Introduction to traditional craft, tunes and song...
Saturday 2nd March 2024  |  10am-4pm

See in the spring with a day of traditional songs, tunes & crafts! Start the season with stories and skills passed down through the generations. At the traditional time of year to celebrate new beginnings, immerse yourself in a fun learning environment where our experienced tutors will lead you through a relaxed day of discovery. 

Choose from a variety of workshops including tune learning, group singing, weaving, willow working and guided walks, all set in the beautiful surroundings of Eccleshall Woods. 

This is an introductory day, and while experienced singers, players and crafters are very welcome (age 14+), we’ll start you at the beginning, so not to worry if you’ve never ventured into the world of traditional music or craft before!

Session 1 (10.15-11.45)
Jo Veal: Spring Wreath Making Come and join local artist Jo Veal to make your own Spring wreath out of completely natural and locally foraged materials.  Using willow, you will be guided to make your own wreath base, and then to decorate it with natural foliage and ribbons.  There will also be willow wreath bases already made if you prefer. Your wreath will make a beautiful uplifting decoration for the Spring!

Rosie Butler-Hall: Breathing new life into old tunes Just as the spring brings the return of colour and life, we’ll be looking at some of the gems of tunes that can be found in those dusty old manuscripts. We’ll be brushing the cobwebs off them and putting our own stamp of life into them as a group with ornamentation and arrangement. There will be sheet music available, but we will mostly be working by ear. 

Session 2 (12-1.00)
Jo Veal: Musical Improvisation Always wanted to try improvising but not sure where to start? Join clarinetist Jo, for a friendly introduction to using improvisation and harmony alongside melody.  We will look at a folk melody and find accessible ways to create harmonies and improvisations, experimenting with different ideas.  We will be learning by ear, but don’t worry if you’ve never tried this before, Jo will guide you through. All instruments welcome, but the workshop will be mainly aimed at melody instruments rather than chordal. 

Rosie Butler-Hall: Weaving your own wall hanging The art of weaving can be one of the most creative, and expressive of the fibre arts. It’s easy to fall in love with the bold textures, colours and creative possibilities that weaving offers and whether you’ve woven before or you’re a complete beginner we’ll make you come away with something to treasure. We will learn to weave your very own wall hanging from start to finish, using yarn and other natural materials. 

Rosie Hodgson: Walk and Sing Take a tramp through the forest and join the birds as they hail the end of the darkest days. We’ll focus on songs about the natural world and build confidence in our natural voices as we pick our way through the waking wood. Suitable for all singers and we’ll seek shelter if the weather turns too inclement!

Session 3 (2-3.30)
Fay Hield: Spring from the earth Where do traditional songs come from? Rather than springing from the earth fully formed and roaming free like the haggis, songs have histories and tell us about the people and places they have passed through. We will sing some songs, learn about their journeys and reflect on how you can help other songs on their way.

Rosie Hodgson: Willow Obelisk Add height and structure to your planting indoor or out with your own woven obelisk! Working with willow to create a beautifully organic piece whether or not you’ve done any weaving before. All willow and formers provided but if you could bring a pair of secateurs that would be very helpful! 

Travel
The day is held at the Woodland Discovery Centre 260 Abbey Ln, Sheffield S7 2QZ
By car: There is a small car park at the Discovery Centre with disabled spaces. Further parking can be found in lay-bys along Abbey Lane and on Whirlowdale Road.  There is a larger car park off Limb Lane – the Picnic Area – and another next to Whirlow Playing Field.
By bus:  there are various buses serving the many different entrances to the Woods.  View this PDF for detailed information. Check with Travel South Yorkshire for service updates.

Accessibility
​There are no steps to the workshop rooms. There is uneven ground for the walk activity. There are accessible toilets on site. Please let us know if you have any access needs which require our awareness. We aim to be an inclusive and accessible organisation and will try to meet requests.

Food and drink
The cafe will be open 10-3.30pm. To help them get everyone served quickly, we will take orders in the morning . You are also welcome to bring your own food and can eat it on the premises.

Your tutors

Fay Hield is an award-winning folk singer who's toured and recorded with the biggest names in folk music, both as the founder of supergroup The Full English, as well as her own band The Hurricane Party. www.fayhield.com

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Rosie Hodgson is the singing tutor for Forge & Fledge. She is known for her singing in London-Irish supergroup Crossharbour, and touring with her trio, The Wilderness Yet. 
www.rosiehodgson.com 

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Rosie Butler-Hall is the tutor for both Adult Folk Factory and the instrumental side of Forge & Fledge. She known for playing with The Rosie Hood Band and The English Fiddle Ensemble. 
facebook.com/rosiebutlerhallfiddle

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Jo Veal is a folk clarinettist with ceilidh band Hekety, Emergence Collective (minimalistic improvisation) and Fernleaf Trio. She is also a visual artist, a lantern maker and shadow puppet maker, with an interest in land art images, leaf and petal pounding.
www.joveal.co.uk

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