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 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
We’re recruiting a Creative Projects Co-Ordinator to join our friendly team. You will work closely with artists and partners, help put on events, and engage with the local community, community groups, volunteers and creatives. You will contribute to the planning, evaluation and delivery of the arts programme.
The successful applicant will have a passion for creative arts, poetry, performance and strong co-ordination and admin skills. You will be experienced in working creatively with a range of artists and organisations and be committed to working with communities and artists in Walsall.
Contract: 2 days a week, June to December 2024.
Salary: £14-£15 per hour (£25,480 – 27,300 pro rata), depending on skills and experience.
Download the Recruitment Pack as a Word Document or PDF below to find out how to apply. If you’d like to talk with someone in the team before you apply, e-mail caldmoregarden@gmail.com.
Email your completed application to Anna Webster at caldmoregarden@gmail.com by 8am on Monday 13th May 2024.
The arts programme at Caldmore Community Garden is funded by West Midlands Combined Authority’s Inclusive Communities Programme operated by the Heart of England Community Foundation. The poetry project is co-funded by Black Country Touring.
Caldmore Community Garden in Walsall are looking for a Poetry Project Co-Ordinator to develop and deliver a programme of monthly poetry workshops at the Garden, leading up to a special poetry event and a creation of a poetry trail.
We are especially keen to commission poets who respond to the natural world and explore diverse cultural heritage in their work, and who have contacts and experience in organising the poetry scene in the Black Country.
We hope that the project will bring new audiences to Caldmore Community Garden, explore the nature and environment of the Garden, listen to stories of people involved in or visiting the Garden, and inspire our visitors to engage with the outside space in new ways.
The project will take place between late May and late November / early December 2024.
The project involves:
Development, promotion and delivery of 6 monthly poetry workshops at Caldmore Community Garden – 2 days a month at £350 per day (co-ordinator’s fee of £4,200 in total, with an additional materials and refreshments budget);
Development, promotion and delivery of 2 events – one poetry event and one engagement workshop at an open community event at the Garden (co-ordinator’s fee of £700 in total, with an additional materials budget);
Working with the Community Garden team to design and develop a poetry trail to be installed at Caldmore Community Garden.
To express your interest, please e-mail Anna Webster at caldmoregarden@gmail.com with a short written proposal describing your creative experience and trackrecord of delivering poetry workshops and events (no longer than one page), as well as examples of your work.
The deadline for applications is Friday 10th May at 12pm. We will contact shortlisted candidates the following week.
The arts programme at Caldmore Community Garden is funded by West Midlands Combined Authority’s Inclusive Communities Programme operated by the Heart of England Community Foundation. The poetry project is co-funded by Black Country Touring.
A week of creativity, music, poetry and performing arts in Caldmore to light up all the community.
MONDAY 1st November
6PM LET THERE BE LIGHT – SWITCHING ON CALDMORE COMMUNITY GARDEN ILLUMINATIONS
Time to turn on the lights! Infamous Arts have been working tirelessly to light up the Garden and the Alleyway and open the celebrations of our Festival of Lights! Come and admire the secret wonder of Caldmore – let’s reclaim the night!
6:30PM – FIRE PERFORMANCE WITH HELTER SKELTER
An incredible fire performance by Helter Skelter Arts that will light up the Garden with its flames and daring stunts! A great show for all the family. (Keep an eye out for the duo around the Garden as well, as they paint patterns and images in the air with their amazing LED props!)
TUESDAY 2nd November
4-6PM PAGE, STAGE, DIGITAL AGE WORKSHOP – Make your own animated spoken word poem
Bring your gmail, your laptop and your yearning for spoken word development into the digital age. Live spaces at venue workshop and also zoom places for the live workshop webinar – to register e-mail caldmoregarden@gmail.com.
6:30PM – OPEN MIC POETRY
7PM – POETRY MINI SLAM – 4 poets leading to 2 head to head final 3 minutes each
7.30PM – WORKSHOP POETS SHOWCASE
8.15PM POETRY PERFORMANCE – DREADLOCKALIEN
We are calling all poets and word mischief-makers to take part in Poetry workshop, Open Mic and Slam at Caldmore Community Garden! The event will be led by DreadlockAlien – the slam and performance poet and former Birmingham poet laureate as well as a host of BBC Radio 4 Slam Poetry – and will finish with DreadlockAlien performing his own verse on the Garden stage.
WEDNESDAY 3rd November 7PM – LIVE MUSIC – RSVP BHANGRA BAND
Veterans of Glastonbury, WOMAD and Boomtown – and now performing at our Festival of Lights – RSVP Bhangra’s unique blending of Punjabi Indian music with dance beats and mainstream pop has created a new and irresistible sound that audiences everywhere love and keep on coming back for!
THURSDAY 4th November
10am – 1pm LANTERN WORKSHOP WITH SAM HALE – for all ages
Come and help us make lanterns for our Lantern Procession on Sunday! We will be working with artist Sam Hale to create willow structures covered with decorated plastic – everyone is welcome.
7PM – LIVE MUSIC – NOT QUITE DEAD YET
Not quite Dead Yet have been described as “a tin of Punk Rock Sardines spilling onto the stage” – it’s a bunch of punks, old and young, playing a mix of their own songs and old favourites on ukuleles. What a treat to see them return to Caldmore Community Garden after a few years’ break!
FRIDAY 5th November
5PM – LANTERN WORKSHOP WITH ARTIST SAM MACE
Join us for a creative lantern making workshop delivered at the Garden in partnership with New Art Gallery Walsall. Drop in, no booking necessary.
6:30PM – A STRING OF LIGHTS WITH PETER CHAND AND FOX & ROCHA
As the nights stretch out and a chill fills the air, join us for a very special evening mixing storytelling, music, and song.
At the time of Diwali, what better way to celebrate light and brightness with an amazing and lively event for the whole family. We will be mixing incredible storytelling with beautiful singing in various languages, and the magical sounds of harp, diatonic accordion, and a host of interesting percussion instruments. Join us as we celebrate the light and warmth that is all around us, even at the darkest times.
SATURDAY 6th November 6:30PM – MY SHADOW AND ME – SHADOW THEATRE WITH DREW COLBY
My Shadow and Me is like a cartoon created live out of nothing but darkness and light. One person (and his shadow) meet and go on an imaginative journey where creatures emerge, engage and transform beautifully. Little encounters between characters are explored and tiny stories unfold. Many are funny, some are sweet. The ever fascinating and adorable hand-shadow bunny makes an appearance as part of a simple magic trick, and the show ends with a colourful and impressive finale in which multiple shadow characters appear all at the same time – made with just two hands!
SUNDAY 7th November
4PM PUPPET OPERATING WORKSHOP FOR CHILDREN by The Fetch Theatre Company
Join us for 4pm to learn with The Fetch Theatre how to operate scrunch puppets made by pupils at Caldmore Primary Academy to join in with the evening performance.
LANTERN PROCESSION (5:45pm meet at the Garden)
Meet us at 5:45pm at the Garden to join in with the Lantern Procession to Caldmore Green and back to show the beautiful lanterns made by children from Caldmore Primary Academy, Garden holiday play scheme, and people from all the community. We will light up the streets of Caldmore and invite everyone to accompany us on our way back to the Garden.
6:45PM PUPPET SHOW WITH THE FETCH THEATRE COMPANY
The Festival of Lights culminates with a bespoke puppet performance by The Fetch Theatre.
This brand new performance that doesn’t yet have a name will be inspired by their previous show, Insect Safari, performed here at Caldmore Community Garden back in August. Expect creatures that might that creep, crawl, fly, flutter and buzz, all inspired by a wealth of fascinating insect facts and international stories that voice myths and folklore of insects from the farthest reaches of the globe.
Doors open half an hour before performance time – café will be open with drinks and refreshments.
Come and join us on Sunday 9th November, 7-9pm. Bring a torch or a lantern and enjoy the ancient pleasure of sitting by the fire, lovely food and mulled apple juice, accompanied by some of David Calcutt’s garden poems.
Caldmore Community Garden 