ON SATURDAY, November 26, a family of seven will be evicted from their house of 26 years.
Nick Garnett, Emma Bowen and their five children were served with a Section 21 no-fault eviction notice, despite having paid over £200,000 to the Mapledurham Estate.
In response, friends, neighbours, artists and performers have decided to throw a resistance fete on the day of their eviction, to raise funds for the family and to discuss the wider issue of no-fault evictions.
Ms Bowen said: “26 years I’ve cared for this soil. I’ve taught my children to grow veg here, and every year we’ve composted and replenished what we’ve taken. I’ve nurtured this little patch of soil with a great deal more care than the people who own it.
“All around this garden, the soil is bleached white by the intensity of the industrial agriculture that brings money to its owners, and yet we’re the ones being chucked out. How about we chuck them out?”
Nick Garnett is an artist who, among other projects, works with The Annual Daydream Harvest, a community street art company which provides creative outlets for young people across Reading.
The resistance fete is organised by a new arts collective called Esme Boggart whose goal is to challenge this eviction and the wider impact of eviction in the UK.
The group describes England’s renting market as ‘one of the most unjust in Europe’, claiming that it is the second largest cause of homelessness.
In 2019, 30,813 evictions were carried out in England and Wales. Although far fewer than the 110,907 claims issued, the discrepancy reflects tenants who moved out, resolved the issue with their landlord or paid overdue rent.
Taking place between midday-6pm at 2 Pithouse Cottages, Mapledurham Road, the fete will consist of an art sale, featuring pieces created by local creators, all at affordable prices. Visitors are encouraged to drop by when convenient.
Visitors will also be able to enjoy homemade cakes, Punch and Judy puppets, live music and Ceilidh dancing.
Nick Hayes, author of The Book of Trespass and member of Esme Boggart, said: “What the lords of this land have done to our nature, they have also done to our local communities. Just as wildflower meadows were cut down to make way for lines of monoculture, so the brilliant diversity and creativity of our local community is being weeded out for a monoculture of wealth.
“The laws that back the profiteering of a few over the health and wellbeing of our nature and communities are sick to the core. So today we are standing to assert our right to belong in this land that we call home. Our fete is the first step in resisting the system.”
William Sleeman, agent for the Mapledurham Estate, said: “Both numbers 1 and 2 Pithouse Cottages are in a poor state of repair and last summer the Estate commissioned architects to refurbish the cottages.
“Their advice was that the houses needed so much work, that it would not be possible to do the work with the tenants remaining in the property and it would be necessary to demolish and rebuild the houses.
“Therefore we served notice on the tenants of both houses to gain vacant possession to carry out the repairs. We gave a four month notice period rather than the minimum two month notice to give more time for the tenants to find suitable alternative accommodation, as we appreciate that it is not easy to find properties to rent.
“Paula Rhiordan in No 1 Pithouse Cottages has found another property and has vacated her house and we need possession of No 2 Pithouse, so that work can commence.”
