DNA Meeting at Rhubarb Café

It is some time since the DNA had met up, but it certainly seemed worth the wait as everyone was in good spirits and it was not long before the whole room was a hubbub of animated conversations, with greetings followed by the anecdotes of all that had happened since our last gathering.

There were also many new faces, which is always a good sign. Mike Benjamin called everyone to order to ensure the staff were informed of our meal choices, moneys were collected and pre-meal drinks were already being consumed as we made for our tables. After we had enjoyed our Jacket Potatoes or Lasagne, Mike announced our Guest Speaker, David Kirkland who had been one of the architects at the inception of the Eden Project.

David delivered his presentation with measured ease as he drew on his belief in sustainability and Creativity drawn from Nature, to explain how the project was started by Tim Smit who despite offering no money, inspired architects, engineers, construction companies and banks to help him make use of the EU grant to bring future prosperity, jobs and life to Cornwall at a time of low employment and severe underfunding. His vision and the architects' desire to tackle the task despite all the difficulties that had to be overcome carried the enterprise forward, and David illustrated all the challenges that lay ahead and how it was tackled. It was an inspiration to this audience which rightly applauded him for giving us all something to consider in the present economic circumstances. So thank you David, and thank you Andy Coomar for inviting him to speak to us.