Chester World Development Forum

Mon 6 March - Lent Lunch
2023-03-06 12:00 - 13:30 UTC | Caldy Valley Neighbourhood Church, Caldy Valley Road, Chester, CH3 5PR

Sat 4 March - Fairtrade Activities Day in Wesley Church Centre
2023-03-04 10:00 - 14:00 | Wesley Church Centre, St. John Street, Chester, CH1 1DA
Saturday 04 March: Fairtrade Activities Day from 10am to 2pm in the Wesley Church Centre, St. John Street, Chester
There will be craft activities, Fairtrade board games, a “selfie board”, and opportunities to find out about Fairtrade bananas and chocolate.

Sat 4 March - Fairtrade Activities Day
2023-03-04 10:00 - 14:00 | Wesley Church Centre, St. John Street, Chester, CH1 1DA

Sat 4 March - Fair Trade Coffee Morning
2023-03-04 10:00 - 12:00 | Our Lady’s Parish Centre, Enfield Road, Ellesmere Port, CH65 8BY
There will be a variety of stalls supporting Fair Trade and local charities including Chifundo selling Chanasa Products from Malawi, a Cake Stall, and a Raffle. There is parking on the site. For more information, contact: Eileen Brennan 07432 782 877.

Fri 3 Mar - CAFOD Family Fast Day
2023-03-03 08:00 - 17:00

Thurs 2 March - Lent Lunch
2023-03-02 12:00 - 13:30 | Hoole URC, Hoole Road, Chester, CH2 3NT
Christian Aid Lent Lunches are from 12 noon to 1:30pm at various churches in Chester during the month of March. The full list is:

Thursday 02 March at Hoole URC, Hoole Road, Chester CH2 3NT
Monday 06 March at Caldy Valley Neighbourhood Church on Caldy Valley Road
Monday 13 March at the Wesley Church Centre, St. John Street – St. Werburgh’s and the City Road Presbyterian Church will be providing the meal
Monday 20 March at the Wesley Church Centre – Chester Cathedral will be providing the meal
Thursday 30 March at St Mary’s Without the Walls Church, Handbridge

27 Feb - 12 March 2023: Fairtrade Fortnight
2023-02-27 - 2023-03-12 | Various venues
Look out for further details of events.
Local volunteers and organisations involved in Fairtrade will be having a stall in Chester Market from Tuesday 28 February until Sunday 12 March.
If you are free, could you spare a couple of hours to help fill the rota? Please send an email to mailto:chester1wdf@gmail.com, or contact Heather Swainston directly or via the Wesley Shop.

Wed 22 Feb - Chester Friends of Palestine talk by Sue King
2023-02-22 19:30 - 21:00 | Wesley Church Centre, St. John Street, Chester, CH1 1DA
Wednesday 22 February: Chester Friends of Palestine talk by Sue King, 7:30pm at theWesley Church Centre, St. John Street, Chester
Chester Friends of Palestine are delighted to welcome back Sue King who has lived in theWest Bank twice, once in 2019 (Bethlehem) and more recently (2022) in Hebron and theSouth Hebron Hills (Yatta).
She served as an Ecumenical Accompanist with the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel. This is an international programme co-ordinated by the World Council of Churches. It brings people from around the world to the West Bank to serve for three months as human rights monitors. Its mission is to witness life under occupation and engage with local Palestinians and Israelis, pursuing a just peace and working to change the international community’s involvement, urging them to act against injustice in the region.

Sat 11 Feb: “Show the Love” walk, Chester Riverbank
2023-02-11 10:30 - 12:30 | Chester Riverbank
Saturday 11 February: “Show the Love” walk, 10:30-12:30 starting opposite The Ship Inn in Handbridge, Chester CH4 7JE
Organised by Chester and District Friends of the Earth group, the walk supports The Climate Coalition campaign of action against climate change. It will take in the river bank, the Meadows, returning via the Duke’s drive – stout footwear will be needed.

Fri 10 Feb - CAFOD Quiz Evening
2023-02-10 19:30 - 21:00 | Our Lady’s Parish Centre, Enfield Road, Ellesmere Port, CH65 8BY

Fri 03 Feb: Incredible Edible Handbridge community event
2023-02-03 19:00 - 21:00 | St Mary’s Handbridge Centre, Overleigh Road Handbridge, Chester, CH4 7HL
Chris Ablett, Community Volunteer Coordinator at Chester Zoo, will give a talk on their Nature Recovery Corridor Project. This is a free event, all are welcome to come and find out about how we can help to protect and nurture our local wildlife and environment. It is suitable for children age 10+, and there is ample parking at the venue.

Fri 27 Jan: Holocaust Memorial Day
2023-01-27 08:00 - 17:00

Wed 25th Jan: "Contemporary Energy Crises and Sustainable Energy Futures"
2023-01-25 16:30 - 17:30 | Best Building, University of Chester, Exton Park Campus, off Parkgate Road, Chester, CH1 4BJ
Wednesday 25 January: from 4:30 to 5:30pm at the Best Building, University of Chester, Parkgate Road Campus.
Dr. Rich Waller, Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography at the University of Keele, will give a talk on “Contemporary Energy Crises and Sustainable Energy Futures”.
This meeting is organised by Gill Miller on behalf of the Geographical Association Chester Branch. All are welcome, and admission is free. Parking will be available around the Best Building, and Gill will advise campus security about the event.

Jan 2023: CWDF Forum meeting
2023-01-10 19:30 - 21:00 | The Unity Centre, Cuppin Street, Chester, CH1 2BN
Originally, we had planned to have our annual session with our City of Chester MP, but by next month we will have a new MP who is going to be very busy indeed getting to grips with their new responsibilities. So, stepping into the breach, Gill Miller has volunteered to give a talk highlighting key issues arising from the COP27 meetings in Egypt.
Provisionally, the title will be “Loss and damage: understanding the dilemmas and decisions from COP27”.

Fri 9th Dec 2022 - Folk Jazz Fusion with Tamer Sahouri (oud) & Faris Ishaq (flute)
2022-12-09 19:00 - 21:00 | St Mary’s Creative Space, Saint Mary's Hill, Chester, CH1 2DW
This musical event has been organised by Chester Friends of Palestine in association with PalMusic UK. Refreshments will be available.
This concert is part of an exciting UK Tour by Faris Ishaq , Internationally acclaimed Palestinian Nay Master, Global Jazz Flutist and Composer, currently based in London, and Tamer Al- Sahouri Palestinian Oud Master and Composer from #Bethlehem. Their musical paths first crossed in their home city of Bethlehem.
For information about booking, please follow this link to Eventbrite. Admission is £13, and a few tickets will be available at the door.

Wed 30th Nov - Film and Panel Discussion on cost of living and climate crises
2022-11-30 19:30 - 21:30 | Storyhouse, Hunter Street, Chester, CH1 2AR
Wednesday 30 November: Panel discussion at Storyhouse at 7:30pm
Chester Greenpeace will be hosting a public event focused on the cost of living and climate crises. This will begin with the short film The Cost of Living made by Greenpeace and the New Economics Foundation. The film highlights the impact the cost of living crisis has had on communities in the Rother Valley. It contends that both the cost of living and climate crises can be solved by investing in renewable energy, insulating homes, and providing people with the skills and training needed to deliver this green energy revolution.
There will then be a Panel conversation with our by-election MP candidates and other representatives from concerned local organisations, including Chester Sustainability Forum and Friends of the Earth.
The event is free to attend. There will be an Eventbrite page for booking, and details on social media.

Wed 30 Nov: Online talk "Israelis and Palestinians: hope, justice and equality"
2022-11-30 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom event
Wed 30 Nov: online talk by William Bell at 7pm
Organised by Christian Aid, Liverpool Cathedral, Together Liverpool, and United by Hope, William Bell, head of Christian Aid’s Middle East region, will give an online talk on the subject of “Israelis and Palestinians: Hope, Justice and Equality”.
Book through Eventbrite to gain access to the Zoom link:
https://williambell.eventbrite.com

Sat 19th Nov: Christmas Craft Fair in aid of Chifundo UK
2022-11-19 10:00 - 15:00 | Hoole URC, Hoole Road, Chester, CH2 3NT
There will be a variety of Fairtrade products for sale, cards, jewellery, goods from Traidcraft, cakes, bags and fashions from Chifundo, a raffle, craft activities and a workshop on Christmas floral arrangements.
Free admission, refreshments are available.
For more information, contact Susan Flynn, tel 381490.

Tues 15th Nov: CWDF Forum meeting
2022-11-15 19:30 - 21:00 | Best Building, University of Chester, Exton Park Campus, off Parkgate Road, Chester, CH1 4BJ
We have arranged for Paul Tacon to give a talk, via Zoom, on “Global migration: unpacking superficial narratives”. This talk will explore some of the challenges and controversies concerning the impacts of global migration in recent years.
Paul is a specialist in the Migration Team based in the Geneva headquarters of the International Labour Organisation. This meeting will be in conjunction with the University of Chester Department of Social and Political Science, and will be held in the first floor lecture theatre of Best Building on the University of Chester Parkgate campus at 7:30pm. Please note the later than usual time of the meeting.

7 - 18 November: "Chester Climate Fest"
2022-11-11 - 2022-11-12 | Chester Cathedral, St Werburgh Street, Chester, CH1 2DY
Coinciding with “COP 27” the University of Chester, Storyhouse, and Chester Cathedral will be putting on various talks, workshops and special performances. These include

Friday 11 November: Climate Youth Conference
Saturday 12 November: Chester Sustainability Forum exhibition in Chester Cathedral.

Look out for further details of these and other events.
* * * *
About COP 27 – Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change:
When: 7-18 November 2022
Where: Sharm el-Sheikh, South Sinai, Egypt
The 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 27) to the UNFCCC will take place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. COP 27 was originally expected to take place from 8-20 November 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, COP 26 was rescheduled from November 2020 to November 2021. As a result, COP 27 will take place from 7-18 November 2022.

Mon 26th Sept: Chester Friends of Palestine
2022-09-26 19:00 - 21:00 | Wesley Church Centre, St. John Street, Chester, CH1 1DA
CFOP’s next meeting is on Monday 26th September at 7pm at Wesley Church Centre, St John Street, Chester. We have a very special speaker, described by those who know him as inspirational. Please save the date and be there!
Here is some information about the speaker:
Mohammad Tamimi is a well-known, Hebron-based, Palestinian activist and volunteer from the charity, Hebron International Resource Network (HIRN) and has worked alongside many international human rights activists. HIRN is a grassroots organisation based in the city of Hebron working to meet the urgent needs of the most vulnerable Palestinian communities in the Hebron and Bethlehem Governorates, in the West Bank. Muhammad is passionate, spiritual and committed and works tirelessly on the ground in Palestine to change lives.

Sat 24 Sept: Great Big Green Week Festival
2022-09-24 11:00 - 16:00 | Grosvenor Park, Grosvenor Park Road, Chester
Today is the opening day of the Great Big Green Week Festival in Grosvenor Park!
Many local organisations and community groups will be there with their stalls – including CWDF. Do come along if you can to have a chat with us, or if you can spare an hour, join the rota of volunteers at the stall for the opening day. Ann McCarthy would be most grateful for your help.
The best website for Whats-on and GBGW (which runs from 24 Sept to 2 Oct) are:

https://sustainablecheshire.uk/whats-on/
https://great-big-green-week.com/

Sat 24th Sept: Chifundo Fairtrade Coffee Morning
2022-09-24 10:00 - 12:00 | Hoole URC, Hoole Road, Chester, CH2 3NT
Chifundo Fairtrade Coffee Morning at Hoole United Reform Church, Hoole Road, Chester from 10 to 12 noon. Admission is free.
There will be a stall selling bags, gifts, jewellery, cards, and fashion items; a cake stall; workshops on flower arranging, card making, and ‘sew a pin cushion’, as well as a raffle.
See poster for more information, or contact chair@chanasachifundomalawi.org or visit the website https://chanasachifundomalawi.org/

Tues 13th Sept: CWDF Meeting
2022-09-13 19:00 - 21:00 | The Unity Centre, Cuppin Street, Chester, CH1 2BN
Dr. Mark Bendall, Senior Lecturer in the University of Chester Department of Social and
Political Science will talk about “Challenges in Global Politics: Mis-use and Mis-governance”.
Unfortunately, this will probably not be available remotely via Zoom, but we will try to record the proceedings on audio for our website.

Hiroshima & Nagasaki Flower Memorial
2022-08-06 20:00 - 21:00 | The Bandstand, The Groves, Chester
Hiroshima & Nagasaki Flower Memorial at The Bandstand in The Groves, Chester, 8pm, Saturday 6th August

Organised by Chester Peace Vigil, this annual event is to remember all those who died and suffered as a result of the atomic bombs dropped in 1945, in the firm belief that it must never happen again. All are welcome to come and meet at The Bandstand for readings, silent reflection, and the dropping of flowers into the water. Bring white flowers if you wish.

Peace Vigil at The Cross, Chester
2022-07-30 12:00 - 13:00 | The Cross, Chester, United Kingdom
Saturday 30 July: Peace Vigil at The Cross, Chester, 12-1pm.
This will be the sixth of the Peace Vigils at The Cross held on the last Saturday of the month. The silent vigil will be held between 12 noon and 1 pm, and we will wear black, or dark, clothing if possible. The general theme will be Peace, with a decision to be taken in advance of each vigil as to what the focus will be for the next one, such as Ukraine, Myanmar, arms sales, etc.
Please contact Dai or Margaret Owen (dai.owen.art@gmail.com or tel 01244 679051), or contact Annie Bellinger (annie.bellinger@gmail.com or mobile 07821 192755), for more information.
It is possible that other peace vigils might be held at short notice if situations were to arise that we wanted to respond to quickly. Please let us know if you would like to be on a contact list in order to be advised if any were arranged.

Chester Friends of Palestine meeting
2022-07-29 19:00 - 21:00 | The Unity Centre, Cuppin Street, Chester, CH1 2BN
Chester Friends of Palestine meeting at The Unity Centre, Friday 29 July: 7-9pm.
Chester Friends of Palestine is holding a special meeting. Ayed Abu Eqtaish from Defence for Children International – Palestine will be speaking about ‘Defending Palestinian Children.’ Defence for Children International – Palestine promotes and protects the human rights of Palestinian children. Ayed is the Accountability Program Director and has worked for the organisation for over 20 years so he has a great depth of knowledge and experience.
Please come along and hear at first hand the challenges facing Palestinian families every day.

Northwich Sustainability Festival
2022-07-23 10:30 - 17:00 | Weaver Hall Museum
A Festival for the Future event arranged by West Cheshire Museums and Cheshire West and Chester Council.
Craft Fair, Clothes Swap, Tie-dye station, Upcycling workshops … all drop-in features.
Plus, a screening of The Lorax (PG) at 11am – 12.30pm, booking required.

“Tellus” – Eco-Communities Crowdcast - Every Tuesday at 7pm
2022-07-19 19:00 - 21:00
Every Tuesday at 7pm: “Tellus” – Eco-Communities Crowdcast
Chester FoE runs Eco Communities TV at 7pm on Tuesdays each week. They say: “If you have something you want to say, a community project you are involved in, or you want to talk about anything in the eco/ sustainable world you think people should know about, get in touch. You can follow our Eco Communities TV Channel on Crowdcast.”
For instructions on how to join, click here.

CWDF Meeting
2022-07-19 19:00 - 21:00 | The Unity Centre, Cuppin Street, Chester, CH1 2BN
Tuesday 19 July: CWDF Forum meeting at The Unity Centre, 7pm.
CWDF members Linda & Stewart Shuttleworth will give us an update on their ongoing work in Uganda to improve mental health services in this large developing country.
