A choir, a poet and a visual artist led celebrations to mark the launch of the new composting bays at Stroud Community Agriculture.
The three creative workshops celebrated not only the new facilities on the farm but also the connections between landscape, nature, soil and compost play in the growing of our food.
Stroud Folk Choir led by local musician Pearl Legay Clarke sang a number of songs, connected to farming., followed by a workshop.
Pictures: Deb Roberts
Visual artist Emily Joy encouraged everyone to decorate the bays using natural inks she makes at her studio in Stroud Valleys Artspace. Emily said: “Young and old, people responded really well to the challenge of painting the panels following themes connected with compost. It was a very creative, as well as enjoyable day.’
Stroud poet Adam Horovitz performed some of his work connected with farming. soil and compost. He summed up the day: “There’s little more worth celebrating than healthy soil, so getting people to write poetry about soil and compost up at Hawkwood was a privilege and a pleasure. A joy too to see so many people engaging with the land.”
The new compost bays were built with timber from neighbouring community woodland, Follywood, one of the partner organisations behind the project.
This construction of the compost bays and the celebration was a collaboration between the Farm and the Growing Places project. Run by arts group Walking the Land the project focuses on the value for everyone of contact with nature, taking part in creativity and eating great food, www.walkingtheland.org/growing-places
One of the Growing Places organisers, Andy Freedman said: “The project will also be working with schools and community groups with the aim of getting more people out into nature, onto farms and being creative. This is an arts project supported by Cotswold National Landscape through the FiPL scheme and will culminate in an exhibition at Stroud’s Museum in the Park in the new year.”
During the autumn Growing Places will run activities with schools, community groups and members of the public including walks, workshops and artists residencies in a Ginger Bread House in the woods.
People interested in volunteering at the Farm or joining for a veg share should see www,stroudcommunityagriculture.org
