STOP PRESS... January 2004 Update!

A big thank you all who were at Doris last year, for making it one of the best ever.

We will be at the same beautiful site in the Blackdown Hills as last year: This is our 11th Doris and we have been growing for thirteen years so we are a teenager this year and we start our countdown for

Doris Intercultural Summer School
Aug 25th- 30th 2004!

At this stage we do not have a comprehensive teacher’s list but we are beginning to dream up the combinations and collaborations that will ensure a great learning experience and a taste of the unexpected. As time goes on we will update the Teachers page.

However we do know that Hassan Erraji, Moroccan Oud and Bindir master will be gracing us with his presence again, after a summer off when he was playing at weddings in Morocco. Sheikh Ahmad Dede, his musicians and Dervishes will also be back with us.

Although we can not accommodate everybody we are always looking for exceptional teachers, so if you want to recommend anyone to us please send their details or a website address.

If you want to link your site with ours please send us your info and we`ll see what we can do.

There has been feedback from teachers and students that it is important to listen to, so in order to make sure that Advanced level classes are for Advanced level only we are going to introduce a `booking in` system for these classes. We want to encourage all levels of expertise to gain great satisfaction from their stay in Doris and this new system should help.

Prices have to go up, sorry but it’s just not possible to run this event at the price we have charged in the past if we want to pay our teachers a fair wage. Also we have subsidised the youth and children’s area for many years, so now we have to charge a more realistic price. This still works out at around only £6.50 per day!

Some groups raise funds for themselves to come by applying to local trusts and charities that support the Arts. Check out on the net about funding possibilities in your area, also for bursaries for individuals.

We are looking into running accredited courses at other times than the Doris summer school. Please get in touch with us for further information and to let us know what you would like to learn.

Doris now has a lovely green and white 45 foot diameter round marquee for hire, as well as 2 yurts. Contact us through the website.

A big thank you to the Arts Council for funding us last year and making it possible to pay the coordinators something for the first time! We are trying to find some funding for 2004.

The sale of the programmes helped us to send £450 to “Send a Cow”. This paid for bees, chickens, goats and trees that went to old people, orphaned children and families in Lesotho, Rwanda and Uganda. For further information on this brilliantly effective charity see www.sendacow.org.uk

We would like to support "Playgrounds for Palestine" this year, as well as Send a Cow, see www.playgroundsforpalestine.org

A DestinyTV community video team came to the Doris Refugee Week 2003 event on College Green, Bristol and made this video report. See it on the DestinyTV website.