Source: City of Plymouth
This spring, communities across Plymouth have teamed up with local creatives and artists to create blossom-inspired art.
Plymouth City Council’s Green Communities team partnered up with the National Trust’s Cotehele property to offer communities in Devonport, Keyham, and around Central Park the opportunity to work with professional creatives. In total, over 250 people took part in these creative workshops, with over 20 sessions taking place across the three communities.
From powerful poetry to buzzing bee puppets, nature sculptures to blooming blossom prints, we are celebrating all their wonderful work through a community tour, which will see their pieces toured throughout the city and in nearby National Trust properties.
The tour will be happening between 19 May to 31 May, and the creative pieces will be blossoming in Mount Wise Neighbourhood Centre in Devonport, Keyham Green Places, and the Central Park Hub, along with Cotehele, Antony, and Saltram.
As well as the artwork, there will be free nature inspired arts and crafts available, along with the opportunity to learn more about the Green Communities project.
The creatives who have been working with the communities are poet and performer Liv Torc, local storyteller and puppet maker Samantha Webb, nature artist and illustrator Devon Tipping, and printmaker, Grace Beswick.
Councillor Tom Briars-Delve, Cabinet Member for the Environment and Climate Change, said: “I am really pleased that we can host this opportunity for members of the community to showcase their skills and the excellent work they have created as part of this initiative with the National Trust.
“My family and I are looking forward to seeing their artwork at the community tour. I hope many people are able to join us with the free arts and crafts.”
Also through the Blossom project, throughout Plymouth and the Tamar Valley, the Green Communities team and Cotehele have offered skill sharing workshops, free sustainable travel, storytelling sessions and lots of other ways to get involved in springtime celebrations. With over 350 people getting involved in the Plymouth events.
A representative from the National Trust said: “The Festival of Blossom takes place across England, Wales and Northern Ireland each spring with the aim of connecting people and nature. Blossom serves the natural world by providing food and habitat to early pollinators but also brings hope and joy to people after a long winter.
“A lot of celebrations infuse nature with creativity because artistic expression welcomes people in to share their own voices, identities, experiences and as a result, brings people together to look anew at where they live and all its untapped beauty. Nowhere is this more strongly evident than in the ever-growing creative community of Plymouth and the surrounding Tamar Valley and we hope that the Festival of Blossom will only grow each year, welcoming more and more people to celebrate spring and all it does for us.”
This project has been funded by the National Trust’s Festival of Blossom thanks to the players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.