The Cultivate project has had a fun, creative, soup making few months. It’s been busy with our involvement in the Culturally Chard Spring Festival, supporting sewing more seeds of gladness and planning a connection to landscape, place and the great outdoors for diverse communities living in Yeovil. Read on to find out more and what we have been up to!
Sewing Seeds of Gladness Project
The exciting community stitching project ‘Sewing Seeds of Gladness’ is a stitching project for the people in the Parish of South Petherton. We have been granted funding support from South Petherton Parish Council along with South Petherton Enhancement Fund.
On Thursday April 27th the Library Launch saw residents keen and engaged to find out more about this community led project and how they could get involved!
The beauty of the project is that the gladness is for everyone in the South Petherton parish and about community connection. The team were thrilled with the response and ideas for imagery, illustration and what people wanted to stitch. Each square of community stitching will be placed onto a big map of the parish and pieced together by lead artist, Linda Green and her stitching team.
South Petherton Library has very kindly supported us with the launch by giving the group a space to chat, stitch and house the sewing seeds stitching packs!
If you are reading this and would like to get involved stitching packs are available from South Petherton Library for anyone living in the parish.
The kit gives you needle, thread, material, and information about what to do, how and more information about this beautiful project. A community stitching session will also be happening on Thursday 8 June at South Petherton Library from 10-12pm. Do come along and say hello!
Culturally Chard Spring Festival – A Creative Supper
It was such a pleasure for Cultivate to be involved in The Culturally Chard Spring Festival again this year. Working in partnership with Somerset Art Works and Chard Town Council the festival ran from 27 – 29 April at The Guildhall.
The Friday community day included an exhibition of a Waterways arts project from Somerset Art Works and lead artist Anna Chrystal Stephens, a family show of Ernie’s Journey by Clementine Live Arts and workshop for children concluding with a Creative Supper evening event for diverse communities.
Throughout the afternoon the community could try a Portuguese tartlet, produced by three local Portuguese businesses on the high street. Vera Courinha Marques from Chard Community and who is Portuguese spoke about the history behind the tartlet, its heritage and her Mum’s secret recipe!
The Creative Supper, led by Cultivate, invited all members of the community to come together to prepare, chop and cut vegetables in preparation for soup making! A delicious vegetable soup was made by the group accompanied by fresh, local bread and other dishes that the community had prepared.
Theatre makers Bohdana Ushatenko and Nadiia Latsyba, from the Ukraine, lead a fun and inspiring workshop facilitated for the community. We had a great time moving, playing, singing and drawing. The evening concluded with traditional song, music and stories linked to Ukrainian traditions and Springtime.
It was a moving and special evening to be part of and we thank Bohdana, Nadiia and all the Ukrainian performers who made the night so unique.
Check out a clip of just some of the traditional Ukrainian singing on the night below!
Novel Nights with Fresh Fiction
Fresh Fiction challenges writers to produce short stories written to a prompt. Those selected read their work at a short story show. In April Fresh Fiction collaborated with Take Art to produce stories about food and farming. The evening is run by Novel Nights and hosted by The David Hall in South Petherton.
The writers are producing short stories that have the audience listening intently. What better way to spend a Sunday evening than to be read to, by writers reading their work? It’s such a pleasure to showcase local writers.
Grace Palmer of Novel Nights
Read or listen to some of the amazing submissions from the night below!
The Cows are out For Spring by Grace Palmer PDF or listen here
Spring Food Gustatio by Mark Grant PDF or listen here
Crib Goch by Stuart Nuttall PDF or listen here
There are two new Fresh Fiction events coming up:
- Fresh Fiction Short Story Night for Ilminster Literacy Festival on 1 June at Whitelackington Village Hall
- Fresh Fiction Short Stories Myth or Magic on 11 June at The David Hall, South Petherton
For full details visit: www.novelnights.co.uk
As we head into summer we look forward to more Cultivating events, walks and talks. Keep your eye on the Take Art what’s on page for further detail. Our events are so tasty they are good enough to eat!
The Cultivate Team
