FOREVER IMBER

This site will soon feature a full website dedicated to Imber on Salisbury Plain.
You can view some photos of Imber here, or look at some articles about Imber.

Below you will find information about the 2003 church service on 30 August.

At present... here is some information related to the annual church service at Imber.

By permission of the Ministry of Defence, the roads into the village of Imber on Salisbury Plain will be open on...

Saturday 30 August 2003

...as Wiltshire's forgotten village opens for Rememberance and Celebration.

IMBER
This year marks 60 years since the evacuation of civilians from the village of Imber on the Salisbury Plain. Every year at a day near St. Giles day, the village opens for rememberance and celebration. The 13th Century church in Imber (St. Giles) is open for annual services at 12 noon and 3pm. This year, Imber Day will take place on Saturday 30th of August. The primary purpose of this day is for the remaining original inhabitants of Imber and their descendants to pay their annual visit to St. Giles Church and the Baptist Chapel burial ground, to remember their departed family and meet as a community again. The public is welcome to visit Imber on this day.

EVENTS
In addition to the church services, there will be:
- live music
- re-enactment of the 1961 Public Inquiry
- citizenship/human rights education in association with Graham Paton (advisory teacher for Personal, Social, and Health Education and Citizenship, LEA) and Dan Jones (Education Officer, Amnesty International)
- poetry readings
- exhibits of photographs
- guided tours
- unique panel discussion concerning the fate of Imber brought by Art Angel (http://www.artangel.org.uk).

IMPORTANT
Please follow all Ministry of Defence warning signs and keep strictly to the roads and village. This is a community gathering, not a political rally. No banners, leafleting, political speeches or chanting, thank you.

SCHEDULE
The schedule of events will be:

(*8.30 - London minibus to Imber departs (see below for details))

12.00 - Holy Communion at St. Giles Church
1.15-2.15 - Art Angel's Panel Discussion at St Giles Church (click here for description)
2.30 - Hands around the St. Giles Church (join in an old Wiltshire custom)
2.45-3.15 - Circle Dancing along the roadside with local musicians
3.30-4.00 - Re-enactment of the 1961 Public Inquiry on Imber
4.15-5.30 - Songs of Peace and Justice with Ruth Underwood and percussionist Phillip Harper

(6.00 - minibus back to London departs)

MINIBUS FROM LONDON
There will be a minibus to Imber from London. The minibus will meet on Saturday 30 August at 8am outside the Boston Arms pub, Junction Road, London N19 (Opposite Tufnell Park Tube - Northern Line). The bus will leave at 8:30am prompt in order to arrive in Imber at 11am. Return journey leaving Imber at 6pm and arriving back at Tufnell Park approximately 8:30pm. Please pass this information on to your friends so we can fill this bus.

RESERVATIONS
Payment for bus journey must be paid in advance. Reservations will not be honoured unless the payment has already been received. Persons who arrive with payment on the day will be accommodated only as space permits. Anyone interested in taking the bus will need to post a £20 cheque in advance to Ruth Underwood, 2 St John's Grove, London, N19 5RW.

Please direct any questions about the minibus to Jesse at 0781 458 7361, or e-mail him at thedishbench@yahoo.com

DIRECTIONS

See the illustration below for rough directions to Imber-

ITEMS AVAILABLE
Forever Imber book available shortly. To pre-order a copy post a £15 cheque payable to "Ruth Underwood" to the address below. (Price includes postage and packaging). The book features an essay of over 250 pages and includes more than 300 archive and contemporary photographs.

The CD Song of the Open Downs was written by Ruth Underwood and has Imber as its subject matter. It includes 30 archive photos of old imber and picures by Austin Underwood of the protests and church services in the 1960s.  To hear a sample of the CD, click here to download a MP3 file (712 Kb) with just over 1 minute of the recording.  This CD can be obtained for £6 (includes postage and packaging).Send cheque payable to "Ruth Underwood" to the address below.

For sample pages from Forever Imber and copies of recent articles concerning Imber which have recently appeared in The Guardian, The Telegraph, Green Events, The Big Issue and Nonviolent Action, please send six first class stamps to the address below

Forever Imber, Ruth Underwood
2 St. John's Grove, London N19 5RW

Tel. 020 7272 8500
ruthunderwood@kitty123.fsnet.co.uk

FOREVER IMBER
All profits from the Forever Imber project go towards educational projects in Wiltshire, teaching Imber awareness in local schools and making connections between Imber's issues and humanities, music, art, dance, drama, citizenship, race equality, anti-bullying and human rights education.

--This website is sponsored by Active UK (Visual Communications) Ltd. of Salisbury without whom this project would not be possible.--