FREE Words of Nature Connection at Grove Park

A morning of fresh air and give-it-a-go creativity at Weston-Super-Mare’s Grove Park.

You will be guided creatively by Beth, founder of The Poetry Machine, and supported by Tim, the Mendip Hills Landscape Team’s Project Development Officer. Natalie from Growing @ Grove Park will show us the park’s creative and growing projects. Our aim is to help you feel closer to nature, more connected to the present moment and grounded in your surroundings. There will be no pressure to write, create, or share anything unless you’d like to.

What to expect
Meet from 10am for a 10.30am start (we will send the meeting point by email). The workshop will finish by 1pm. We will start and end the session in a sheltered location within the park. About half of the workshop will be indoors and about half will be outdoors.

The part of the session where we explore the park will be slow-paced with plenty of time to stop and notice what’s around us. We will move through the park together, pausing to write and reflect. You will have the opportunity to choose from a selection of word and image-based creative activities, responding to your discoveries with Beth’s guidance.

Please note
Spaces are limited to a maximum of 12. Please let us know if you are unable to make it so we can offer your space to someone else. If spaces are full, please join the waiting list and we will be in touch when a space becomes available.

There is a portaloo available to use at the meeting point. We will stick to pathways, and will plan a step free route. The paths are uneven in places and there are some slight inclines and declines. Please let us know if you have any access requirements, or if there is anything you need during the workshop to help you feel more comfortable taking part.

We will be exploring the park for around an hour, so make sure to wrap up warm. We will send you more info about what to bring by email.

This workshop is suitable for those aged 18+. We ask that you do not bring your dog with you. There is paid parking available at Grove Park.

More workshop dates
This is the first of four workshops in a series called “Mendip Words of Connection”, a collaboration between Beth Calverley & the Mendip Hills National Landscape Nature Connection Project. The next dates are 23 March morning (Coleridge Road Community Garden), 7th April afternoon (Mendip Activities Centre) and 26 April afternoon (Burrington Combe).

With thanks
The Nature Connections Project is funded by the West of England’s Healthier with Nature Programme and Defra’s Farming in Protected Landscapes Programme. You can find out more about the project here – Mendip Nature Connections – Mendip Hills National Landscape (mendiphills-nl.org.uk).

With thanks to the Growing @ Grove Park community group for welcoming us to this beautiful park, which they care for year-round.

This workshop builds on research from the University of Derby’s Nature Connectedness Research Group, exploring the 5 Pathways to Nature Connectedness.

Thank you to Paul Blakemore for the left-hand photo in the cover image.