As the seasons begin to shift, we're pleased to bring you the latest news on our recent projects and the fresh events shaping up for 2025! With so much of our energy focused on the Cultivate programme, we've merged our newsletters to ensure you stay in the loop on all the action. Read on to the end for some important ‘Save the Dates’.
Soil Story
Soil Story, a project that brought together arts, nature, and food to deepen our connection with the soil and with each other, has now come to a successful end. Working with two different groups throughout 2024 —socially isolated adults with additional needs at ARK at Egwood and home-educated young people at Rama Life—this project explored both the practical and metaphorical value of healthy soil.
In Phase 1, participants learned about the crucial role of soil through hands-on activities such as examining soil organisms, creating a wormery, and forming a Compost Club inspired by Lara Honnor’s, from Skool Beanz ‘no dig’ philosophy. Through these workshops, participants gained valuable knowledge about the environment and the vital nutrients that sustain it.
Phase 2 shifted to the symbolic power of soil, encouraging creativity through arts-based workshops. Highlights included writing group poems, drama activity, cooking, crafting artwork with natural pigments, and creating short films. Local artists—including performance poets Liv Torc and Chris Redmond—led poetry songwriting sessions that sparked deep reflection on the invisible, living world beneath our feet.
The project not only expanded participants' understanding of soil’s importance but also fostered social connection, boosted confidence, and empowered creative expression. One participant shared, ‘I feel more connected with nature and aware of the environment.’
To read more about the project and see the two films that were made click here.
Cultivating Common Ground
Cultivating Common Ground is an innovative project aimed at transforming a piece of land in Chard, next to Holyrood Academy, into a vibrant, inclusive space. Through a pilot programme of nature, creativity, food and wellbeing activities throughout 2025, the project will test innovative ways to engage local people in the co-creation of a sustainable outside space. This marks the first stage of a long-term programme to help build a healthier, more connected community.
We can now start this project thanks to support from the National Lottery Community Fund and Somerset Community Foundation. We look forward to collaborating with a range of partners, including Holyrood Academy, Chard Council, Chard Community Hub, Chard WATCH CIC, ARK at Egwood and Somerset Wildlife Trust.
We hope to be able to announce further exciting news about this project soon. In the meantime, the project will be officially launched on Wednesday 5th March 2025.
Word/Play
Last autumn, we launched Phase 1 of the Word/Play project, using performance poetry to support socially-isolated adults. A dedicated group attended weekly workshops led by poets Liv Torc and Jon Seagrave. The project, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, is run in partnership with ARK at Egwood in Merriott, a therapeutic land-based community focused on health, wellbeing, and social connections through nature and the arts. Word/Play is helping participants express themselves creatively, build confidence, and strengthen their social networks in a supportive environment.
We are now about to start Phase 2 with many of the people who have already benefited from the project being joined by several new participants. As well as a further 10 sessions, we plan to publish a book of poetry and create a poetry well-being trail on the ARK site.
Save The Dates
We’re collaborating with Taunton Brewhouse to produce another Artist Networking Event for theatre-makers, dancers, circus, spoken word, and performance poetry.
This informal gathering will be a chance to share news, ideas, training opportunities, and potential collaborations. Previous events have sparked new creative partnerships and provided a space to explore exciting possibilities, so we’re looking forward to another fruitful session. As always, there will be tea, cake, biscuits, and plenty of friendly faces to make sure everyone feels welcome. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect, collaborate, and get inspired!
Details: 2 to 4pm, Wednesday 5th March 2025, Taunton Brewhouse, Coal Orchard, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 1JL.
We will send out more information nearer the time. In the meantime, if you would like to join us, please email theatre@takeart.org.
Finally we’ve started to plan the next Chill On The Hill, a family-friendly event that will celebrate local food, arts, nature, diversity and community. Produced in partnership with Ham Hill Country Park, this year’s festival will be on Sunday 31st August 2025. More information to follow in the next newsletter.
All good wishes from the Theatre and Cultivate team