As the summer holidays fast approach, parents looking for fun, affordable and creative ways to keep their children entertained need look no further than the Artsreach summer programme of shows and workshops. Whatever your child’s creative streak may be, there’s something for everyone to get stuck into this summer including music, dance, theatre, craft and storytelling!
Kicking off the programme in Portesham on 29th July, Rattlebox Theatre present an exciting collection of tales from Viking times in ‘Sword Age-Axe Age’, all told in the atmospheric setting of a traditional tent! Hear thrilling sagas full of danger, trickery and beheading, see what the Vikings wore in battle and create your own shieldwall! Then in Cerne Abbas on 30th July, children are invited to go on an adventure where anything could happen in ‘Sea and Air’ with Nikki Northover. Use your imagination, stories, dance, painting, fun and games to dive deep into the sea like a dolphin and soar into the sky like a bird in this fun filled day.
The ever-popular dance workshops run by Claire Camble-Hutchins are back this summer and will cover all sorts of fun musical themes, with catchy sing-along songs. Children who like to dance will love the workshop based on West End favourite ‘Cats’ taking place at Piddle Valley first school on 5th August and Marnhull Village Hall on 14th August. Or why not come and dance the day away to all the hit songs from Grease! at Maiden Newton on the 6th August and The Exchange, Sturminster Newton on 9th August? All of these workshops will end with a show put on for friends and family.
Treehouse Theatre are visiting four venues around the county with Storybox: an exciting and interactive hour of making music, dressing up and creating stories for children aged 2-8yrs old. The Exchange hosts The Magic Paintbrush, an old Chinese tale, in Sturminster Newton on 7th August, while later that day Princesses and Pirates will run rampage at Sixpenny Handley in ‘Pirates Ahoy’. Then on 13th August, Sally and The Limpet go rock pooling at the seaside in Piddletrenthide. Finally there’s the chance to hear about the race between The Hare and The Tortoise at Winfrith on 21st August.
Valise Noire present their enchanting fairytale, ‘The Girl and The Shoes’ at Hazelbury Bryan on 13th, Martinstown on 14th and Sixpenny Handley on 21st August. Be transported from the rural countryside of France to vibrant Paris and a world of glamour and beautiful shoes. Drawing on timeless classics such as The Wizard of Oz and Cinderella this unique show will capture imaginations by exploring what happens when you put on magical shoes. Families can also take part in an earlier workshop, decorating and creating magical shoes together that will then feature in the show itself.
Storyteller Tony Horitz will capture the imagination in Broadmayne on 29th August with Secret Stories of Dorset. Enjoy a session of traditional storytelling, based on local tales from the South Dorset Ridgeway. Children can work in groups to create small stories of their own before joining together and creating a brand new legend about a distinctive Ridgeway landmark.
For children enjoy being more hands-on there are lots of wonderful crafty activities taking place too.Trudi Green’s ‘Earth Art’ workshop in Burton Bradstock on the 2nd August will give children the chance to experiment with soil, clay and sand collected from the earth beneath their feet, creating wonderful collages, paintings and maps whilst exploring the different textures and colours of the earthly treasures around us.
Peter Rush is well known as the freelance illustrator for BBC TV’s ‘Jackanory’ for twenty-five years. He now focuses on, amongst other things, creating magnificent wire and paper sculptures. Children can join him at Durlston Country Park on 13th August to create a sculpture of their own, inspired by Dorset sea birds such as guillemots, puffins, cormorants and gulls.
Spend the day creating a Viking Warrior Skeleton with Darrell Wakelam at Cerne Abbas on 19th, Burton Bradstock on 20th, Martinstown on 28th and Sturminster Newton on 29th August. Based on real archaeological evidence taken from Viking burials here in Dorset, children can get to grips with cardboard, paper mache and collage techniques to build their ancient being!
Have fun with Crafty Clay by Jo Burnell at Maiden Newton on 19 August. Children will hand build and decorate their very own bronze-age beaker using traditional techniques, then have fun making a 3D historical tile such as the roman army or even a King on his horse.
In Milborne St Andrew on 28 August, children can spend the day making Ancient Games & New Inventions with Karen Hansen. Cut and carve wood to make the outdoor throwing game of Kings, whittle figures for the tactical game of Hnefatafl or create a brand new game of cunning. Learn how to safely use knives, gauges, saws and mallets and work with wood.
Kathy Kelly’s Fiddlesticks Toddlers session in Shillingstone on 15th and Milborne St Andrew on 22nd will be perfect for those with little ones. Parents and toddlers can enjoy singing, story-telling, baking bread and sharing food together whilst getting hands on and enjoying some simple crafts using clay, paint, sheep’s fleece and other natural resources.
Please note it is always worth booking well ahead as the workshops have limited places and often sell out. Full details on all of the events above, including recommended ages, times, contact numbers and prices, can be found in the Artsreach Summer Activities programme which is available at tourist information centres and libraries. You can also find out more at www.artsreach.co.uk
*Additional news for inclusion with press release above*
People living in West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland will be better able to enjoy, learn about and care for the surrounding countryside thanks to a grant of nearly £2 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). The South Dorset Ridgeway Landscape Partnership, made up of 14 local organisations (including Artsreach) and led by the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty will use this grant to deliver a range of activities over the next five years. Artsreach have several exciting projects planned for the coming years but in the meantime, subsidised places for children living or being educated within the South Dorset Ridgeway Area are available for some of the children’s summer programme of activities
