Campfire Convention Firecasts

In this episode, Chloe Russell — radio and podcast producer and presenter — takes a walk through the Welsh countryside with community builder, festival founder, and musician Pete Lawrence. Pete reflects on his extraordinary journey, from founding the Cooking Vinyl record label and co-creating the legendary Big Chill Festival, to launching Campfire Convention and Campout gatherings. Together, they...

Pete Lawrence and Diane Kutz welcome you around the digital campfire for the first time this year with a glide through what's arising for them this week, including the UK elections and our last minute appeal for Trailblazers to stand with us, singing around the campfire, our recent homeopathy session as well as the build up to this year's Campout. Music Selection: All The Bees

Pete Lawrence and Diane Kutz welcome you around the digital campfire talk with a trawl through what's arising for them this week, the Julian Assange ITV film, digital nomads and our tangled relationship with the state and its institutions, the rise of the WHO, 'being happy and owning nothing', Chilled Cider, Matt Coldrick and building our daily practice, symbols of contemplation and sensitivity th...

Change-maker, song-carrier, channel-writer and earth-protector Bob Hillary talks about the inspiration for his extraordinary new album 'Sacred' "This is the time of the changing of the guard. I believe it's our duty to create the new earth. I had to sell off all my possessions to make this album. My clothes, even my instruments... it was that gnarly." bobhillary.com An interview for Campfire Radio...

Pete Lawrence and Diane Kutz launch a new era of the Campfire Firecast. Catch up on topical news around Campout, vox pops from the recent Spring Weekend at Braziers Park, how to have good conversations, Matt Coldrick's 'Everyday People', a Steely Dan selection and more... 

The original first Campfire podcast featuring an interview with founders of the Community Farm in Somerset. In July 2017 I visited the community farm just outside Chew Magna south of Bristol  and spoke to Ped Asgarian and Richard Garnett   I kicked off by asking Richard about food which he tellingly described as “ a perfect storm of fashion and politics”   Food production is now so geared towards...

In December 2000, The Big Chill hosted one of the most memorable concerts I have had the pleasure to be involved with. Tom Middleton, our resident DJ through the years and now esteemed club and yoga session DJ, composer and sleep therapist, fulfilled an ambition. He got to score and perform two of the tracks from the seminal album 76:14 by Global Communication, his project at the time with Mark Pr...

Jason Hine has just arrived in Greece. Together with the Campfire community, we are exploring possibilities for new Ecovillages and ecovillage networks, where we look towards methods of food production, technologies of reunion, wildcrafting, organizational change, local, national and global economy and currency redesign, dance, myth, mutualistic ways of doing business, forest gardening, boat build...

Tree Conference founder Suzi Martineau talks to Campfire Convention's Pete Lawrence and reflects on this year's conference, shifts in thinking, social change, politics and tree hugging. 

Part Two: Campout 2018 was an extraordinary gathering, held at The Bridge Inn in the Black Mountains and curated by its own members. On the second Firecast from the event (a sequel to Firecast 011) we hear from Campfirers who came and made it what it was - "playful, freeing, inspiring, challenging, intense, healing, magic and fun" were some of the descriptions used. Featured : Louise Wallis, Jerem...

Campout 2018 was an extraordinary gathering, held at The Bridge Inn in the Black Mountains and curated by its own members. Here we hear from Campfirers who came and made it what it was - "playful, freeing, inspiring, challenging, intense, healing, magic and fun" were some of the descriptions used. Featured : Rebecca Denniff, David Owen, Belinda Scadding, Rose Lennard, David Abell, Annie Corbett, M...

“When the revolution comes, it will start here”  That’s a quote from the Guardian’s magazine’s 'Let’s Move to…' feature about Frome, the independent-minded Somerset market town that is in the spotlight. In the latest firecast from Campfire Convention, Pete Lawrence (a recently inducted Froomie) renews acquaintances with writer Crysse Morrison, one of the first people he met in Frome, who has spent...

Folk legends Blowzabella are celebrating 40 years of their inimitable, drone-based wall of sound. Yet, they remain largely unknown outside their own cult circles. The band's latest workshop weekend, at Halsway Manor in the Quantock Hills in west Somerset brought the Blowzabella family together to celebrate this unique DIY cottage industry that is moving into top gear. It's the sort of musical conc...

A Paros breakfast meeting with Mary Valiakas, founder of Campfire's Athens Beacon and Head of Innovation at the Hellenic Institute of Cultural Diplomacy. Mary talks about the growing pains associated with the move from masculine to feminine values, the shift from capitalism from collectivism and how Greece has used the grey zones created during its falling apart to maximise impact through new inno...

Pete Lawrence talks to Jonathan Goldsmith artist and larp designer Nina Runa Essendrop about their plans to create 'A Solstice Experience' - a joy filled ritual celebration of the Summer Solstice in the middle of the stunning Waterlow Park in Highgate, North London. This unique magical event is designed as a Solstice Beacon for London, a fundraiser for Campfire and a chance to spread the word abou...

The story of a remix. The Sa Ta Na Ma track by the Campfire Circle Singers has marked Campfire founder and firestarter Pete Lawrence's return to the recording studio for the first time in over a decade. Hear the main players talking about their parts in the the making of a truly collaborative tune. Interviews with Pete Lawrence, Bryony Croft, Tobias Hug, Bruce Bickerton, Graeme Holdaway, Kimm Fear...

Our latest Firecast episode features Mee Ysanne who has "two successful dual careers - in music and food - and combines this 20+ years of deep experience to create immersive sensory experiences based on science, art and meaningful ideas." Mee talks about setting up the New York City Beacon for Campfire as well as diversity, gender differences and the importance of human touch.

Welcome to our fourth Campfire Convention Firecast, which features our own members Hi5s. We also talk to Mancunian Rick Turner from Ditto AI about a world increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence. Community engagement, inspiration and confidence, music, education and England's smallest commercial cinema. Listen up! 

A selection of our members highpoints of 2017 : we feature Barry Cawston, Julia Black, Tobias Hug, Juliet Maclay, Kate Edgley, Guy Morley, Anthea Davies, Luke Flegg, Ruth Wallsgrove, Mads Ryle, Jenny Barrett, Lorraine Inglis, Steve Hoare and Eugenie Arrowsmith.

Our second Firecast features a report from the recent Campfire Convention London event and includes Tobi Hug's Circle Singing, plus members hi5s and highlights from our 'Reimagining politics' thinkshop.