It’s time for our annual Festival of Lights in Caldmore!
On Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th November come and join us in the garden for a weekend of creativity and performing arts in Caldmore to light up the community!
On Saturday we will be joined by Indigo Moon Theatre with their performance of Seed Heart at 6pm on our stage in the garden
Meet Grey. Our journey begins as Grey finds themself trapped inside a jar. They try to remember how they got there and how they could be free…
SeedHeart tells the important tale of human impact on the environment and questions what we can do to restore our once green planet, with interactive chaos in the laboratory on the way!
Watch as our story unfolds (literally) from a single suitcase, and follow Grey’s journey to a better future with magical pop-ups, puppetry and interactive scenes.
Before the performance we have a shadow puppet family workshop for children over 5 years old (with adult supervision). This will start at 4.30pm and you will need to book a place ahead of the workshop. To do this, either email caldmoregarden@gmail.com or whatsapp on 07384 112705
7pm – there will be a fire show from Helter Skelter!
And finally to end Saturday night, join us round the campfire to toast your own marshmallow
Sunday is the day for our lantern procession around Caldmore!
Visit the beautifully illuminated Caldmore Community Garden and join us at 5:45 pm in time for the lantern procession to light up the streets of Caldmore.
Come dressed up as a Fantastic Creature in a lit-up costume – but remember to be safe when creating your extravagant costumes!
We will be accompanied by Autin Dance with their giant dragon puppet, who will walk with us through Caldmore and then join us at the Garden for Brimstone show after the procession at 7pm.
Grab yourself a slice of cake and a hot drink in our cafe!
At 7.15pm the weekend will conclude with a fire finale with Helter Skelter – it’s something not to be missed!
The event is brought to you by Black Country Touring and funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority Inclusive Communities Fund and The National Lottery Community Fund.
Garden Organic will be doing composting workshops on Saturday 21st September at our Sustainable Futures Festival
Composting is turning waste into black gold! It makes perfect sense for everybody that wants to improve their garden, reduce their environmental impact and save some money.
Garden Organic will be on hand to provide composting advice to people throughout the day. We will also provide 2 half hour workshops:
Workshop 1: Perfect composting every time (30min session)
There is a bit more to composting than just throwing everything on a heap and leaving it. We will give a practical demonstration on how to optimise your garden composting and troubleshoot the most common problems. This session is suitable for complete beginners but will also give handy tips to those who are already familiar with composting.
In this session we will cover:
What you can add to your compost
How to manage your mix
Different types of bins
Troubleshooting common problems
Workshop 2: Compost creatures (30min session)
Your compost heap is a mini zoo! We will take a deep dive into the life in your compost bin, considering the roles of the various life forms in the composting process, then there is the opportunity to see what you can find looking down the microscope.In this session we will cover:
How the various life forms create your compost
What the creatures in your compost can tell you!
A deep dive look down the microscope.
Who we are
Garden Organic is the leading national charity for organic growing – with 20,000 members and 500 volunteers, we have reached over 3 million people with our work. We are dedicated to organic growing, composting, rare seed conservation, citizen science and research – with the overarching aim of supporting biodiversity.
We champion organic gardening through projects, training, and activity throughout the UK. We promote its health and wellbeing benefits, which include it being a good form of exercise, a stimulus to a better diet and a tool for social interaction and addressing climate change. Our headquarters are based at Ryton, near
Coventry, and we are grateful for this opportunity which will allow us to further connect with our local community.
Working with local authorities, schools, housing providers, other charities and partners, we provide training and support to volunteers and residents in the benefits and practicalities of organic growing and composting, drawing on our 20 years’ experience of working in the community and delivering community engagement programmes.
We will be joined by Birmingham Tree People on Saturday 21st September for our Sustainable Futures Festival
Benjamin’s youngest brother – David Springer – contacted Birmingham TreePeople on behalf of the whole family at the Benjamin Zephaniah Family Legacy Group, in the hope of carrying on this iconic legacy through his love of trees and nature.
Growing up in a large, loving family with seven siblings, David explained that their usual ‘stomping grounds’ were Newtown, Nechells, Aston, and some of Lozells and Handsworth. With its good number of tree-pit locations, Newtown’s Burbury Park has been identified as the ideal home for The Zephaniah Forest: a 65-strong conglomerate of poetry-tagged, community-consulted, and communally planted trees, to commemorate the life and works of Benjamin Zephaniah – 65 trees for the 65 years of Benjamin’s inspirational life.
The Zephaniah Forest poetry competition – Trees Please, Poetry Please? – aims to create a 65-strong mini forest Tree Trail containing the poems, each one dedicated to a specific tree, for the 65 trees being planted in Burbury Park, Newtown this coming Winter in memory of Benjamin Zephaniah.
The Zephaniah Forest Tree Trail will be recorded via TreePlotter, with each poem available online through the application (as well as being recorded on our website with the poems and an image of the tree, regularly updated throughout the coming years to ensure establishment).
The tree pit locations for the legacy mini-forest have already been plotted, ready and waiting for Benjamin’s newly planted memorial trees during National Tree Week 2024, from the last week of November to the first week of December, in time for the anniversary of Benjamin’s untimely passing.
We are working with the Benjamin Zephaniah Family Legacy Group, and have teamed up with Bradley Taylor (a prominent poet in the arts community), to bring this incredible legacy back home to where Benjamin grew up with his loving family.
The deadline is 1st December 2024, and entrants can submit up to three poems, no longer than an A4 piece of paper. Are you a poet or creative who would like to submit their ditty towards a project dedicated to a Brummie legend? Please follow this link, and scroll down to see the submission form: https://birminghamtreepeople.org.uk/trees-in-birmingham/the-zephaniah-forest/
On Saturday 21st September at our Sustainable Futures Festival you will have the opportunity to write and submit a poem for The Zephaniah Forest Competition!
Over the last few months we have had 3 poetry workshops in the garden, here is a poem from one of our participants Fiona Kells
On Sunday 29th September we have our fourth poetry workshop in the garden!
Come on join us and give poetry writing a try!
The theme for the next workshop is :
From Page to Stage
Workshop 4 – Sunday 29th September 2024 – 2.00pm til 4.30pm
Poets, Prattlers, and Pandemonialists present Poetry Performing Workshop
Join Poets, Prattlers, and Pandemonialists for another fun, friendly event. Would you like to get more confident in speaking to an audience? Would you like to use a microphone effectively? Come along and explore the skills required to read/perform/share your poems aloud. As part of this workshop we’ll be inviting people to prepare a set of poems ready to take part in the Caldmore Community Garden Open Mic session on Sunday 6th October. Open to all. To book your space please contact poetsprattlerspandemonialists@gmail.com. Where possible workshops will take place outside, so do dress for the weather.
Join us in the garden for a FREE fun filled eco friendly day!
There will be stalls from local groups championing sustainability and environmental issues, who will be on hand to help you make changes to your home to not only make it energy efficient but also to save money and the planet at the same time!
We have 2 performances from Pif-Paf Theatre who will be bringing their show of “Bee Cart” at 1pm and 3pm brought to you by Black Country Touring
There will also be – composting workshops, environmental storytelling, face painting, games, workshops and eco arts and crafts!
We will also be giving everyone the opportunity to make your own pledge to the planet. Where you can pledge to make changes to your everyday life for yourself, your family, the local community and the planet.
Conserve Energy! Be Water Wise! Bee Friendly! (support local wildlife!) Breath Clean! Live Long! REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
with thanks to West Midlands Combined Authority’s Environment Fund, The National Lottery Community Fund and West Midlands Combined Authority Inclusive Communities Fund and Black Country Touring
From July until November, we have a monthly poetry workshop taking place in the garden, have a look at the workshops below. You can sign up to one or two or all 6!
To book your space please contact poetsprattlerspandemonialists@gmail.com
Where possible workshops will take place outside, so do dress for the weather.
Workshop 1 – Sunday 28th July 2024 – 2.00pm til 4.30pm
I Say Tomato – Poets, Prattlers, and Pandemonialists present a poetry writing and fruit eating workshop!
Come along and join Emma P and Gracey B for this fun and friendly garden-based event. Hear some fruity rhymes, write some veggie verse. Discuss the language of food. Is it scallion, escallion, or spring onion? Zucchini or courgette? Ladies fingers or okra? Use your foody memories and sensory experiences to create poems with a bit of zest. Open to all – new writers, keen writers, established writers and listeners all welcome.
Workshop 2 – Sunday 11th August 2024 – 2.00pm til 4.30pm
How Does Your Garden Grow? – Poets, Prattlers, and Pandemonialists present a sensory and poetic exploration of the garden.
Steve Pottinger and Emma Purshouse will be inviting you to use all five senses to explore Caldmore Community Garden. Immerse yourself in the sights, sounds and scents of the landscape. Create poetry with layers and texture. Have a go at some more unusual poetry forms. Open to all – new writers, keen writers, established writers and listeners all welcome.
Workshop 3 – Sunday 1st September 2024 – 2.00pm til 4.30pm
Tea, Herbs, and Spices – unlock your creativity with aromatic inspiration.
Join Kuli Kohli (current Poet Laureate for the City of Wolverhampton, and leader of the city’s Punjabi Women’s Writers Group) for a supportive afternoon of poetry writing. Explore the world of tea, dive into the healing properties of herbs, infuse your poetry with the warmth of cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves. Share your creations over a steaming cup of masala chai. Open to all – new writers, keen writers, established writers, spice lovers, herb aficionados, and listeners all welcome.
Workshop 4 – Sunday 29th September 2024 – 2.00pm til 4.30pm
From Page to Stage – Poets, Prattlers, and Pandemonialists present Poetry Performing Workshop
Join Poets, Prattlers, and Pandemonialists for another fun, friendly event. Would you like to get more confident in speaking to an audience? Would you like to use a microphone effectively? Come along and explore the skills required to read/perform/share your poems aloud. As part of this workshop we’ll be inviting people to prepare a set of poems ready to take part in the Caldmore Community Garden Open Mic session on Sunday 6th October. Open to all.
Caldmore Speaks Out – a Poetry Open Mic – Sunday 6th October – 2.00pm
Join Poets, Prattlers, and Pandemonialists as they host Caldmore Speaks Out, an afternoon of poetry and spoken word to celebrate National Poetry Day. Come along and bring your family friendly poems to share with our audience. These might be poems you’ve written yourself, or poetry you love that’s been written by other people. Or alternatively just turn up to listen and enjoy an afternoon of entertainment in our glorious garden environment. All welcome. Do dress for the weather.
To book an open mic spot, or for more information then email poetsprattlerspandemonialists@gmail.com. This will be an outside performance, so do dress for the weather.
Workshop 5 – Sunday 20th October 2024 – 2.00pm til 4.30pm
Share and Share Alike – Poets, Prattlers, and Pandemonialists present a seed swap, poetry swap activity
Join Poets, Prattlers, and Pandemonialists for an afternoon of sharing, both of seeds and poetry. We’ll be creating origami envelopes to fill with seeds and short form poetic messages to delight garden lovers everywhere. Bring along any spare seeds (seeds will be provided if you haven’t got any) and your desire to create. Take away new seeds and new poems for yourself or to give to a garden-loving friend. Open to all – new writers, keen writers, established writers and listeners all welcome.
Workshop 6 – Sunday 17th November 2024 – 2.00pm til 4.30pm
A Little Bird Told Us – Poets, Prattlers, and Pandemonialists present an anthropomorphic afternoon!
What would the birds, bees, animals and flowers say if they could speak? A fun and friendly workshop to get you experimenting with language. Join us if you’d like to be more bee, chirrup like a chaffinch, explore the wisdom of owls, or the moaning of the marigolds. We’ll be leading a series of writing and ‘translating’ activities designed to get you creating poetry in the voices of the other. Open to all – new writers, keen writers, established writers and listeners all welcome.
Ongoing – over the course of their residency Poets, Prattlers, and Pandemonialists will be collecting together people’s reactions and responses to being in the garden environment, so that they can make a Caldmore Community Garden Community Poem!
The Sleeping Seeds – A playful music theatre show for families. Two musical gardeners go on an adventure to raise a seedling and raise a racket. Rake & Roll!!
The Sleeping Seeds are a pair of musical gardeners who have a very special seed asleep in their seed bed. Join them as they nurture and encourage this little seed to mature and take its place in the world. Expect catchy songs, unusual instruments and fun joining in!
This is a relaxed performance for all ages and includes integrated British Sign Language.
The performance will be outdoors and will go ahead whatever the weather, so please come prepared (raincoats & wellies or sun hat & suncream!).
We will have some rain cover if needed. In the event of extreme weather please check social media for notifications about the performance.
Sunday 25th August 2024
The garden will open from 1pm and the performance will start at 2pm
Tickets are FREE or ‘pay what you can’ via Black Country Touring
Join us at Caldmore Community Garden on Saturday 20th July for our Summer Garden Party!
We will be joined by HandMade Theatre who will be performing their puppet show Tell Me A Story in the garden at 1pm and 3pm. Look out for them walking about the garden during the day!
‘Everyone has a story to tell and a memory to share. Unlock yours in this family adventure down memory lane, experience the stories of people, places and objects we hold dear.’ Tell Me A Story is a show lovingly created by HandMade Theatre. The piece explores childhood memories and draws inspiration from our creative work in care homes for those with dementia. This piece aims to bring generations together to share their stories, exploring experiences of childhood and unlocking the similarities and differences we all share. A fun family show featuring HandMade Theatre’s signature mix of dynamic storytelling, live music, original songs, beautiful puppets and colourful characters.
Suitable for children aged 2-10 and their families. We particularly encourage parents and Grandparents to join their children in a shared experience together.
Poets, Prattlers, and Pandemonialists will be adding a poetry vibe to the day. Pop by to see Gracey Bee at her Poet Tree, and she’ll help you to create rhyming poetry to hang amongst its branches.
Or why not ask for a poem of your own to take away? Emma Purshouse and Steve Pottinger will be writing Poetry on Demand. You could request a poem for yourself or a loved one. Or perhaps ask for a poem written about your favourite aspect of nature.
Gracey, Emma, and Steve will also be happy to talk to you about what to expect from the poetry workshops that Poets, Prattlers, and Pandemonialists will be running over the next few months at Caldmore Community Garden.
To celebrate the beginning of the summer holidays there will be a bouncy castle, face painter, arts and crafts, family games to play and a Nature Treasure Hunt to solve with prizes to win.
The Community Cafe will be open so pop in and grab yourself a slice of tasty cake!
We look forward to seeing you on Saturday for lots of fun in the garden!
Thank you to Black Country Touring for their support
Thank you to the Inclusive Communities Fund award, with this fund we will be able to empower our community, address real issues and create a lasting legacy.
Thanks to the Heart of England Community Foundation, West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), United by Legacy, UKGOV and the Commonwealth Games organisers for this incredible opportunity
Caldmore Community Garden 