Returning for 2026 is Green UPLIFT, a programme of special, creative days out in nature designed to uplift spirits and enhance wellbeing. We're well underway with this years calendar, here's a look at what we've been up to so far.
Tai Chi at Locke Park
We kicked off this year’s Green UPLIFT calendar at Locke
Park with a wonderfully calming morning of Tai Chi. The weather may have been
unpredictable, but that didn’t stop a fantastic group of UPLIFTERS coming
together to take part.
The session was expertly led by Richard, our highly
qualified Tai Chi instructor, who guided everyone through this ancient Chinese
martial art as they practised facing the sun. Often described as “meditation in
motion”, Tai Chi offered the perfect opportunity to slow down, breathe, and
enjoy a peaceful start to the day.
By the end of the morning, participants left feeling centred
and calm, and some were even inspired to sign up for further classes in the
borough. It was a lovely start to the UPLIFT calendar, and wonderful to see so
many familiar faces back on board.
Ancient Trees at Wentworth Castle Gardens
A former Bretton College student, he has spent years observing, measuring, drawing and recording ancient trees through the register he carefully maintains — even adding remarkable old trees he has discovered himself. Our morning began with a slideshow exploring Tony’s relationship with the landscape and the historic stories held within it. His work invites you to look again: to notice the veteran trunks, hidden histories and living landmarks that many of us might pass without a second glance. Out in the park, Tony shared fascinating facts about the trees around us, with one unforgettable highlight — a tiny cutting from the mulberry bush believed to be linked to Wakefield Prison and the nursery rhyme “Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush”. Brought to the sculpture park by the prison governor and now protected in its own little cage, it may be small, but it carries the genetics of the original plant and a story much larger than itself.
UPLIFTERS learnt how ancient trees are recorded, tried their
hand at sketching, and took time to
appreciate the park’s quiet sentinels. It
was a beautiful day, full of discovery, and the beginning of a budding
relationship with the park — we’ll be back as soon as they’ll have us.
"I just wanted to say thank you for a lovely day at YSP and tai Chi and all your organising and hard work. Everyone had a good time. It was certainly good for the soul and well being, we had such beautiful sunshine, good company and Emma and Tony were brilliant. A day with lots of smiles, we all need those."
Barnsley Main Open Air Concert
The Oaks Colliery disaster of 1866 remains one of England’s
worst mining tragedies, when a series of devastating firedamp explosions claimed
the lives of at least 361 miners and rescuers and left the local community
forever changed. To mark 160 years since the disaster, a music festival and
picnic brought people together to remember those who were lost.
Stories of mining life were carried through folk songs, while
the Dodworth Colliery Band brought a strong sense of tradition and place to the
occasion. The weather, unfortunately, had other plans, but the rain did little
to dampen spirits. UPLIFTERS spent three hours listening to music together,
sharing company and reflection in equal measure. It was a day that felt both
emotional and uplifting — a chance to pause, remember, and honour an important
part of our local history.
Voices Bloomin at Wentworth Castle Gardens
After their successful first performance, the UPLIFT choir
were warmly invited back to Wentworth Castle Gardens to take part in the National
Trust’s annual Blossom Festival. Singing alongside Sheffield’s Body of Sound
and Barnsley’s Civic Pride Singers, they helped bring the gardens to life with
music, colour and community spirit.
In the run-up to the event, Creative Recovery came together
in true collaborative style, with the studio art group working on the visuals,
creating giant papier-mâché flowers to fill the Union Jack garden with bursts
of colour, as well as making corsages for the choir to wear. We also worked
alongside artist Lucy Dewsnpp on decorations for the Civic Pride Singers’ area
of the garden, turning the whole space into a joyful team effort.
On the day, the choir were in wonderful voice, sharing a repertoire
of flower-themed songs with a brilliant crowd that soon joined in the choruses.
We were so proud of our UPLIFT choir, who filled the garden with rousing sound
and, figuratively speaking, blew the roof off — even in the open air!
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