Here's an interesting Greenbelt story… At Greenbelt 2011, we had an infestation of the crochet goldfish seen above. Though these little animals are quite harmless, they are an adventurous species, and went out from the festival into the wider world. Now, the Tales from the Aquarium blog is collecting stories of their journeys.

With one fish becoming part of an artwork, and another being placed in a geocache in Bristol, they're certainly getting about. Read the blog for more fishy tales, and if you were one of the lucky ones who received a fish, do let the Tales from the Aquarium team know what they're up to…

(Huge thanks to the fishes' extremely creative parents, That Roger and Sanctus1.)

UPDATE: Greenbelt is one of a number of organisations who have signed a letter to the press condemning the demolition of Beit Arabiya. Click here to read more. 

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In May last year a number of Greenbelters visited Beit Arabiya as part of an alternative pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The house has become a symbol of resistance against the occupation and more specifically against house demolition.

At around 11pm last night, Beit Arabiya was demolished for the fifth time, along with other nearby residential and agricultural structures, displacing three families including that of Greenbelt speaker Salim Shawamreh.

Salim and Arabiya, along with their family, neighbors and friends stood and watched as this tragedy unfold once again. Arabiya and Salim have dedicated their home as a center for peace in the memories of Rachel Corrie and Nuha Sweidan, two women (an American and a Palestinian) who died resisting home demolitions in Gaza.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Salim, his family, and all those who suffer under Israeli Occupation.

For more information visit the ICAHD website.

The remains of Beit Arabiya

The series of concerts at All Hallows Leeds reopens on Sunday 29 January with the alternative folk five-piece Hunting Bears, with support from Jasmine Kennedy.

Hunting Bears are influenced by "Andrew Bird, Beirut, Bjork, Bon Iver, Dirty Projectors, Explosions in the Sky, Iron & Wine, Joanna Newsom, Joni Mitchell, Loudon Wainwright III, Portico Quartet, Tom Waits", and have a highly recommended live show. Batley singer-songwriter Jasmine Kennedy has "immense talent and an endearing charm".

Tickets are £5 in advance or £6 on the door, see the All Hallows Gigs Facebook page for more information.

Future gigs feature Greenbelt favourites Lobelia and Steve Lawson (26th February), O'Hooley & Tidow (25th March). Like the Facebook page to be kept up-to-date.

Coventry Cathedral are advertising for one-year International Reconciliation interns, to start in August. See below for details, and information on applying…

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Reconciliation internships at Coventry Cathedral are for those seeking to develop their understanding of reconciliation and peacebuilding as part of Christian mission. They offer the opportunity to:

Gain experience in a working environment;
Develop skills in project management, research and group facilitation.
Learn and explore a range of issues in relation to the theology, practice and spirituality of reconciliation.

All interns will contribute to the successful delivery and development of the Reconciliation Ministry at Coventry Cathedral. Each intern’s role will be focussed on a specific area of the team’s work, while also necessitating the flexibility to assist with and collaborate on other tasks as required. Interns will take part in a guiding reading programme as well as participating in the daily liturgical life of the Cathedral and attending Sunday worship.

To be eligible for an internship, prospective interns should:
1. Normally be over 21 years of age at the time the internship commences.
2. Preferably be a graduate, with a degree in an appropriate discipline (e.g. International Relations, Politics, Public Policy, Peace Studies, Development Studies, Theology)
3. Be a practicing Christian.

Where English is not their first language, applicants for an internship will need to demonstrate sufficient proficiency in spoken and written English.

Internships will commence in August 2012, and generally last for a period of twelve months. The Cathedral will provide free on site accommodation, a weekly allowance and expenses.

For further information or to express your interest in a position, please email reconciliation@coventrycathedral.org.uk

As previously announced, we're opening artist and speaker applications for Greenbelt 2012: Saving Paradise today. Please use the forms below to pitch ideas to our Producer Team and Programming Staff. (We are not accepting applications to the Greenbelt office by post – this is to prevent waste and to minimise environmental impact.)

TALKS
We are accepting talks proposals and suggestions for speakers.
Deadline is Wednesday 15th February 2012, 5pm.
Please note you will need a link to a high-res photo of yourself for festival publicity.
Click here for the form »

MUSIC
We are accepting proposals for all music stages.
Deadline is Wednesday 15th February 2012, 5pm.
Please note you will need a link to a Soundcloud or Bandcamp page. Submissions via youtube and myspace will not be accepted.
Click here for the form »

ALL OTHER PROGRAMME AREAS
For all other programme areas, please fill in the form below and mark which programme areas you would like to be considered for.
Deadline is Wednesday 15th February 2012, 5pm.
Click here for the form »

Due to the expected volume of responses, and the need to consider each application carefully, we will get back to all applicants by 30th April.

We look forward to reading your applications and putting together a brilliant programme for the August Bank Holiday weekend…

It's January, so planning for Greenbelt 2012 is well underway, with first lineup announcements due in the next month. But before then, we're opening applications for Artists and Speakers for the Greenbelt 2012 programme – with our new Producer team eager to discover new insightful speakers, fresh and unmissable bands, plus all those brilliant innovations you'd love to bring to the programme…

Greenbelt 2012's theme is Saving Paradise, so we're welcoming applications which might include ideas about the ecology, utopia and redemption, as well as any bright sparks to bring a little light and colour into every aspect of Greenbelt's rich and varied lineup. What have you always wanted to see on the programme, but couldn't find? What could you bring to the party?

Applications open on Wednesday 18th January, so keep an eye on our Contact page and on the blog for more information about how to get involved…

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BANDS/MUSICIANS: Please note we will need a link to a song of yours hosted on Bandcamp or Soundcloud. We do not accept CD submissions to the office for environmental reasons, and also to keep costs for bands to a minimum.

SPEAKERS: Please note we will need a link to a high-resolution image of you hosted on Flickr or your own website.

We're looking to make Greenbelt even better for young people, and so we're hosting a consultation event where festivalgoers can voice their opinions on the festival and its programme for younger Greenbelters.

We're looking for 20 young festivalgoers, aged 13-18, to meet our Youth Participation Coordinator and other Greenbelt staff and volunteers, to give us their opinions on questions including:

Who do you want to see at Greenbelt 2012?
What workshops should be on offer?
What was missing from Greenbelt 2011?

The event is taking place in London on Saturday 4th February from 11am. Lunch will be provided and we can contribute to travel up to the cost of a London Travelcard.

This is a real chance to shape the Greenbelt programme for younger people, and to have an impact on how Greenbelt Youth experience the festival.

To register for the event, please head to youtellus.eventbrite.com »

(Participants will be required to provide contact details from their parent/guardian on registering their interest. The event will be run and supervised by CRB checked members of Greenbelt staff.)

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UPDATE: Non-Londoners will be able to contribute in an online questionnaire to be posted following the consultation.

If you're interested in making independent documentary films and want to learn from one of the most effective companies out there, Spanner Films (The Age Of Stupid, McLibel, Drowned Out) are running their SWOTS (Spanner's Weekend Of Techniques and Secrets) course over the weekend of 14th and 15th of January.

Featuring input from filmmakers including Franny Armstrong – director of The Age Of Stupid and founder of the 10:10 campaign -plus producers, distributors and documentary festival organisers, the course includes…

more than 1,000 tips and secrets from every stage of making documentaries – from idea to broadcast – from crowdfunding to Indie Screenings – from cameras to editing – from interviewing to subtitles – from journalist visas to jail detentions – from 20% VAT to 5.1 surround sound – from translators & animators to websites & DVDs – from lighting with no lights to fundraising from your kitchen – from satellite link-ups in the Himalayas to simultaneous screenings in 700 cinemas in 63 countries – from ambushing politicians to arguing on Newsnight – from recording orchestras to persuading Radiohead to play live – from screenings in tribal Indian villages with no electricity to international TV broadcast deals…

For more information on how to be a part of the course, head to the Spanner website »

UPDATE: This debate is now sold out, but IQ2 will be live-streaming the debate for free on the night from this page on their website »

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Intelligence Squared are hosting a number of live debates in 2012, and one particularly caught our eye… A debate on so-called "religion for atheists", a movement which suggests that atheists could still make use of "certain ideas and practices of religion that secular society has failed to engender – the promotion of morality and a spirit of community, for example, and the ability to cope with loss, failure and our own mortality".

Speaking for the motion "The World Needs Religion Even If It Doesn't Need God" are writer and philosopher Alain de Botton and artist Grayson Perry, and speaking against it are novelist Anne Atkins and Benedictine monk Dom Antony Sutch.

It's taking place at the Tabernacle in West London on Tuesday 24 January from 7pm.

More details here »

Here are  Greenbelt associates The Childrens Society with news of an event they're hosting early in 2012, featuring a lecture and Q&A by Dr John Sentamu, Archbishop of York…

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The Children’s Society invite you to join us and the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, in a presentation of our groundbreaking Good Childhood Report 2012 on 12 January 2012 in Church House Westminster.

The Good Childhood Report, based on the views of 25,000 children and young people, contains compelling evidence on the factors that affect the well-being of children.

The evening will be an engaging exploration of the ingredients of a happy childhood, consisting of a presentation of the report followed by a lecture by the Archbishop of York, who has been an outspoken advocate for young people in the UK for many years.

The writers of the report as well as the Archbishop will interact with the audience in a Q&A session following the lecture. Registration opens at 5.30 pm and all are invited to the post-lecture reception lasting until 8.30 pm.

To attend, please email conferences@childrenssociety.org.uk or telephone The Children’s Society’s Supporter Care Team on 0300-303-7000.

The event will take place at Church House, Dean’s Yard, Westminster, London, SW1P 3NZ. Nearest Tube stations are St James’s Park and Westminster.