As we slip into Autumn it’s nice to remember just how peachy a summer it’s been. Not since the heatwave of ’77 has there been so much sunshine and so little rain. Four years after that in ’82 the Rainbow, Albion fair came to the Old Hall community in Essex. Forty years later another hot summer and another Rainbow, this time the Rainbow Gathering which began in the US in ’71. Back in the day I didn’t quite know what to make of it, but this time around it made more sense.

August saw a colourful tribe come together near the mouth of the river Avon for a week of workshops, singing, yoga, healing, starry nights, drumming, naked dancing around the fire, top-notch DIY bathroom facilities, men opening their hearts to each other and just hanging out. Suffice to say it was a rich experience and recharged a few batteries, which over 40 years or so had become a bit depleted. It’s nice to think that some of the folk pictured here might also have been there back in the day.