Inspiring textiles at Castle Espie
It all started with some Whooper Swans, in a field, in Newtownards…
Wondering what these amazing birds were and why they chose that particular field led us to contacting WWT Castle Espie, where we learnt about Whooper Swans and also that Castle Espie loves art and heritage as much as we do! It wasn’t long before it all became a fully formed idea for a large scale community art project.
The Heritage Lottery Fund provided us with funding to run courses teaching heritage textile skills and to produce a large textile art piece and 9 embroidered panels for the Castle Espie visitor centre.
The pieces will pick up on unique aspects of the site, taking in the panoramic views and the fantastic array of flora and fauna that makes Castle Espie such a perfect place to spend time in nature.
Check out the events below for how to get involved!
Castle Espie Meet Ups
When & Where:
First Monday of Each Month
2pm -4pm
Castle Espie Wetland Centre
Keeping connected with the Castle Espie site is important to the success of this project. We want volunteers who are helping us to learn skills to complete the final pieces to see the site across the seasons and experience the mental health benefits of time spent in nature.
We meet at Castle Espie on the first Monday of each month* from 2pm - 4pm to share some crafting time and meet others taking part. Find us in the Graffan Room, bring a project, have a cuppa and a chat and enjoy a walk around the site if you fancy it.
This event is free to attend but we ask that you book in so we know who to expect.
*If this falls on a Bank/Public holiday we switch to the second Monday of the month
Project Work Groups
Starting September 2024 we have three work groups running where the main focus will be on producing the final art piece and embroideries for Castle Espie. The groups will be led by Åsa and Aimée as they work on the designs and the requirements for volunteers to assist will be posted on social media as needed.
Alongside the final art pieces we will still continue to work on individual projects, practice pieces and additional display pieces at these groups so even if you aren’t feeling confident to contribute to the final pieces there is still plenty to get involved in! These are not taught sessions and there may be times that we don’t have a piece for everyone to work at the same time so please bring along your own project as well.
These work groups are free to attend but we ask that you book in so we know who to expect. Exact dates for each group are confirmed in the booking section, please scroll through the listed events to find the group and date you wish to attend.
When & Where:
Group 1: Third Monday of each month - 2pm to 4pm - Inspiring Yarns, Newtownards
Group 2: Second Tuesday of each month - 10am to 12pm - St. Patricks Community Centre, Portaferry
Group 3: Alternate Wednesday Evenings - 7pm to 9pm - Inspiring Yarns, Newtownards
Castle Espie Craft Event
When & Where:
13th October 2024
1pm to 5pm
Castle Espie Wetland Centre
Join us for the second of our public events at Castle Espie where, amongst other things, we’ll have a great big craft-a-long together. Bring your project of any kind of needlecraft, knitting or crochet and enjoy time working on it with others.
More details to be confirmed soon.