A week since our GROW events at four locations in and around Lincoln, and I’m (Chelsey) still feeling energised by all of your welcoming positivity and warm feedback.
All four afternoons turned into bright sunshine (even if a little windy in Moorland!) and we were joined by many families. Thursday and Saturday saw us visit Ermine and Moorland, in green spaces next to the community centres. These aren’t spaces regularly used for events, and it was great to encounter families who just happened to be around. Friday was a magical afternoon in Liquorice Park which has really inspired me to think about how we could use this hidden gem in the centre of Lincoln – I’m hoping to meet with the trustees soon! Sunday we visited the ever popular Whisby Nature Park, where we were so grateful to our hosts Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.
Casson & Friends ‘The Allotment Project’ was a beautiful commentary about growing, our connecting to each other and the food we eat. Having watched it 8 times during the series of events, my favourite line every time was hearing a lady talk about how she liked talking about her allotment as it wasn’t just talking about her aches, pains, getting older – she had made friends who didn’t ask that as their first question. This made me think about the stereotypes we place on certain members of our society, and why events like this are so important for inclusion.
On Saturday we were joined by a three generation family with the oldest member being almost 90, and all three of them (no children) got involved in creating clay owls – it was so wonderful to see this and chat to them about what they are interested in and what they would like to see happening locally. The clay owl drop in with Ruth and Nikki from Oxcombe Pottery was one of the most popular activities. We had some participants stay all afternoon and make more than just owls! This is where we had really interesting conversations. On Thursday, we spoke to a boy who said he found creating with clay really calming, it helped him to not feel angry. This is one of the key reasons we exist, to use creativity as a tool to support wellbeing.
Barmpot Theatre who performed ‘To the Moon and Back’ 20 times over the 4 afternoons! This tiny puppet show featuring beautiful owls created by Ruth Pigott (look out for a workshop with her soon!) attracted some ‘mega fans’ as we named them, particularly children who watched the show multiple times within an afternoon. It’s such an accessible show and you notice new little things each time.
We also had our ‘Dance your 5 a day’ workshop with Casson & Friends – some super creative responses to developing fruit and veg dance movements, it was so fun to watch and take part!
So, this summer we have been GROWing Rooted Arts and can’t wait to see what happens next!
A week since our GROW events at four locations in and around Lincoln, and I’m (Chelsey) still feeling energised by all of your welcoming positivity and warm feedback.
All four afternoons turned into bright sunshine (even if a little windy in Moorland!) and we were joined by many families. Thursday and Saturday saw us visit Ermine and Moorland, in green spaces next to the community centres. These aren’t spaces regularly used for events, and it was great to encounter families who just happened to be around. Friday was a magical afternoon in Liquorice Park which has really inspired me to think about how we could use this hidden gem in the centre of Lincoln – I’m hoping to meet with the trustees soon! Sunday we visited the ever popular Whisby Nature Park, where we were so grateful to our hosts Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.
Casson & Friends ‘The Allotment Project’ was a beautiful commentary about growing, our connecting to each other and the food we eat. Having watched it 8 times during the series of events, my favourite line every time was hearing a lady talk about how she liked talking about her allotment as it wasn’t just talking about her aches, pains, getting older – she had made friends who didn’t ask that as their first question. This made me think about the stereotypes we place on certain members of our society, and why events like this are so important for inclusion.
On Saturday we were joined by a three generation family with the oldest member being almost 90, and all three of them (no children) got involved in creating clay owls – it was so wonderful to see this and chat to them about what they are interested in and what they would like to see happening locally. The clay owl drop in with Ruth and Nikki from Oxcombe Pottery was one of the most popular activities. We had some participants stay all afternoon and make more than just owls! This is where we had really interesting conversations. On Thursday, we spoke to a boy who said he found creating with clay really calming, it helped him to not feel angry. This is one of the key reasons we exist, to use creativity as a tool to support wellbeing.
Barmpot Theatre who performed ‘To the Moon and Back’ 20 times over the 4 afternoons! This tiny puppet show featuring beautiful owls created by Ruth Pigott (look out for a workshop with her soon!) attracted some ‘mega fans’ as we named them, particularly children who watched the show multiple times within an afternoon. It’s such an accessible show and you notice new little things each time.
We also had our ‘Dance your 5 a day’ workshop with Casson & Friends – some super creative responses to developing fruit and veg dance movements, it was so fun to watch and take part!
So, this summer we have been GROWing Rooted Arts and can’t wait to see what happens next!