Rave On For The Avon in Tywyn and beyond

Rolling up to North Wales for our Tywyn screening has definitely been one of our highlights of the Rave on Tour so far.

To travel through the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) and then arrive at the calm coastline was gorgeous. To also be surrounded by and spoilt for choice for clean(ish) lakes and rivers to swim in too was doubly rewarding.

No wonder the wild swim community up there is so thriving!

The Magic Lantern Cinema is a bold, red beauty of an independent cinema and a community hub for a widespread and diverse community.

We loved it so much we went back the next day to watch a film ourselves from the balcony.

Director Charlotte and I hosted an intimate but broadly roaming Q&A. We started by inviting the audience to name all their favourite swim spots and beloved waterways in the locality - some people had travelled from over two hours away to represent their water!

We discussed love and relationship and how to remain hopeful when campaigning in the ageless battle of what feels like: a people against a power. It feels good to remember to ‘move like water’ as Bruce Lee famously quotes:

“like water making its way through the cracks [..] adjust to the object and you shall find your way around it”.

Every drop of effort makes a difference in this tidal, river surge of change that is amassing.

It was so lovely to see some young eco-activists at this screening, here is 14 year-old Skye Neville’s reflections on the film:

“At a recent Surfers Against Sewage community weekend I heard some awesome reviews about ‘Rave on for the Avon’. As luck would have it, just a week later, I got the chance to see it for myself at our local independent cinema.

Everyday we hear stories describing the damage being done to our rivers and oceans. Entire ecosystems are collapsing as a never ending flow of sewage, chemicals, farming waste, and plastic, poison our most precious resource - clean water. Yet still the water industry bosses take their huge pay packages and bonuses, and continue to pay shareholder dividends whilst asking for bail out funds and raising customer bills by 50%!! This can’t continue, individual and corporate greed cannot be allowed to kill off our water ways.

Across the country and the world, communities are rising up to take action and use their voices to demand change. Rave on for the Avon spotlights one of these communities battling to save their precious river. Inspiring, empowering, and emotional, if you care at all about our rivers and oceans, go see this film!!”

Sharing this story to people across the country who have strong and spiritual connections to water is so confirming for us to keep winging it as freelance artists. The water is speaking through us it feels like sometimes, and this voice is getting louder with every connection we make.

The day after the screening, we swam with two separate groups with two different kinds of wooly hats at Llyn Mwyngil lake and had some giggly hot chocolates all together after to warm up and cheer us on in the next leg of the tour.