Jane Segeran – Haybox Cooking: Learn how to cook using an energy-efficient haybox.
• Jinny Sanders – Bulk Bread Baking Sessions and the Radical Bake-Off!: Participate in group bread baking sessions and compete in the bake-off!
• Helen Shaw – Bulk Pizza Ball Making: Learn how to prepare pizza dough in bulk for delicious homemade pizzas.

Self-Care

• Vaughan Dagnell – Morning Yoga Sessions: Start your day with invigorating yoga sessions suitable for all levels.
• Christine Conroy – How to Look After Your Back and Body: Learn strategies and techniques for maintaining good posture and overall body health.
• Eleri from Healing Earth Rituals – A Foraging Walk around Crabapple: Discover local edible and medicinal plants on a guided foraging tour.
• Edwina Hodkinson – Herbalism and Herbal Medicines: Learn about the benefits and uses of various herbal remedies and how to make your own. This year Ed will be running 2 herbal medicine sessions, one with a focus on natural and herbal approaches to the Menopause and the other with a focus on Herbal First Aid.

Community

• Stu Watson – Community Energy Projects: Explore the potential of community-based renewable energy initiatives and how to get involved.
• Pete Linnel – The One Planet Development Scheme in Wales: The One Planet Development Scheme, its purpose and the application process.
• Andy Alder – Sustainable Businesses: Learn strategies for transitioning towards a more sustainable, lower-cost, and lower-impact lifestyle.
• John Hodge – Repair Cafes: What is a Repair Cafe? What is the Right to Repair? How do I start one near me?

Alongside scheduled workshops, enjoy the Baking Area, Camp Market, Bands, a Quiz and tours of Crabapple. We also offer two daily sessions of organised children’s activities with Precious Days Creative Entertainment, a Kid’s Baking Session, and the Camp Games, including the Lemon Jousting Tournament. Don’t miss the popular Radical Bake-Off competition for the best sweet treats! Also for the Kids: A wild Play session with Scruff Stuff.

Our workshops involve practical skills and provide useful information to enhance your life and the lives of those around you. The Radical Bakers Workshops Archive offers a glimpse into past workshops with photos and links.

Music at Radical Bakers Summer Gathering 2024

On the Green Dragon Stage, we are delighted to host talented musicians and entertainers who bring their professional skills and passionate performances to our event. Our Thursday and Friday feature quality live music in the evenings and we would love it if you could make it to these chances to meet everyone. Saturday evening starts with the Birds and Beasts Animal Quiz from 4pm and then live music til 12pm. Watch this space for 2024!

The Green Dragon Solar Stage uses top-quality modern PA equipment and is powered from the sun. The amplified music ends at midnight. Our Music Archive has links to lots of the past bands at RB.

With your ticket, you will have access to camping facilities in our beautiful meadow surrounded by trees. There is a designated quiet camping area for those who prefer a more peaceful environment, as well as a more accessible camping area. Clean, working composting toilets, and a shower, will be available on-site, but please do not expect Glamping, the field can be muddy and uneven.

Campervans are welcome, with no restrictions on vehicle or awning size. However, there are no hookups (go solar) and nowhere to empty chemical toilets.

Please consider your travel options and car-share if possible. You can find our lift-sharing facebook group HERE.

Buy tickets for Radical Bakers Summer Gathering 2024.

Radical Bakers Summer Gathering, 4-7th July 2024, Shrewsbury, Shropshire. Securely purchase your tickets using credit or debit cards via PayPal. Ticket prices cover booking fees, car parking, camping, and access to all workshops and entertainment. If you have any questions not addressed on our Info page, please feel free to email us at radicalbakersgathering@gmail.com. For details about our fully catered option, click Here. Prior to purchasing tickets, kindly review our Terms and Conditions & Safer Spaces policies to ensure you can adhere to them. We have decided to allow a limited number of dogs with a bond. Dog Ticket conditions here. Please note that we do not offer day tickets or tickets on the gate. If the ticket you seek is not listed below, it is either sold out or not yet available for sale.

There are only 100 adult places in 2024, with the first 20 tickets being early birds. Click ‘add to basket’ once for each ticket required and then click ‘view basket‘ to checkout.