TRUTH & RECONCILIATION COMMISSION FOR STONEHENGE

TRC 27 REPORT

9th October 2002 George Hotel, Amesbury

Everyone held hands and Roy Gillett as Acting Chair, led a prayer for peace, and to listen and learn from each other.

Introductions
George Firsoff (Secretary)
Roy Gillett (Chair)
Andy Pulham
Brian Viziondanz
Steve Bubble
Ass/Supt Mark Chatterton (police Commander Andover)
Tim Richards (Wiltshire police, Amesbury)
John Boland (Wiltshire police, Salisbury)
Claire McHardy
Nora Morris (Pagan Federation)
Penny Wyrd
Tim Abbott
Kasia Morris (Scribe)
Xia Lane
Rev Dr S M Scobie a.k.a. Snakes
Dave Griffiths (Home Office)
Paul Aitken
Adrian Tibbetts (local resident, Shrewton)
Bernhardt Lill

Chris Riley and Willy X arrived later, after a vehicle breakdown.

George mentioned that there might be a pagan gathering at Woodhenge for Samhain, as the Round Table met in Amesbury on the morning of the day and he would be there.

Brian stated that registration of the business name Stonehenge Solstice Celebration was proceeding. He would not want to be involved unless things were properly organised. He reported many people felt discouraged, taking the view that police had sabotaged the park-up project attempted this summer. He wanted some reassurance from the police to take back to those people.

It was suggested that communcation within his group could be improved. It was also pointed out that it was the local authority which had the final decision whether to license an event or not. Roy said the managing group should proceed with their plans without delay. Andy had investigated a possible site at an airfield, but this was refused, because of the expensive and sensitive equipment on the site.

Nora suggested that the stones open for the Dawn, but the rest of the Access next year be during the daytime on Sunday with a family atmosphere, with historical exhibits, and food on National Trust land.

Brian stressed that the Alternative Event should not be seen just as a place to take the troublemakers, but as a positive celebration.

Xia said Clews was against daylight access. George agreed, saying she has not taken up his suggestion to move the timings forward by just one hour. She was under some kind of pressure.

Brian said the main obstacle was the fear of a free festival. Tim said let's not lose sight of the fact that if we can manage 23,000 people on the night we're doing well. He saw no difficulty integrating the Access with tourists and the general public in the daytime. People could be asked to make a voluntary payment.

Dave Griffiths said people were now used to night time access, Clews had said there was not enough manpower to manage two shifts, going into the day. People would still come early and perhaps break in.

Xia said English Heritage should accept there has been a leap in consciousness, the people who wanted to come were not just travellers and old hippies. George noted English Heritage had said there would be a natural limit on the access because of the capacity of the carpark, there was no spill over site available.

Tim concluded that the question of daylight access should continue to be raised at meetings. Roy said proposals that were planned in detail and dealt with the practical considerations would be more likely to be listened to.

George said he would not be organising Peace Stewards in 2003, somebody else might do this. They were mediators, not enforcers nor assistants to the paid stewards and as such were valuable. But instead he would like to concentrate on pagan ritual and drama, with some kind of pagan contact point. Xia objected every group might want a contact point.

Paul said English Heritage would always try to control the self-organisation of the access.

Roy circulated a plan for movement through the stones, so there could be a continuous circulation, giving everyone a chance to spend some time within the stones. Police asked how would it be enforced? Roy said people would be encouraged to keep moving, without causing confrontation. Police said that if the arrangement collapsed at some stage, this would have to be accepted as a fact. They couldn't enforce it. Roy agreed.

Paul said people did move in and out of the stones and it was possible for an individual to enter and get quite close to the centre. People would go into the stones and drum, it was part of the celebration.

Rev Scobie disagreed saying some people had parked up in the stones and had not moved all night. Brian suggested that movement should be presented as a fun thing to do. Scobie said people should be introduced to the circulation idea in the carpark before they get to the stones, and should be discouraged from bringing resting equipment into the stones themselves. Kasia was concerned about how this could be achieved in practise.

Roy would work further on his proposals and share them at the Round Table.

Tim Richards said that arrangements needed a security plan.

Willy X who had just arrived objected to the lack of consultation. Roy re-iterated his scheme, Willy said a spiral had been suggested by the Stonehenge Campaign, but he did not like the idea of barriers. John wondered how it could work if there was no incentive to keep people moving.

George opening a discussion about "dissidents" explained that there were people who came to Stonehenge to protest. How should we cope with these people, including communicating with them, so they might co-operate with the access? Roy suggested police officers, who were about to leave, might stay for another ten minutes for this topic. They agreed to do so.

Willy said the area between the stones and the ditch might become an area for spiral dancing over the years. Brian asked how many people had been arrested, and how did the police feel about the night?

John said on the whole, it was much safer than the average football match, but there was about half an hour when things were on the edge and could have gone either way. This was sometime before the Dawn. Primary responsibility for management is with English Heritage. Police are only called upon when needed.

Willy said there should be a licensed event. He also wanted the police to be more favourable to cannabis use, as it was more peaceful than drink. John said the issue was not drinking as such, but how to prevent people behaving badly, whatever the circumstances. Willy said we neeeded the police at Stonehenge.

Tim wanted English Heritage to look at daytime access again. Chris explained that the company Stonehenge Solstice Celebration was registered. Willy was the Chairman. There was also an account with the Trioodos Bank.

George said he had not yet received a reply to his letter to the National Trust, nor had representatives attended the last Round Table or this meeting, so there was nothing to report about the approaches to greater communication with the Trust.

Concerning the history of the Festival, the story of Wally Hope had been republished on the internet, and Brian mentioned the report in it of bikers seeking out and beating up punks in 1980. George said it was important to compile a history of what had happened at the festivals and the history of the Peace Convoy and the events leading up to the incident in the Beanfield.

Roy noted BBC Radio Four is doing a program on the Beanfield.

It was agreed provisionally to meet again on Saturday 16th November, so people who work in the week, might attend. Nora apologised in advance as she could not attend.

Brian wondered why Thomas was the Chair if he doesn't attend the meetings. Xia said English Heritage is asking a lot of us, without providing any money for it. It was stated that English Heritage already spend £100,000 on the access arrangements.

Willy disapproved of the vast sums they made out of Stonehenge. He also accused druids of being fascists, apparently because the Ku Klux Klan had been some kind of druids.

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