Another year, another brilliant weekend at the magical Green & Away. For the third year running, a bunch of UNION alumni, friends, and family packed up and journeyed down to Worcester for a much-needed breather in the middle of a busy summer.

As artists, activists, and community workers, our summers are usually a blur of community galas, kids’ art activities, touring shows, and music festivals. So it can be difficult to down tools and head south for an off-grid weekend. But oh, it’s so worth it!

Green and Away is a solar-powered pop-up festival site in Bransford, Worcester. Nestled within a larger site providing land for climate and ecological work, community farming and artist studios, the Fold. G&A is worlds away from the funding deadlines, exhibition installs and festival crewing many of us are doing this time of year.

A completely un spoilt green space, beautifully set up for us upon arrival by a community of international volunteers. The site itself is a seriously impressive example of what can be achieved off-grid. A fully functioning outdoor kitchen tent, spaces for gathering, hot water showers and bell tents to hire. And it’s all so gorgeous.

At UNION, we lean heavily into Open Space Technology. In simple terms, we sit in a circle and build our own weekend programme from scratch, using ideas people brought with them or things cooked up right there on the grass. From an organiser’s perspective, a whole weekend of Open Space can feel slightly daunting; you have to completely let go of the reins and trust whatever emerges from the collective brain.

And this year, as always, the collective did not disappoint. We ended up with a wonderfully eclectic mix: yoga, art workshops, movement, permaculture, solarpunk, wild swims, and a fantastic game of Rounders (in which I scored a full rounder, I hasten to add). By night, the Open Space gave way to an Open Mic that brought everything from stand-up and acoustic loveliness to storytelling, a drum circle, electronic soundscapes, and some incredible weather-themed drag.

This little annual escape is about more than just a change of scenery. It’s a vital opportunity for us to disconnect from our hectic roles in these difficult times, reconnect with our UNION friends, connect with new folk who join us, and return to our own communities refreshed.