24
November,
2023
A free-to-attend campfire storytelling session, lantern painting and holly crown making workshop marked Winter Solstice at Slades Farm this December.
Hosted by Talbot Village Trust, Winter Solstice 2023 saw local people and communities come together to delve into myth, create craft, and enjoy artwork.
On Thursday 21 December, the grant-giving charity held a series of activities at Slades Farm Park for local people to enjoy, including a series of indoor art workshops for adults, children, and families.
The free festive event used creativity, craft and storytelling to explore the changing seasons and Midwinter, the shortest day and longest night of the year.
In the morning, Community Artist and Educator Pauline Stanley’s free-to-attend morning workshop at Slades Park Pavilion used paints to adorn and decorate handmade jam jar lanterns, illuminating pathways through Slades Farm woods for the afternoon’s events.
Later on, local artists Rosie Edwards and Anna Shiels of CoCreate hosted a practical workshop that used woodland sourced materials to create crowns representing the Holly and Oak Kings, marking the beginning of Winter, according to popular myth and legend.
Anna said: “We used natural materials to craft crowns for an interactive storytelling session in the woods, where everyone was invited to help re-create the ancient story of the Oak King and the Holly King; legends engaged in battle over light and darkness, warmth and cold: the fading summer and the coming winter.”
As the sun fell, and light levels dropped, the team held a festive campfire with Firekeeper Layne Hamerston, with the gathered audience joining in participatory storytelling games based on Solstice myth.
Martha Searle, Community and Engagement Lead at Talbot Village Trust, said: “We’ve been so excited to welcome people to our Winter Solstice event for 2023. It’s the first time we’ve used our woodland in this way, bringing people together to share in the unique natural asset that we have here beside Slades Farm.
“Symbolically, the Solstice is often seen as the deepening of Winter as our side of the Earth is at its furthest from the warmth of the Sun, and now starts turning towards the light again. It’s an ancient cultural celebration that links community, friendship, and festivities. We wanted to bring these elements together into a local event, sharing the moment in a wonderous and magical setting.”
She added: “As the sun went down, our lanterns and crowns were at the heart of an atmospheric story that played out under firelight. Thankyou to all those who joined us, and thank you to our superb team for helping us to put such a great programme of activities together!”
The Winter Solstice event forms part of an ongoing series of Trust activities designed to bring local people together to enjoy wellbeing and community-based activities. To read more about upcoming events, visit the Trust’s news page.
