UPLIFT Central Area: Growing Positivity - Final Phase

 

It’s a little under two years since our UPLIFT Central Area: Growing Creativity project began it’s work on the ground and as we near the end of the year, the project reaches it’s final stages. Here is a run down of all the activity that’s been happing in the final phase of the project across the three targeted area’s of Summer Lane, Worsbrough and Gilroyd.

 

Summer Lane

The latter stages of the Summer Lane project was all about immersing ourselves in mosaics! 

Thanks to funding secured from the Barnsley Pride of Place, the first workshop took place in June led by mosaic artist, Coralie Turpin Thomson. Residents got a chance to explore ideas and themes with Coralie for the design of three panels which would see pride of place on the walls of Creative Recovery on the Summer Lane estate. Two further workshops went ahead in July to further develop the ideas and to begin work on the mural.

In terms of the design, residents chose the sunflower to represent their sense of hopefulness and the vibrancy of their community, it is also believed that sunflowers turn towards each other to reflect light upon each other in darker times. Whether or not this is true (we don’t know!) it’s a wonderful illustration of how individuals support one another in rooted communities.

We were thrilled to see the fruits of the Summer Lane residents labour as the mosaic was installed onto the Creative Recovery building on the Summer Lane estate at the end of October. It’s a wonderful addition to the building, it acts as a reminder of this great project and the hope shared by this brilliant community. 

Gilroyd

Throughout the project there appeared to be a consistent focus for the people of Gilroyd for the heritage and memory of the area to be preserved. This inspired an archiving project and led to the creation of ‘Gilroyd Life’, a magazine style community book, filled with stories, photos and memories shared by local residents, capturing the heart and soul of Gilroyd.

Working with the Dodworth and Gilroyd local history group, a history installation was held in the Summer at Dodworth Library which invited people to come and share their memories. Over the following few months many interviews were held with local residents which also feature in the book. Whilst words and images can tell a story, the artists on this project wanting to dive deeper and explore what life in Gilroyd also sounds like and so a series of soundscapes were created that readers can access via a QR code. Audio snapshots that bring everyday moments of Gilroyd to life!

‘Gilroyd Life’ was launched at the beginning of October at the Tea Pot Café in Gilroyd where it was brilliantly attended with lots of local residents coming to read and chat about the book, swapping of stories and sharing memories.  Janet, the café’s owner, treated resident’s to lavender scones and delicious homemade sausage rolls with sage, with both the lavender and sage being picked from from the incredible, edible garden -  a community garden next to the café where people can take whatever herbs they need -  both of which recipes can be found in the book! 

Artist, Rachel McGuin came along to capture special ‘youdle doodle’ portraits, a free little portrait for guests to take home. The book’s youngest contributor, Violet Askey, aged 8 who worked on one of the soundscapes was also in attendance as a representative of her school, Keresforth Primary. Violet collected a copy of the book, with each of her fellow pupils also receiving a copy, passing history onto the next generation.  

On reflection of the day, UPLIFT’s artistic director, Helen Boutle says,

“It’s such a privilege to work in communities like Gilroyd, spreading the UPLIFT joy and celebrating amazing people, their passions and heart. I urge you to read a copy of ‘Gilroyd Life’ and visit the Creative Recovery Youtube channel to hear the wonderful Gilroyd soundscapes. Thanks to all the amazing contributors, and to Barnsley Central area team and Arts Council England for funding this amazing project. A special thanks also to Lorna Szkliniarz and Steph Cronin for your passion and creativity.”

The book launch was a joyous day that brought the community together, very much like the book itself. Copies are still available to collect, free of charge from the Tea Pot Café if you’d like to explore Gilroyd between the covers!

Worsbrough

The focus of the Worsbrough project turned to performance and storytelling. Working off the back of an idea of ‘Worsbrough’s Got Talent’, events were planned for Worsbough that would focus on artists getting on the ground and being visible in the local area to meet and chat with local residents to generate the material for performance. This formed the idea for ‘Worsbrough FolkTales’ a series of pop-up events across the area for artists to capture the stories of local people to feature in music, performance and poetry, all shared at a creative, community event titled ‘Worsbrough Folknight.’

The ’Folktales’ pop up events took place in August, as we kicked off with ‘Pop up in the Parking Lot’. 
Pitching up outside Worsbough’s ASDA’s entrance with colourful tablecloths, bunting and a brightly coloured UPLIFT post box, we spoke to local shoppers. They shared their stories of Worsbrough with us over juice and cake whilst musician Ryan Lauder played acoustic music and jammed with shoppers!

Pitching up in Dale Park and Pavillion Community Centre we hosted our second event, ‘Pop up Picnic in the Park’. Performance artists, WE Great Ladies, joined us to interact with local residents to share stories with us. We connected with volunteers from the Pavillon community centre and participants at community group, She Shed as well as collaborating with Worsbrough Mill who brought the ‘Mill on Tour’ resources and tasty treats from the Millers Tea Rooms. Later in the day we popped down to Worsbrough Mill to meet more lovely folk and hear their local tales.

Lastly we had ‘Pop up Portraits of Worsbrough’ where UPLIFT artist, Helen Boutle led a wonderfully creative workshop in portrait collaging. We were joined by residents from the local care home, Ward Green Lodge and other local residents, refreshments were served, live music was played and stories collected. The colourful and creative portraits were used to form the design of a community teatowel that will be distributed around community groups in the area. 

With all the ‘Folktales’ gathered our UPLIFT artists went away and worked their magic to bring these stories to life in a  creative way at our ‘Worsbrough Folknight’ event in September. The portraits of worsbrough were on display as a wonderful backdrop and we had a fabulous evening with live music from Ryan Lauder whose set included the bespoke community song, the lyrics of which were taken from the conversations and stories captured at the pop up’s. We were once again joined by WE Great Ladies with the characters, Meryl and Beryl who performed a duologue: two Worsbrough women having a natter over the washing line! Once again the stories gathered at he pop ups created the dialogue for the script. Fun was also had as Meryl facilitated the room in creating a collective community poem  about Worsbrough, which went like this!

‘Worsbrough’ 

Where the hell do all the U’s and O’s go?!!!

Why is it so flipping hard to spell Worsbrough!!!

Worsbrough willow tits.
Wet Woodlands.

Picnics on the banks of the canal with two small children.

Bread and jam sandwiches.
Corporation pop.

Knocking on doers and running away.

Worsbro’ and school
Bog flushes and rules.

I went to Worsbrough high school. 

Can’t think of anything I learned there. Just liked the boys.

Climbed from bedroom window

and got dobbied by Dad’s friend having a drink in’t pub across road.

Rolling down Thicket hill on an old pram trolley we made.
Collecting Ben Shaw’s bottles to get some money to buy a record. 

The first time I kissed a boy it was on Red Hills down by the canal. 

We said we had been fishing.

I was quite the catch.

Worsbrough chippy. Peneth of chips and scraps. What a feast. 1970’s.

Annies tatty hash and pancake on a Sunday night after night out in Barrow Club!

Being told I (female) wasn’t allowed in the Elm Tree taproom in 1987.

Elm Tree pub, 1971. Underage pop and dance room.

I’m from Worsbrough. People here do sentences. Some get years!

I was wed in Worsbrough to a Barnsley lass. It was a Saturday, third of March. 

“Where theres muck, there’s money” (Lord Docker)
“Housework is like threading beads with no knot in the end” (Lady Docker)

I had my first snog in Worsbrough!

I was wearing a leopard print top and spice girl wedges – it was the 90’s! 

He later went out with one of my best friend’s for three years!

Got lost round Res, ended up by M1!

Get tha sen up to’ top rec at Worsbrough Common. 

The gorgeous view will mek tha feel brand new! 

The community tea towel is currently undergoing production, and Ryan is in the studio this week laying down a professional recording of the Worsbrough song which will be shared at future events and celebrations. In the meantime, you can catch a sneak peak of Ryan's performance here: 

It was a wonderful evening and a brilliant celebration of the Worsbrough community! But don’t just take our word for it, here’s what local residents had to say:

“What an incredible evening. Thoughtful and creative ways for bringing local stories and locations to life. Well done team and thank you for a fun filled event!”

“So warm and welcoming. Great way to creatively share stories and memories.”

“Phenomenal, wonderful, interesting, engaging, funny, entertaining, creative! Blown away with the creativity and thought that has gone into all the UPLIFT events! Just brilliant!”

We have recently submitted the final evaluation of this project, a project that was designed to realise a collective vision of a more creative, connected and healthier community in the Central Area of Barnsley.

Upon evaluation people commented that they felt listened to and taken seriously, they felt welcomed and new connections were made within communities with a chance to get to know new people who they may have seen in their area but never spoken to before. 

There were comments about feeling more at ease in their area and the activities providing something to look forward to. In some cases, people felt it had made them feel less depressed as they were able to get out of their house more. 

People felt it was good to know that there were others within their community that felt like themselves and wanted change.

 

People described the project as a safe space and a chance to develop their own skills (through training) but also confidence to carry on voluntary work in the future. There was also just the enjoyment of taking part in activities and workshops, allowing them to be creative, meet with other people and be part of something. 

There was a sense that the creative activities were more interesting to people and something that opened
up the conversations. People felt less intimidated than just joining a meeting as there was a reason to be there.

Those taking part also said they felt more connected with like-minded people in their area as well as learning more about what was happening and what they could be involved in within their community. The project provided people with motivation to do more, with Creative Recovery leading by example.

“You are the people who have done more in the 3 or 4 months I have known you than I have had from anyone else in the past 7 years”

The quote above is from a project participant and highlights that despite challenges faced during the lifetime of the project it has achieved what it intended do. That is artist driven, collaborative and targeted activities working with vulnerable communities who experience culture and health disparities across the three neighbourhoods. The project has made a lasting difference to those who took part and the communities in which they live.

We’d like to thank our funders and partners: Arts Council England, Central Area Team, Barnsley Council, Berneslai Homes, Barnsley Libraries. Thank you also to our amazing artists for sharing their talents and commitment to this project and a special thanks to all those who have contributed and taken part.

Spotlight on our Volunteers and Community Helpers

 

Whilst the UPLIFT Central Area project has been about growing creativity, it has been as much about nurturing growth in people and the objective to develop community helpers and volunteers was recognised in the role of People Grower, a post held by Lorna Szkliniarz.  We recently met with Lorna and three helpers / volunteers who have come through the project to hear all about their work and the impact its had.

Lorna and Lisa (Top) in a making workshop for Summer Lane's Virtual Bonfire.

Lorna comes from a strong background of community development. Originally a teacher and lecturer in psychology, Lorna went into criminal justice, setting up volunteer programmes before retraining as a drug and alcohol worker with children where she developed a peer mentor programme.

Lorna's and the team's work on the Uplift project has been out and about in 3 communities -Summer Lane, Gilroyd and the New England estate in Worsborough, where they have facilitated and delivered creative activities in all areas. Lorna tells us that in order to do this they have been helped by members of the communities and some Creative Recovery peers - our “helpers”.

"The 3 helpers sharing their stories are people who firmly believe in the positives of giving their time to help others and to promote community action. They have been willing to help across all of the 3 communities and give their time, skills and energy to the Uplift project."

 

We firstly met Lisa Courtney who has been regularly helping in the community for the last year. Lisa was first introduced to the idea of volunteering through an initiative via the Jobcentre advertising a coffee, cake and confidence course. It was here she met Sarah Davey, a Community Development Officer at  Barnsley Council. Sarah looks after volunteer placements and has been instrumental in Lisa’s access to voluntary opportunities which now sees her volunteering approximately 4 days per week amongst different projects across Town. Lisa runs the ‘Coffee, Cake and Community’ group at Worsborough Library every Thursday where people with brain injuries meet up to do arts and crafts and socailise over Bingo and Play your cards right, she is also a regular volunteer for Hope in the Communities Baby and Toddler group every Tuesday.

Virtual Bonfire event at Summer Lane Estate

Lisa has been a consistent helper and invaluable asset to the UPLIFT Central area project. She has 
helped with just about every event that has taken place, with the Vitual Bonfire at Summer Lane and the Christmas Tree gathering at Worsborough being participular highlights. As a resident of the Summer Lane estate Lisa says:  

“I didn’t really know many people on this estate and then people came to the UPLIFT Summer Lane sessions and it was nice to be able to say “Hi” to them after that. Through that I made new friends and have been all over Barnsley, helping out, volunteering and making more new friends. My confidence has grown a hell of a lot since all of this. I’ve pushed myself and pushed myself and have achieved a lot that I didn’t think I could achieve since lockdown.”

Lisa tells us that she feels like a different person since all of her work in the community, a sentiment echoed by Lorna who tells us how much Lisa has blossomed from the woman who barely said a word to the confident helper who uses her initiative and takes charge on projects. Lisa explains that she too has learnt a lot from volunteering and has gained skills and accreditations along the way. She has been awarded her food hygiene certificate and has several referee's when it comes to job references. She plans to use this experience to get into work recognising that training through volunteering is a great opportunity and valuable pathway into work. Her ambition is to work in schools supporting children with special needs and she would like to set up a project to take into schools to shine a light on connumity help and volunteering, to show young people the opportunities it can give you and what can be achieved. As Lisa herself said: “I won’t sit on my backside. I want to get out there and do something to make a difference.”

 

Mark and Lisa on the Summer Lane Estate

Someone who has done just that and used their experience as a community helper to gain employment is Mark Lee’s. Mark is a resident of the Summer Lane estate, and like Lisa he has helped across all 3 areas of the project as well as volunteering at organisations such as Stepping Stones and Hope in the Community. He’s a committed and dedicated community helper whose contributions are far reaching and include litter picking, gardening, and supporting groups with a range of tasks. Mark who has been volunteering alongside his part time work in stewarding and hospitality tells us that he was ready to be in full time employment. Mark has gained employment as a canvasser for Charity, Aid 4 Ummah to support those in need with house repairs. Like his community work, his new role is designed to help people; something which he loves to do and comes naturally to him.

 

Lastly we met Steve Woffinden, a long standing community helper who has worked with Lorna on previous community projects. Steve is a keen and talented photographer, as seen in the picture on the left, taken by Steve whilst out and about on the project. Prior to the UPLIFT project Steve was funded by Barnsley Council to run his own peer/photography group based at the Community Shop in Athersley. The skills he honed and the equipment from here have been brought to Creative Recovery in order to continue to share his skills in the community. Steve has undertaken the volunteer training programme with Creative Recovery and been DBS checked to begin his work with us as an official volunteer. There has been a long standing appetite for photography at Creative Recovery and having Steve and professional equipment on board allows for exciting opportunities in the future! When asked why he chooses to volunteer and the impact at has on him, Steve simply replied: “It gives you a sense of achievement. I just like helping people. But the thing is, they help you as well.” 

 

Lorna tells us that there have been many other helpers throughout the project, some of which have been involved in community projects for the first time and have worked only in their own areas however their energy and enthusiasm has made a real difference to the Uplift activities. For instance, three local helpers in Gilroyd have worked tirelessly to promote the activities, to get their community involved and to help host activities regarding Gilroyd’s local history.

For the Uplift workers it has been a joy to be able to work with and spend time with the helpers. They bring a different angle to the work which is based on their own knowledge and experiences of living in their community. They have shown a huge level of commitment and generosity in terms of sharing their time and energy and they need to be celebrated for having enough faith in the project to involve their family and friends with us too. Their presence and help has had a massive impact on the successes that Uplift has had. 

The team would like to express a big thank you to all involved!

Wortley Top Forge and Allotment Social

 

Our Green UPLIFTS’s are go and we've had a busy couple of weeks visiting local industrial museum, Wortley Top Forge and a more familiar gathering with the first of our allotment social's for the year. 

Here's a peak of what we've been up to...

WORTLEY TOP FORGE 

Wortley Top Forge is a Water Powered Heavy Iron Forge whose history can be traced back to at least 1640. It is owned by the South Yorkshire Industrial History Society and has been restored by its volunteers. UPLIFTER’s had a very interesting and insightful day as they were led around the site on a tour with volunteer, Ted. They were shown exhibits including the original water wheels and water powered drop hammers that are within the original Forge building, which is progressively being restored to it's 1900s condition.

It was a fascinating day for UPLIFTER's taking in the  history and exhibits on show. The site itself is very atmospheric and was a perfect backdrop for sketching and painting. Whilst half of the group settled down to sketch the rest of the group embarked on a 2 hour walk through the Thurgoland tunnel and took the opportunity to work on some photography with new camera equipment bought with funding gratefully received by the Transpenine Trail. There was fun to be had getting stuck in the mud! And a primal scream through the Thurgoland tunnel proved very cathartic. Both groups met back up at the Bridge Inn for a nice cuppa before returning home. 

A fascinating day, enjoyed by all!

ALLOTMENT SOCIAL 

Next up was our first allotment social of the year and it was such a lovely one to kickstart the calendar!

We were so pleased that the rain held off as we got to enjoy pizza and marshmallows around the fire whilst listening to the gorgeous sounds of Ryan Lauder on guitar and Nina on accordion and ukulele.

Artist, Emma Condor also joined us to create natural neck pieces as incoming celebrations for the summer solstice. Emma had pre prepared woods and flora, each representative of different qualities, these included oak which represents strength and protection, lavender which is reflective of constancy and loyalty, borage for courage, ivy for attachment and eternal friendship and many more. UPLIFTER’s were invited to choose which pieces they would like to work with according to the qualities they would like to bring to their lives. The results were some fabulous necklaces that were not only beautiful to look at but all so unique and meaningful. 

It was such a wonderful atmosphere, we’ve tried to capture the essence in a quick video here.:

There are more wonderful allotment socials planned in the Green UPLIFT calendar this year that we'd love to see you at! Watch this space! 

Our return to Green UPLIFT's and exciting plans for the project!

 

Green UPLIFT is back for another season of green social prescribing, it's a project that we’ve been successfully running since 2022 and is all about bringing a ‘breath of fresh air’, through connection with nature and creative events in green spaces. We have a programme of outdoor creative events and regular meetups, designed to build our connection and understanding of the natural environment, always with a creative twist!   

First up on this year's green UPLIFT calendar was a trip to the National Trust’s beautiful, Wentworth Castle Gardens where exciting plans for the project got underway!

Green UPLIFTER’s spent the afternoon enjoying a picnic and hearing all about the history of the gardens by head gardener, Rachel. She shared their plans for the future and how they planned to link with the community, of which Creative Recovery will be involved!

We are delighted to be included in the restoring of the Union Jack garden project and have been offered a small section of the geometric, Union Jack Garden which was first planted in 1713. We will work on with the gardening team to create something that represents our community and exciting plans are already underway to create a garden that inspires it’s visitors to look up and enjoy the sky.

Lead artist for Green UPLIFT, Helen Boutle says: 

“Our wild section of the Union Jack garden will be moderately tamed but will mostly be embracing all that's there, the dappled shade of the noble oak, the view of Scots pine from the far reaches, fragrant mock orange with its hidden nooks. Our path follows the natural course of the garden circling the Mulberry Bush. It is quite secluded but is surrounded by bushes and feels safe and cosy. I will be a quiet space to retreat to.”

Inspired to create a space to rest in nature, Green UPLIFT are thrilled to be working with musician, Nick Lewis who from September will spend 6 weeks creating a nature meditation. Described as a ‘sound piece to soothe the soul’ this will include sounds taken from the gardens and words inspired by the gardens, woven together with music. On visiting the garden, visitors will be able to read about what we’ve created and why and a QR code will be available for visitors to sit on a bench and enjoy the piece of music that has been created whilst taking in the space and surroundings.

We can’t wait to return to this in the Autumn and reveal the fruits of our labour but in the meantime, we need you! Calling all our green fingered enthusiasts – if you can help in the initial clearing of the garden project then we’d love to hear from you! Keep an eye on our Facebook posts for details on how you can help and get involved.

More on the restoring of the Union Jack Garden project can be read here:

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/yorkshire/wentworth-castle-gardens/restoring-the-union-jack-garden-project  

A Happy New Year from the UPLIFT Central Area team!

As we draw upon the twelve day of Christmas when tradition would see that Christmas decorations are taken down, we're looking back at the Christmas activities and the community Christmas event that the UPLIFT Central Area project delivered in Worsborough. 

It was a busy end to the year for the team who worked with four different arts and crafts groups across Worsborough, who were all tasked with making Christmas decorations and ornaments to be displayed on the beautiful Christmas tree at the festive community event at the Barrow Club in Worsborough. 

Approximately 40 participants across the four groups were involved in the workshops and used a variety of crafting techniques to create the beautiful handmade decorations, all the while seeing a positive impact on their wellbeing from their engagement with the project. 

 Of the workshops, participant’s said: 

 

“I think it's relaxing. You can come 
and forget about your problems. You can get creative and meet new people - it's escapism! It gives me a boost.  It's nice to not think about anything else. This is the only thing I've seen in the area. I'd like to do more of it for sure. It’s good for socialising, everyone is friendly and welcoming.”  

“It's really nice participating in a group. There's a friendly atmosphere and it's welcoming. There's a variety of crafts - something for everyone. Feeling comfortable helps with my mental health, I feel more positive afterwards. I’d definitely like to do more of this. It's important as I feel quite lonely at home, so coming and doing things like this is such an advantage.”

The Christmas tree adorned with its homemade decorations was unveiled at the Community Christmas event and took pride of place as resident’s enjoyed the festivities around it with a delicious pie and peas supper and Christmas carols from Barnsley Brass band.   

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank Barrow Working Men’s club for hosting this special event as well as Michelle Toon from the community development team at Barnsley Council for her continued support. Thanks also to the Worsborough Ward Alliance for their generous contribution towards the catering and providing the glorious festive sounds from Barnsley Brass.

A special thanks also to Linda Flewitt who ran our arts and crafts workshops, Linda came up with lots of different ideas and designs for the decorations, of which there was approximately 150! 

Speaking to Linda she told us:

"‘Delivering this project was both enjoyable and inspiring. It was amazing to see people from the local area come together to develop something for everyone in the community to enjoy. It was lovely to see people who may not usually be creative make unique decorations in a friendly, supportive environment"

One final thank you to the lovely residents who came and participated in the workshops and joined us for the event. We wish you a happy new year and look forward to bringing more community activities and events to the area.

 

Festive thanks from Green UPLIFT!

As 2023 draws to a close, our Green UPLIFT calendar concludes for another year, and what a year it’s been!

It’s been a jam packed programme of events, featuring 18 walks, 10 allotment socials, 6 Rewilding the mind sessions, a 3 night residential and a partridge in a pear tree…(ok well maybe not the last bit, although there has been lots of nature along the way!)

In this year’s programme, we’ve been lucky enough to visit some of our favourite green spots across Barnsley including, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Cannon Hall, Wentworth Castle Gardens, RSPB Old Moor and Worsbrough Mill, to name but a few, with lots of creativity along the way. UPLIFTER’s have enjoyed creative writing workshops from Chol Theatre, ukelele playing with Chris McShane, berry basket making with Karina from ‘Whittle and Weave’ and Landart with James Brunt as well as much more!

Each Green UPLIFT is designed to bring a ‘breath of fresh air’ by tapping into our creativity and connection with nature, and we are pleased to report that 95% of participants have seen an improvement in their mental health and wellbeing from their involvement in the programme.
We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our fantastic artists, partners, participants and in particular our funders for making the programme the success that it is, we are hugely grateful.

Green UPLIFT will return next year with lots more creative events in the gorgeous green spaces we are lucky enough to have on our doorstep. To whet your appetite, UPLIFTER’s can look forward to more sessions with multi-disciplinary artist, Hannah May Batley, more walks with the walking group, photography on the Transpennine Trail and a future ‘Big Sing’!

We’ll be back with further details in the new year, until then, we wish you a peaceful Christmas. May all your Christmas’s be white and your UPLIFT’S green!

Myths, Marks and Medicine, with Hannah May Batley

As we steadily approach the Winter months and the Green UPLIFT calendar comes to a close, we’re reflecting on some of our UPLIFT highlights, one of which includes a fantastic allotment social with transdisciplinary artist, Hannah May Batley.

Hannah’s work centres around engaging with the ecologies of place through story-telling, foraging, herbalism, mark making and writing. The group got a wonderful introduction to this, making oak gall and elderberry ink, herbal vinegars and honey as well as foraging and discussing all things herbal lore and herbal medicine. 

It was such an enriching day, UPLIFTER’s took a huge amount away from the session, feeling rooted and inspired. 

We were so blown away by Hannah that we recently caught up with her to find out all about her relationship to Myths, Marks and Medicine:

For anyone who wasn't at the event can you give us an insight into your work & what it involves?

I would say the heart of my work is grounded in the act of remembering. Not, remembering in 
the cognitive sense. But, re-membering in an embodied sense. My work is about re-connecting the body & the human with place, ancient practices of custodianship, making & self-care. My work is transdisciplinary. I am a transdisciplinary artist. By that I mean that I practice more than one art form, I am a writer, oral storyteller, singer, educator, community herbalist, forager & maker. I forage wild food, herbs & also natural pigment that I process into paint & ink using ancient processes. Usually, that's too much for folks to digest so what I usually say is my work focusses on Myths, Marks, Medicine.

Myths relate to the stories I tell but, the word myth also has a wider implication when applied to culture. As a storyteller I work directly with myth. As a writer, myth informs my approach to poetry & prose.

Marks relates to mark making. Growing up in a working class village in Barnsley I found it very difficult to see myself as an artist. The word felt cumbersome in my mouth. Other people were artists, not me. Mark making gets underneath the elitism & gatekeeping involved in art. I believe humans are innately creative. To live is to be creative. Making marks as a term removes the barrier between me and the paper, it offers an invitation rather than a judgement. I feel an invitation to mark making rather than art making is more accessible. It encourages more engagement. So that's some context to why I choose to use that language.

Alongside this, mark making also refers to my pigment work. I paint using handmade natural tools, inks & paint. I've had some of work exhibited in local exhibitions & I've sold some of my art. Images of paintings can be seen on my instagram: woman_ofthe_hedge.

Medicine relates to my herbalism practice. I've been practicing herbalism for 12 years now and am entirely self taught. In December I will start with Heartwood to study my formal qualification in Community Herbalism so I can go on to train as a Medical Herbalist. The plant & other-than-human world informs so much of what I do & how I teach. I believe plants are our allies & we can learn so much about being in the world when we re-connect with the eco-system that sustains us.

How did you get into this, how did it all come about?

In 2021 I had a nervous breakdown, what led me to breakdown was addiction and the reporting of a historic rape. Following the breakdown I went into a 12 step recovery programme. In the early days of my recovery all I could do, all I wanted to do was be outside. The world humans have created felt very overwhelming & impenetrable to me. I'd quit my job, I was unemployed & I spent as much of my time outdoors as I could. In the early days of my recovery I felt the roots of the trees in West Yorkshire, where I live, held me when nothing else could. In the weeks, months & years that followed my breakdown I forged a very meaningful & deep relationship with the place I live. Through my 20's I enjoyed time outdoors, enjoyed camping holidays, walks, hiking, wild swimming. But, the relationship which emerged post breakdown was very different. Before I started recovery I felt incredibly alienated from the world. I was profoundly lonely. That's not to say I didn't have friends or family, I did. Friends and family who love me & have stood by me. Thing is, I was too ill and too scared to let any one in to my life. I held the world at an arms distance. I would go to the woods for solace and quietness. A means to seek respite & ground myself. I felt strongly about climate justice, protecting land & access to land. But, on reflection I don't think I ever felt connected to place, I never felt I belonged anywhere. I didn't know where home was.

My work was born from the grief of rape & addiction. From being displaced from place & body. It was born from seeking ways to restore and remedy the damage that I had done to myself & what had been done too me.

Recovery gave me more headspace, self-esteem & confidence. With that headspace, I began focussing on my herbalism again. I started foraging more. Reading more. I started painting again & writing again. All the things I'd neglected in my illness slowly started re-emerging. I started feeling joy again, serenity & a sensation of being full. Content.

Fortunately, I'd qualified with a Postgraduate Diploma in Adult Education so I had the tools to put what I was learning into a curriculum. I started archiving my ideas on pedagogy, developing my own teaching practice. I researched and looked for courses and books on how to skill up. I learnt more and enough to feel competent to share with others.

In June last year I took the curriculum 'Rooting into Place' to Calderdale recovery college and I delivered the first series of the 'Rooting into Place' course. Since then, I've taken it into Universities, Rape Charities, Recovery Communities & Colleges.

I offer community workshops too. My next one is called Callieach. Which is all about Winter. I'll tell the story of the Callieach, an ancient Celtic goddess who ruled the season of winter. We'll learn about herbs for women's health, focussing on immune support, detoxifying & mental health. Then we'll learn how to make our own watercolour from locally foraged natural pigment. 

What does this work mean to you and why do you think it is important for our wellbeing?

When I quit my job one of the reasons, alongside being too ill to continue, was the idea that work is something separate from self. The idea that I could spend 37.5 hours a week doing something that I didn't care about contributed to exacerbation of my deterioration. I went to work primarily for money. Thing is, when I did that I numbed everything that roared against my doing that, day in day out. I numbed my creativity, my writing, my singing, my art. I numbed myself out to friendships and family. Work overwhelmed me. Emotionally, spiritually & physically. It gobbled up my time like a hungry ghost & with it my connection to Self. To place.

When I'm writing about what I do, I often refer to it as work because people find it more digestible. But, if I'm honest I don't see what I do as work and that was a deliberate, conscious choice. When I quit, when I had the breakdown I made a decision that I would never force myself to do what I did before. I would make compromises for sure, but none great enough that I would sever myself from place & self again. There is no amount of money worth my sanity. There is no job that is worthy in having so much of my time. I felt strongly that if the society I lived in needed me to earn money to live, I would do it on my own terms, doing what I love.

Today, I feel incredibly blessed for my breakdown. I feel blessed that I was forced to stop. It was in the pause that I found the things I loved and it wasn't that I found them anew, I re-discovered them underneath & amongst the debris of myself, beside all the things I was told I should do.

So, to answer your question this journey I've been on and will continue to be on is deeply meaningful. It holds the stories of my recovery, the pain, strength, experience & hope. It is as much apart of me as I am apart of it. To think about a reality where I'm not doing what I'm doing now, in some capacity invokes a sense of physical discomfort: a tightness in my chest, a shortness of breath, panic. How does a person measure importance? To me, the way I gauge what matters is through my bodies response. To be without this work causes me harm, puts my nervous system into a state of dysregulation. I can't speak for anyone else's wellbeing, I'm no expert on anyone else's story or what works for them. What's certain for me, is that my wellbeing is in symbiotic relationship with the work I'm doing. In the same way the moss needs the wood to survive, it would seem that I need creativity.

Thank you to Hannah for taking the time to share such powerful words with us. And thanks also to our musicians Chris and Ralph, who alongside Hannah made it such a soul warming UPLIFT event! We can’t wait to do more soon!