Green UPLIFT 2025 - Autumn Edition

As our Green UPLIFT programme for 2025 draws to an end here's a reminder of the wonderful Green UPLIFT's we enjoyed in the Autumn months.

GARDEN GATHERING AT CIVIC

Garden Gathering at the Civic saw lots of community groups 
coming together to celebrate the anniversary of VE day with the theme ‘Freedom from Want.’

Selected as one of the core creative partners, Creative Recovery worked with CJ from Black Lodge Press in the run up to the event, running writing workshops to gather words which were then used to create banners and decorations for the event.  

The theme ‘Freedom from Want’ meant different things to different people, but collectively everyone shared the view that everyone has the right to have what they need and that communities should come together and the world’s resources shared equally.

Creative Recovery artists, Helen and Joanne worked with participants to screen print words from the writing workshops onto serviettes which were then hung around Mandela Gardens and placed on tables as decorations for the garden event. Screen printed phrases included ‘The world is every bodies’.  

UPLIFTER’s had a lovely afternoon at the garden event, they were treated to afternoon tea whilst enjoying the entertainment provided by the Civic. Street performers Mark Mark entertained with their wartime comedy routines, there was tea dancing to wartime songs with some fabulous 1940’s costumes on display.

It was wonderful to see so many community groups and artists coming together and creating together - a lovely process culminating in a great event!

BIRDSONG AT OLD MOOR

It was a beautiful September afternoon when we took a group of UPLIFTER’s to RSPB Old Moor to work with musician, James Dey to record birdsong for an ongoing project which will see UPLIFTER’s creating a piece of music inspired by nature and birdsong.

With so much of the process to enjoy, we used the day to immerse ourselves in nature. We hired binoculars for bird watching, spotting Guillemots drying their wings and all types of dragon fly including a Ruddy Darter, who’s scarlet scarpering's were a sight to behold! We captured sight recordings, did some drawing and writing - the words of which will be used in the sound scape.

We were fortunate for such a stunning day for this Green UPLIFT! The vibrancy of the bright red berries against the beautiful blue sky was a real feast for the eyes and lifted our spirits!

SUNSETS AND SMALL THINGS

This Green UPLIFT did exactly what it says on the tin!

In late September , Creative Recovery artist, Helen Boutle led UPLIFTER’s on an afternoon into evening walk around one of our favourite spots, Newmillerdam.

During the walk Helen encouraged UPLIFTER’s to really notice and pay attention to the small things. UPLIFTER’s collected the smallest, most intriguing bits of nature they could find.  Conkers, acorns, berries and leaves were amongst the findings and were used for micro exploration of the titled small things, these were taken to Old Boathouse for sketching.

At the Old Boathouse, UPLIFTER’s nestled in for the evening to watch the sunset, where they enjoyed deep filled sandwiches and hot chocolate. As the sun went down UPLIFTER's made their way onto the terrace for a Negomi art workshop with Helen. This uses the dust from chalk pastels which is rubbed to create a sunset effect. UPLIFTER’S really enjoyed the Japanese style drawing and there were some extraordinary results!

We finished off the evening walking through the woods by torch light, feeling very privileged to have 
the dam to ourselves. UPLIFTER’s described this as a magical night and we’d have to agree!

“It was so magical, peaceful and restorative. I felt 

part of something so special in nature with wonderful fellow human beings. As ever Helen made sure we all felt calm and relaxed and worked hard to see that we were all safe and happy. Thank you.”

POTTERY AT WORSBROUGH

Autumn gave us a chance to come together at another of our 
favourite Green UPLIFT spots, Worsborough Mill for a double bill of pottery. 

Working over two sessions with artist Angie Hardwick, UPLIFTER's created 3 sided pots using the imprint of natural things foraged from the site. The first session was used to create the 3 sides and  decorate these with natural forms, with the second session focusing on glazes. The results of which were fantastic!

Angie was a great tutor and UPLIFTER’s enjoyed the sessions which were a little more structured than other Green UPLIFT's , here’s what they had to say about the event:

“I thought it’d be a pottery wheel but it’s been very different and very interesting. Its opening my mind to different things I can make and paint by hand, I’ve really enjoyed it.”

“Really enjoyed it and would love to do it again to build on the skills I’ve learnt. Really looking forward to seeing it finished and glazed. Its also got me out again, to meet new people who I hope to see again.”

“I loved every minute and benefitted a lot. I’m leaving with a smile on my face. I was feeling very overwhelmed and this has given me respite.”  

“Great tutor, really lovely environment, I always benefit from creating something memorable and learning something new, which I always do with Creative Recovery, so thank you!”

 “Very therapeutic. Nice to be doing this in a group setting but all working on our own pieces. I sued to do pottery classes as a child and it brough back some lovely memories. I like the way the tutor gave the information, informative but not controlled, it allowed us creative freedom, I’ve never used oxides before, and it was nice to come back to the second session rather than just having the one and being done.”

Thanks to Angie Hardwick for a great workshop. The comments seem to speak for themselves on this one so we’ll definitely be doing more pottery in the future!

As you can see it’s been an action-packed year of Green UPLIFT’s! Thank you to all our talented artists who have worked with us and shared their skills and expertise. Thanks to our partnering venues for your beautiful green spaces and to our UPLIFTER’S who make our events magical whenever they come together. 

We're busy beavering away planning lots of lovely Green UPLIFT's for 2026 so keep your eyes peeled! 

In the meantime, we wish you a happy new year and look forward to seeing you on a Green UPLIFT very soon!

Green UPLIFT 2025 - Summertime!

As we start winding down to the end of the year here’s a look back at our Summer edition of Green UPLIFT and remind ourselves of the marvellous mix of UPLIFT’s we’ve done.

BARNSLEY MAIN 

As we reached the Summer months our green UPLIFTs came thick and fast and we could rely on the weather to ensure many a great outdoor event.

At the end of May we joined many different community & heritage groups, as well as local scout groups and Barnsley Museums for a community open day at Barnsley Main. 

We parked ourselves at the pit head for an afternoon of art, where we were also joined by Barnsley art society. Sketching in the sunshine some incredible pieces were created. We were thrilled to be joined by artist, Lucy Dewsnapp who shared her expertise with a live demo with us all.

Local MP, Dan Jarvis was also in attendance and joined us for a nice chat to find out more about Creative Recovery. 

It was lovely to see so many people relaxing in the sunshine, doing what they love to do, sharing tips and encouragement. Amongst the conversation was the enthusiasm to start an en Plein air – an outdoor sketching group. It’s great to see these events seeding other ideas too! What a talented bunch!

LANDART RETREAT

A glorious couple of days was had at Silverwood Scout hut where we set up camp for a two day Land art retreat.

Daytimes featured a full programme of outdoor nature activities and nature inspired art with artist’s, James Brunt and Emma Condor. 

Emma led UPLIFTER’s in a barefoot walking meditation around the woods, and stations were set up for participants to try their hand at leaf printing and moulding natural forms around clay. Emma also made her own natural elderflower cordial to serve as a nice refreshment in the sunshine! James invited UPLIFTER’s to forage in the woods and gather, leaves, sticks, pine cones and stones to create a collaborative piece of landart. 

A popular activity on the UPLIFT calendar that always goes down a storm.

As the evening settled in, UPLIFTER’s gathered around a camp fire and shared a feast of homemade bonfire bangers and beans cooked by a small group of volunteers to feed approx. 40 people! Sandra then treated everyone to her homemade rhubard crumble and custard which was absolutely delicious! With full bellies and full hearts we sang songs around the campfire with musicians Taylor & McShane who did lots of popular folk and pop covers that everyone could sing along to. There was even an impromptu ceilidh led by Chris which saw everyone up on their feet, dancing along!

Our Landart retreat really was a fab couple of days, which saw people re connecting with nature, with each other and oneself. Here's what our UPLIFTER’s had to say about it:

“The trip to Silverwood is one of my favourites so far. It has been so nice to come out and spend time with a fantastic bunch of lovely people, there’s so much to do and get involved in. I’ve especially enjoyed how to make elderflower cordial; I also really loved sitting around the fire and singing songs. I love campfires. Everyone was so relaxed. Being at Silverwood these past 2 days have brought back so many wonderful memories I had camping as a child at Silverwood. It has made me feel so relaxed and feels like home comforts. It’s made me feel so happy being out and about in nature, learning more about foraging for things to eat, drink or just make art with. Being at Silverwood has made me realise I need to be out in nature more as it brings me peace.”

“All day I have felt like I have been playing like a child again. Going back to basics and enjoying the simpleness of life and that in itself is magic. It made me realise that to be happy, it’s not just what you are doing but it’s the company of people around you, and that really helps towards your happiness and your mental health.”

HERD

UPLIFTER’s had a wonderful time at Wentworth Castle Gardens working with the grounds team to create the Kaleidoscope of butterflies.

‘The kaleidoscope of butterflies’ is a project celebrating conservation, nature and migration of animals. It was inspired in response to a much larger international project, ‘The Herds’, which tells the tale of animal migration across Africa and Europe and highlights environmental issues. 

UPLIFTER’s were in their element creating the kaleidoscope, crafting away to create butterflies constructed from willow and coloured tissue paper.  Native butterflies like the orange tip, common blue and the painted lady were created, as well as more fantastical and imaginary butterflies. All of which looked fabulous!

UPLIFTER’s commented on how much they enjoyed the sessions and loved visiting the finished installation: 

“It’s been a lovely environment, a lovely place to work, working on the butterflies that are going to be placed into the gardens, I’ve really enjoyed it. What more could you ask for being with friends, and being creative. It’s done me the world of good.”

And that’s what Green UPLIFT is all about!

MEET & DRAW THE ANIMALS 

On what was possibly the hottest day of the year we took a group of UPLIFTER’s to Lower Coates Farm to meet and draw the animals.

UPLIFTER’s were in great hands with artist and smallholder Lucy Dewsnapp, who has lots of experience drawing animals. The group was split in two as Lucy worked with UPLIFTER’s in a sketching workshop to capture younger alpacca’s Larry and Jet, whilst the other half of the group got to take the rest of the herd for a walk. The group then switched over to get the full experience.

As well as alpacas, UPLIFTER’s enjoyed meeting an array of animals. We met a hand reared sheep and some very sleepy pigs – and lets face it, who could blame them in that heat! The group also spent some time grooming the goats as well as having cuddles with the baby pygmy goats.

This was our second visit to Lower Coates Farm and it was 
great to introduce more UPLIFTER’s to this feel good place. 

JULY ALLOTMENT SOCIAL

The Green UPLIFT allotment socials are always a really lovely evening out and this one was no different.

In the mid July, early evening sun, UPLIFTER’s came together at the YMCA allotment for an evening of music, art and chip butties! 

UPLIFTER’s were engaged in a print workshop with Artist Heather Winder who used stems and grasses found on site to create monochrome printing achieving some great results.

Ryan Lauder sounded great as always providing the folk music as chip butties were devoured! UPLIFTERS’s also got stuck into a bit of weeding in return for the use of the site so we left place in a better condition than when we arrived which always leaves a nice, warm fuzzy feeling.

 

RAGE IN THE WOODLAND

Teaming up with CMADE Outdoors, we headed to the Woodland with a crew of UPLIFTER’s who were ready to rage!

Working with Shannon, an experienced rage practitioner, and therapist, Helen, we talked about the process of rage – how it manifests itself, how we react to it and we looked at creative techniques for letting go. Creative activities were used to explore what rage is and how it feels in our bodies. Accessing that feeling of overwhelm we used rage techniques, working with sticks and the sounds of our voices to purge and release the rage!  The day’s events also included axe throwing which proved to be very cathartic and highly enjoyable! We ended the day with the burning of a letter that was never sent. People wrote a letter in the woodlands, something that they really needed to say, thoughts and feelings that have been building up as anger inside them – there was then a burning of the words.

‘Rage in the Woodland’ was a very powerful day for people, in many ways it felt like an UPLIFT that people needed. Having permission to vent and to be able to do that safely, in a safe environment under the shelter of the woodland whilst finding creative rituals in which to help release the rage proved hugely cathartic, with one UPLIFTER describing it as ‘The best one yet’.

This amazing group trusted the process, and left feeling lighter, calmer and ultimately more connected to each other. Amazing day!

SOUNDS OF THE SUMMER

In what was a gorgeous gathering of around 40 people, we came together in the beautiful carers garden for a day of sounds and song.

The afternoon started with a sound bath with Sara Teal. Sara used singing bowls, sticks, a xylophone and her angelic voice to soothe everyone. It was an intense and beautiful experience which saw UPLIFTER’s laying down in the midday sun, zoning out for an hour of pure rest and relaxation, soothed by the sounds and the overall experience.

After picnicing together, UPLIFTER’s were joined by Rodrigo, Chris and Armando who brought Latin rhythms to change the gear and everyone up dancing,  rounding off the Summer programme in style!

Big thanks to Carers Garden as always, it looked stunning, and we were so glad to be joined by so many of their members too. We left with punnets of juicy homegrown blackberries and a warm glow! We can’t wait for our next garden gathering!

AUGUST ALLOTMENT SOCIAL 

As the Summer crept to an end we managed to squeeze in one more allotment social to make the most of the light Summer evenings.

As someone who loves allotments and being outdoors, it was a dream gig for musician Katrina Tia Charles who came and played for us. Meanwhile, artist Emma Condor worked with UPLIFTER’s to make everlasting flower bouquets to decorate their homes. Allotment favourite Chip butties were on the menu with UPLIFTER’s making foraged chocolate protein balls for dessert!

It was great to see so many faces at the allotment and so nice to be back together again after the Summer break.   

Well we've certainly been busy! It's so lovely to reflect on all our glorious Summer outings! Keep your eyes peeled for our Autumnal Green UPLIFTS which we'll be reflecting on and posting very soon :)