Seeds of Hope is a new festival celebrating Calderdale's green spaces and community spirit!
Building on our rich heritage of growers and community gardens, we will be celebrating our boroughs communities, gardeners and creatives through the creation of ten micro show gardens at the Seeds of Hope Festival at Shibden Hall this summer, celebrating 100 years of Shibden Park.
During the festival, we invite you to explore the gardens, get inspired to grow your own and meet the teams who created them. Join us to learn new skills with hands on activities, a family friendly trail, talks, tours and workshops for all ages.
Community
Ten community groups in Calderdale will be creating unique micro show gardens, that will form the Seeds of Hope trail around Shibden Park. The gardening festival will be free to attend and will also include family trails, talks and activities.
The groups commissioned to create the show gardens are; The Brunswick Centre, Everybody Arts, Friends of Shibden Park, Friends of Todmorden Railway Station, Halifax Academy, Healthy Minds, Incredible Edible Todmorden, The Outback Community Garden and Kitchen, The Paddock and St Augustine’s Centre.
We will be sharing more about the community groups and gardens on our social media channels and the Stage at The Lake website, so please follow along for more information.
Legacy
The wider community project will open up opportunities for people to volunteer, learn new skills and bring communities together. After the festival the show gardens will return to the communities who created them, accessible to all to enjoy.
Seeds of Hope Activities
Alongside our ten community show gardens, we'll be having multiple family-friendly activities taking place across the weekend, from hands-on workshops to walks and talks. Some activities will require booking due to limited spaces, see more information below.
Hey Nature Seeds of Hope Trail
Pick up your free Seeds of Hope Trail Booklet to go on a self-guided trail of the ten community show gardens. Don’t forget to vote for your favourite garden before you go home! The People’s Choice Garden will win a prize of vouchers from Beardsworth’s Wholesale Nurseries and Garden Centre. The winner will be announced on Sunday at 3.30 pm.
Free, just pick up a booklet from the Seeds of Hope tent
Adventure Story Walk with Adventure Arts
An intrepid explorer has come from Adventure Arts to create a brand-new story. One that is completely improvised, never before heard, 100% made up on the day. And they need your help...
Working as a team you will accompany the explorer on a walk around Shibden Park all contributing to the creation of a unique story by taking inspiration from everything that surrounds you! See the park through fresh eyes and who knows what amazing adventures can be conjured up!
Adventure Arts is a magical company creating adventures for communities everywhere.
This family activity will take you on an accessible walk route and will finish in the Seeds of Hope tent for a clay sculpting activity.
Sessions run from 13-16th August at 10:30am and 1:30pm. The activity is free, but booking is essential due to limited places on each walk.
Wood Whittling with Wood by Nature
Drop into the Seeds of Hope tent between 12 – 3 pm on Friday 14th August to have a go at Wood Whittling with Ryan from Wood by Nature.
Carve a mushroom, vegetable or a small gnome to take home with you!
Free and drop-in, spaces limited.
Den Building and Nature Play
Friday – Sunday 10am – 3pm
Join Kaomi from Oak Apples for outdoor play time by the trees in the Seeds of Hope area. Lie back in a hammock and gaze up at the trees, try woodland crafts, build a den or play in the mud kitchens.
Free, just drop in.
Nature Crafts with Art Adventurers
Vicky and her team of ARTventurers will be offering nature-based crafting for all ages in the Seeds of Hope tent.
Daily 11 – 3 pm in the Seeds of Hope tent
Free, just drop in.
Cunnery Woods Nature Walk and Talk
Join the Calderdale Countryside team for a History Walk and Talk around Cunnery Woods.
Cunnery refers to Cuniculture or raising of Rabbits. This area of Shibden Park estate predates the present hall and is where the rabbit farmer for the estate lived and worked.
Cunnery Woods is now managed by Calderdale Council as mixed woodland. Join us for a walk and talk of the area and learn about the history of the site, and the plants that grow here; some we’re trying to encourage, others we’d like less of. Finally, you can help us to improve the site by planting some native woodland understory plants grown from locally collected seed as part of the Natural England funded Calderdale Plant Sanctuary.
Sessions run at 11am and 1pm on Thursday 13th and Saturday 15th August. Tickets are free but booking is essential due to limited numbers.
Book your place via Ticketsource here.
Image Credit Path into Cunnery Wood Nature Reserve, Halifax by Humphrey Bolton
Jack Wallington Edible perennials to grow and forage in your garden
A talk exploring how to plan edible plant communities that produce more food for much less effort. Turn your garden into a beautiful and productive space with easy food plants grown in exciting new ways.
Jack Wallington is an ecological grower and landscape designer specialising in future gardens with regenerative, wildlife friendly planting. He trained to RHS Level 3 at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh before going on to create over 100 gardens, from tiny city balconies to country estates. He is a columnist for Gardens Illustrated magazine and his books Wild about Weeds and A Greener Life were both named The Times & Sunday Times gardening books of the year.
This talk will be held at 11am on Sunday 16th August. Tickets are free but booking is essential due to limited spaces.
Jason Williams The Cloud Gardener, Small Space Gardening
Jason Williams, known as The Cloud Gardener, is an award-winning urban garden designer. Jason started a garden on his 18th floor Manchester balcony during lockdown and quickly grew a significant following which led to him creating an award-winning show garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Jason is a vocal activist for greening inner cities and gardening in urban areas. In this talk on small space gardening, Jason will share insights from his Churchill Fellowship research which took him to Milan, Barcelona, Singapore, Hong Kong and China studying the importance of greenspace in the city.
This talk will be held at 1pm on Sunday 16th August. Tickets are free but booking is essential due to limited spaces.
Beardsworth’s Apple Tree Grafting Demonstration Talk
Join Phil, expert tree grafter, from Beardsworth’s Wholesale Nurseries and Garden Centre for a demonstration of Apple Tree Grafting.
The workshop will cover many aspects of the grafting of trees and will be of interest to beginners and enthusiasts alike.
The topics that will be discussed by our grafters are:
-
Why do we graft trees?
-
Rootstock and tree (scion from now on!) compatibility.
-
Preparation and harvesting of scion stock
-
Grafting instruction and demonstration.
-
Aftercare of your grafted tree.
This session will be held at 1pm on Saturday 15th August. Tickets are free but booking is essential due to limited spaces.
View progress pictures from our Seeds of Hope gardens below!
Click on a photo to learn more about the garden and the organisation behind it.
Double tap the pictures for more information
Hey Nature Trail Booklet
Pick up your free Seeds of Hope Trail Booklet to go on a self-guided trail of the ten community show gardens. Don’t forget to vote for your favourite garden before you go home! The People’s Choice Garden will win a prize of vouchers from Beardsworth’s Wholesale Nurseries and Garden Centre. The winner will be announced on Sunday at 3.30 pm.
Free, just pick up a booklet from the Seeds of Hope tent
Adventure Story Walk with Adventure Arts
An intrepid explorer has come from Adventure Arts to create a brand-new story. One that is completely improvised, never before heard, 100% made up on the day. And they need your help...
Working as a team you will accompany the explorer on a walk around Shibden Park all contributing to the creation of a unique story by taking inspiration from everything that surrounds you! See the park through fresh eyes and who knows what amazing adventures can be conjured up!
Adventure Arts is a magical company creating adventures for communities everywhere.
This family activity will take you on an accessible walk route and will finish in the Seeds of Hope tent for a clay sculpting activity.
Sessions run from 13-16th August at 10:30am and 1:30pm. The activity is free, but booking is essential due to limited places on each walk.
Wood Whittling with Wood by Nature
Drop into the Seeds of Hope tent between 12 – 3 pm on Friday 14th August to have a go at Wood Whittling with Ryan from Wood by Nature.
Carve a mushroom, vegetable or a small gnome to take home with you!
Free and drop-in, spaces limited.
Den Building and Nature Play
Friday – Sunday 10am – 3pm
Join Kaomi from Oak Apples for outdoor play time by the trees in the Seeds of Hope area. Lie back in a hammock and gaze up at the trees, try woodland crafts, build a den or play in the mud kitchens.
Free, just drop in.
Nature Crafts with Art Adventurers
Vicky and her team of ARTventurers will be offering nature-based crafting for all ages in the Seeds of Hope tent.
Daily 11 – 3 pm in the Seeds of Hope tent
Free, just drop in.
Cunnery Woods Nature Walk and Talk
Join the Calderdale Countryside team for a History Walk and Talk around Cunnery Woods.
Cunnery refers to Cuniculture or raising of Rabbits. This area of Shibden Park estate predates the present hall and is where the rabbit farmer for the estate lived and worked.
Cunnery Woods is now managed by Calderdale Council as mixed woodland. Join us for a walk and talk of the area and learn about the history of the site, and the plants that grow here; some we’re trying to encourage, others we’d like less of. Finally, you can help us to improve the site by planting some native woodland understory plants grown from locally collected seed as part of the Natural England funded Calderdale Plant Sanctuary.
Sessions run at 11am and 1pm on Thursday 13th and Saturday 15th August. Tickets are free but booking is essential due to limited numbers.
Book your place via Ticketsource here.
Image Credit Path into Cunnery Wood Nature Reserve, Halifax by Humphrey Bolton
Jack Wallington Edible perennials to grow and forage in your garden
A talk exploring how to plan edible plant communities that produce more food for much less effort. Turn your garden into a beautiful and productive space with easy food plants grown in exciting new ways.
Jack Wallington is an ecological grower and landscape designer specialising in future gardens with regenerative, wildlife friendly planting. He trained to RHS Level 3 at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh before going on to create over 100 gardens, from tiny city balconies to country estates. He is a columnist for Gardens Illustrated magazine and his books Wild about Weeds and A Greener Life were both named The Times & Sunday Times gardening books of the year.
This talk will be held at 11am on Sunday 16th August. Tickets are free but booking is essential due to limited spaces.
Jason Williams The Cloud Gardener, Small Space Gardening
Jason Williams, known as The Cloud Gardener, is an award-winning urban garden designer. Jason started a garden on his 18th floor Manchester balcony during lockdown and quickly grew a significant following which led to him creating an award-winning show garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Jason is a vocal activist for greening inner cities and gardening in urban areas. In this talk on small space gardening, Jason will share insights from his Churchill Fellowship research which took him to Milan, Barcelona, Singapore, Hong Kong and China studying the importance of greenspace in the city.
This talk will be held at 1pm on Sunday 16th August. Tickets are free but booking is essential due to limited spaces.
Beardsworth’s Apple Tree Grafting Demonstration Talk
Join Phil, expert tree grafter, from Beardsworth’s Wholesale Nurseries and Garden Centre for a demonstration of Apple Tree Grafting.
The workshop will cover many aspects of the grafting of trees and will be of interest to beginners and enthusiasts alike.
The topics that will be discussed by our grafters are:
-
Why do we graft trees?
-
Rootstock and tree (scion from now on!) compatibility.
-
Preparation and harvesting of scion stock
-
Grafting instruction and demonstration.
-
Aftercare of your grafted tree.
This session will be held at 1pm on Saturday 15th August. Tickets are free but booking is essential due to limited spaces.
Seeds of Hope Supporters
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Seeds of Hope Supporters
