News 

The Cluny Hill Gathering – Cluny members from the 1970s and 80s met for an informal retreat from 15th – 20th August in the slowly re-awakening Cluny. The beautifully renovated building was still a lot more quiet than we were used to, but the sense of excitement and bubbling new possibilities were tangible when we met with some of the present Cluny residents. Their enthusiasm and dedication have all the hallmarks of what made Cluny ‘back then’, the magic is still alive and well.

During the week we got the delightful news of new life – a daughter has been born to Alisa and Abdul, a wonderful young couple sharing their life with us for the last year or so. A few days before the birth Alisa showed her glorious belly in the hot weather – and there was a little dragon painted on. Now the little dragon looks all peaceful and well settled in her new life. Welcome, little dragon.

 

And at the same time we had the sad news of three of our One Incredible Family dying. Ah, the poignant meeting of aliveness and impermanence…. 

 

Stuart Voder, our Ecovillage master stonemason for over 30 years, died peacefully at home looked after by friends and community members, as well as the local NHS nurses.His last great work was the phenomenal community group project resulting in the beautiful phoenix mosaic outside the Universal Hall. 

In the Rainbow Bridge, Barbara Swetina shared with us the following sad news:

 

 

Some of you will know Pamela Joy, our brilliant clown who lived here in the 80 – 90ties, with her then partner Jonathan Webber and their sweet daughter Crystal.

You may want to know that Crystal, Pamela’s precious only daughter just passed into the other world.

She was only 40 years old, had a colon cancer and was about to start chemo, but slipped away quietly and swiftly a few days ago. Crystal was radiant till the end, without fear and you can see the light in the eyes of those two beings, mother and

daughter, who shared so much love with those around them.

And we also saw on Facebook that George McNamara had died on 11th August after a short illness.

Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with their loved ones. May the memories and contributions of their lives continue to shine brightly.

 

– Website update: The Celebrating One Incredible Family website is slowly evolving. We hope to have our Community Connections section up very soon, as well as the facility for community members past and present to register for access to the Family Room. The Family Room will be our ‘landing page’ where members can do all sorts of things: connect with each other, tell their stories … and a lot more – whatever we can imagine and manifest together over the weeks, months and years to come.

As we honour the Past, we meet in the Present and together we step into the Future.

The COIF team was recently gifted with a very reassuring image. Our poor shoulders, which are hunched up under the pressing responsibility of getting this ‘right’, dropped by a foot!

 

You have laid the foundations and put up the frame of the house. 

It is now up to the Community to build the house.

You are blessed with the gift of a beautiful studio in the garden 

(i.e. the 50th Birthday Book, Spirit of the Future) 

that gives a glimpse of what the house may become.