The way we see the world... a very moving story involving cameras and ways of seeing

Having worked through much of the weekend, Hilary had booked us into a film as a special treat. It was this amazing film by Ken Loach which has just come out - and you can see a trailer for it here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fwb0c5zqsyM

The film was incredibly moving, it was all about a community in "Northern England" 2016 (with some scenes in Durham Cathedral) about a village which had been left behind - and where the houses were now selling for £8000 each and the people who lived there felt trapped and forgotten about.

Among this backdrop of poverty and social deprivation, a wave of refugees began to arrive from Syria and make their way amid a predmoninately violent and racist local community.

A few members of the local community rally around, helping the children and families get the basics, nappies, food and a little bit of love and acceptance.. But by doing this they become demonised and a heart-breaking drama ensues.

We felt very moved watching it - now I'm googling, the reviews are really quite mixed - meaning not great. But to me, it was a really important film, saying something really profound about where we are now.

One of the main characters was a photographer called Yara, (Ebla Mari) and she was given the camera by her father - she planned as a child to travel the world taking pictures. She told us that the camera had allowed her to retain a vision of the world that yielded hope, strength and optimism even among all the terror she'd seen.

It was really moving - and amazing to think that the camera can give such strength and philosophical encouragement to those who use it. When her camera was smashed by a racist, no other camera would do. This camera was her optic on the world.

Migrants and refugees - the owner of the Old Oak pub tells us - are all too often the scapegoats, blamed for all the ills of the world, but the reality is the problems they're blamed for are much deeper ongoing structural issues and the tabloids and establishment love to blame the weak and whip up the hatred...

To say that Britain now is a hostile environment is an understatement - and this is why we are so proud to be working on our microcosm Green New Deal with Stories and Supper / and Walthamstow Migrant Action Network - and why we're incredibly excited to be planning to record our song with them in due course and to raise much needed funds for their ongoing work.

You see we believe that any green deal isn't just about solar panels - and it's got to include everyone - even if it's indirectly. This is why we sponsor a grass roots football team and work with a youth project and two foodbanks.

This is about building a fairer and kinder society - and helping to do that while figuring out how best to get our energy and mitigate the climate crisis.

If you want to help us do this, please do visit our funding page, and help us to make this argument and fund these causes on a local level - and to keep producing work which inspires hope for the future not just of this country - but for the wider world.

If you want to find out more about our current activities and support our crowdfunder click here :-)