Come visit 46 High Street, Gillingham.
In store you'll find the swap-shop, exhibitions and a place to sit and chat. We host many free events, from bike maintenance and film nights, to coffee mornings and children's crafts.On our website you'll find our events schedule, newsletter, plus our contact info.
On Saturday the 13th, the Tipping Point Climate Infoshop on Gillingham
High Street, is hosting an unusual all day ’swaparama’. With the tag
line ‘what’s mine is yours’, the idea is a simple extension of our normal swapshop. People are encourage to bring stuff they no longer want and swap it for things that they do. The event will start at 12am with open table-top swapping through till 5pm. There will also be people on hand to give advice about composting and recycling.
In the evening there’ll be a banquet with a twist accompanied by thought provoking games around the theme of resource use. After the meal the party atmosphere will continue with reverse strip poker, short films, incidental open mic and more.
The aim of the event is to connect the social impacts of resource consumption and climate change – as well as to promote the existence of initiatives such as the sweatshop and freegle which help to keep usable items out of landfill.
Nearly 70% of rubbish sent to landfill sites could be recycled or composted. With landfill tax approaching £40 per tonne, local authorities are spending tens of millions of pounds dealing with waste each year. This represents the largest single item within peoples council tax.
In the Medway area, the recycling rate currently stands at around 35%. Medway Council, which is supporting the event, aims to increase the recycling rate to at least 45% by 2015 and 55% by 2020.
Whats mine is yours… Swaparama!
An event to provide a space for people to help each other out by swapping things they don’t need, for things they do.
Saturday 13th Feb
Swapshop open day 12-5pm
‘Speed dating’ style dinner party 5 -7pm
and open mic night 7 onwards
@Tipping Point, 46 High Street, Library end, opp Peacocks.
Have you got lots of unwanted x-mas pressies that need a new home? Fed
up of wearing the same old clothes? Well come along and swap unwanted
clothes, books, games, videos and anything else you think someone
might want, for something you need.
We want to encourage people to buy less stuff because over consumption
is putting our planet and people in danger.
Buying less and sharing more not only saves money and our environment,
but also helps you get to know others in your community better. Which
is why we are also hosting a speed dating style dinner party.
Everyones welcome, just bring some food or drink to share and be ready
to take part in a few games we have in store! There will also be an
open mic from 7 onwards.
Happy new year. The shop has been open again since the start of January and as the freezing conditions have started to lift we’ve started to see more people braving the high street and coming into the shop for a hot drink or to browse the swapshop etc.
There’s a challenging year ahead if we stand a chance of staving off catastrophic tipping points into runaway global warming. So come in and see what you can do.
Early in February we’ll be hosting a ‘what’s mine is yours’ swapshop party. If you’d like to help make it happen or have any ideas then come have a chat.
As for the future of Tipping Point into 2010, well our funding has now run out and unless we secure further funding we will be closing by early March. If you think the project should continue then get involved now as nothing is decided and your input is everything.
Here’s a short video news piece made by a local journalism student.
Welcome to another exciting week of events at Tipping Point!
Highlights this week include: New opening hours and Medway goes to the Wave on Saturday
We are experimenting with our opening hours this week. From Monday the new times will be as follows:
* Monday 10am – 12am & 3pm-6pm
* Tuesday 3pm – 6pm
* Wednesday (9am for parents coffee morning*) & 12 – 2pm
* Thursday – CLOSED*
* Friday 10am – 12 & 3pm till 6pm Saturday
* Saturday – closed as all going to the wave in London
* Sunday – CLOSED
Tuesday 1 December
Save Money and Energy Workshop 7-8.30 pm
Share hints and tips on staying warm while saving money this winter
Wednesday 2 December
Eco-parents coffee morning 9 -10:30am
We’ll be looking at the topic of renewable energy, and how to make changes in the home that really make a difference
What to do for Copenhagen Locally Meeting 7.30 – 9.30
We’ll be making banners for the wave and discussing what we can do locally during the Copenhagen Climate Talks to highlight the issues.
Thursday 3 December
Film Night 7-9pm.
Featuring: ‘Taking Liberties” and other short films.
TAKING LIBERTIES is a shocking but hilarious polemic documentary that charts the destruction of all your Basic Liberties under 10 Years of New Labour. Released to coincide with Tony Blair’s departure, the film and the book follow the stories of normal people who’s lives have been turned upside down by injustice – from being arrested for holding a placard outside parliament to being tortured in Guantanamo Bay.
Saturday 5 December
Tipping Point will be closed today but we are inviting you and your friends to join us on the ‘wave’ in London. On Saturday 5 December 2009, ahead of the crucial UN climate summit in Copenhagen, tens of thousands of people from all walks of life will march through the streets of London to demonstrate their support for a safe climate future for all.
Part of a global series of public actions, The Wave will call on world leaders to take urgent action to secure a fair international deal to stop global warming exceeding the danger threshold of 2 degrees C.
For more details see: http://www.stopclimatechaos.org/the-wave
To save on money (group saver tickets)and to meet others in the area going to the same event we’re going to meet outside Gillingham train station at 10.10 am, Chatham Station 10.15 and Rochester at 10.20, we’ll be getting on the last carage of the train or phone 070 50659349 to meet us in London. Look for the Medway banner.
Hope to see you soon,
Tipping Point crew
Contact Details
We are located at 46 Hight Street, Gillingham, ME7 1AZ (across fro Peacocks)
Website: tippingpoint.co.cc
email: tippingpointmedway AT gmail.com
phone: 07906461584 (house phone) or 07040900805 (press)
To stay informed about events etc, you can join our mailing list and/or twitter. If you are into it you might also join our facebook.
This week we are giving away free energy saving light bulbs in a cynical ploy to get people to fill out a short questionnaire. It’ll take just two minutes of your time and make us happy and you don’t have to take the bulb bribe really. If you need more than one bulb then we’ll letr secret, the Somerfield next door is doing 5 bulbs for just 20 pence!
Energy saving lightbulbs, also known as compact florescent lamps (CFL), use just 20% as much energy as an equivalent filament bulb and last many times longer. Using these bulbs instead of those transitional bulbs will not only save energy but also save you money. However, lighting accounts for only about 15% of the energy used in the home so getting everyone to switch to low energy light bulbs is not going to cut emissions anywhere as much as required. Pop into the shop to find out how to can make over simple cost effective changes which will cut emissions and save you money.
More than 13,000 residents of Chatham and Gillingham live in “fuel poor” households, spending over 10% of their income on heating bills. With energy prices on the rise again and increasing local unemployment, it is a situation that looks set to get worse. Already 17.6% of households in Gillingham are classified as ‘fuel poor’ , one of the worst constituencies in the South East.
People in this situation are often eligible for grants or save-while-you-pay schemes that will drastically cut fuel bills through greater insulation and efficiency. However few people seem to know about the opportunities or get round to applying so the grants go unclaimed.
Tipping Point will work with local people to research grants and schemes available in the area and provide opportunities for people to work together, not only to apply for these grants but to share best practise on keeping warm on a budget this winter while cutting energy use and emissions. We’re also putting together displays and information in the store about cost effective energy saving hints and tips.
Welcome to another exciting week of events at Tipping Point!
Highlights this week include: Copenhagen Talk on Wedneday and Endangered Animal Mask Making on Saturday
As usual Tipping Point is open from 12-2pm Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. 11-3pm Saturday and events only on Tuesday and Sunday.
Wednesday 25th November
Eco-parents coffee morning 9 -10:30am
We’ll be looking at how we can take the ‘healthy ethical food’ campaign to the hight street
‘How do we make the Copenhagen Climate Talks count?’ 7 for 7.30-9.30pm
A evening of discussion and planning around the upcoming climate talks in Copenhagen this December and the ‘wave’ climate march on December 5th. An interactive evening of discussion with speakers from the World Development Movement, Campaign against Climate Change, the Camp for Climate Action and Kingsnorth Climate Action Medway.
Thursday 26th November
Film Night 7-9pm.
Featuring: Films about the way Shell has effected communities across the globe
Saturday 28 November
Endangered Animal Mask Making for children 11-1pm
- following on from our highly successful endangered animal sock puppet making we’re moving to masks
- this event is free, for children of all ages and materials will be provided, if you can think of anything special
you’d like to use please bring it along.
Campaign letter writing 1-3pm
Hope to see you soon,
Tipping Point crew
Everyone is get excited about the international climate talks being held in Copenhagen in December. Find out why these talks are important and how we can make them count… at 7pm on Wednesday 25th November at 46 High Street, Gillingham.
We’ll have four speakers from the Camp for Climate Action, Campaign Against Climate Change, the World Development Movement and Kingsnorth Climate Action Medway in a round table ‘talking-cafe’ discussion.
The questions we aim to address in this interactive format will be;
- What would a fair deal look like.
- What can we do locally.
- What next after copenhagen.
- What are the barriers to change and how can we overcome them.
The meeting will also promote the massive demonstrations planned on the 5th December and organise discounted group travel to London for those wishing to attend. If you like to travel to London and back as a part of a group of local people for the demo on the 5th but can’t make the meeting on the 25th, please let us know so we can include you in the discounted train fare deal.
Highlights this week include: Mosaic Making for children on Saturday and a Facilitation Workshop on Sunday.
As usual Tipping Point is open from 12-2pm Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. 11-3pm Saturday and events only on Tuesday and Sunday.
Wednesday 18th November
Eco-parents coffee morning 9 -10:30am
Thursday 19th November
Film Night 7-9pm.
Featuring: We feed the world. “In WE FEED THE WORLD, Austrian filmmaker Erwin Wagenhofer traces the origins of the food we eat. His journey takes him to France, Spain, Romania, Switzerland, Brazil and back to Austria. Leading us through the film is an interview with Jean Ziegler, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food.“
(On a similar note: Drop into the shop to see the new display about the impact of food production on global warming)
Saturday 21st November
Mosaic Making for Kids “a large collaborative mosaic, themed around “a better future” to be displayed at Tipping Point when finished.
- 11-12.30 Designing
- 1-3pm Mosaicing
Sunday 22nd November
Bike maintenance 11am-1pm
Facilitation Workshop 1-4pm
Have you ever considered chairing or facilitating a meeting? Do you want to learn a bit more about effective meeting participation? This workshop/ skillshare is for everyone whether you want to learn a bit more about active listening or you want to facilitate a meeting of 100 people there’ll be something for everyone. If you’re interested in coming please email with your name and experience of meetings so we’ve an idea of numbers and experience.
Date for your diary: on Wednesday 25th November from 7-9pm Tipping Point will host a talk on Copenhagen. With speakers from the World Development Movement, Campaign against Climate Change and local groups its not to be missed!
All events below, but of special note this week:
* With controversial Nuclear power looking increasingly likely for our (and our children’s) future, this Tuesday and Thursday we are opening the debate.
* There’s a big climate march in London on 5th December – how can Medway be involved? Planning meeting on Wednesday.
* By popular demand, Cooking Club is starting this Thursday lunchtime.
Tuesday 3rd November
- Nuclear Power: solution or disaster? 7pm-9pm
Wednesday 4th November
- Eco-parents coffee morning 9 -10:30am
- Planning meeting about the big Climate march in London on 5th December which coincides with the crucial Copenhagen climate talks. All welcome; come along to get involved. 7-9:30pm
Thursday 5th November
- Cooking Club healthy ethical cooking, all welcome 11am-1:30pm
(please let us know if you intend to come, and any dietary requirements or requests)
- Films on Nuclear power 7:30pm-9:30pm
Saturday 7th November
- Recycled crafts for all the family 11am-1pm
- What’s in the papers? 1:30-3pm
Sunday 8th November
- Bike maintenance 11am-1pm
- Direct action discussion/training 3-6pm
Monday 9th November
- Acoustic music and song session Come to play, listen, or both 8-10pm
Hope to see you soon, Tipping Point crew
