Spell Songs Youth Project

Please note: Due to the impact of COVID-19 we are rescheduling this project but it will go ahead at a future date.

Some of the Jackie Morris original artwork shown below is still available to purchase. Please go to www.thelostwords.org/jackie-morris-originals

The Spell Songs Team are taking the proven inspirational qualities of The Lost Words: A Spell Book and The Lost Words: Spell Songs and reaching out to a diverse group of young people from an inner-city environment, offering them the opportunity to be immersed in the nature, music, art and poetry of both the original Lost Words book and subsequent Spell Songs album.

Working closely with local schools, community groups and youth leaders, we will identify a group of 14-16 year olds, specifically those with the potential to gain most from the project, to form a Spell Songs Youth Group. They will collaborate with three top class musicians - percussionist/composer Adriano Adewale, poet/rapper Casey Bailey and accordionist/teacher/workshop leader Amy Thatcher - and participate in inspiring workshops and field trips, to create their own spell songs in a style that feels meaningful to them. 

We will nurture individual talents, cultural influences and viewpoints. We will learn about their urban perspective of the natural world and engage with their understanding of our current environmental issues as well as providing an immersive musical experience, culminating in a live performance at Birmingham Town Hall.

Through this project we aspire to build self-confidence, develop creative expression, expand environmental awareness, nurture talents and create stunning music!

In creating Spell Songs we have been honoured to work closely with so many talented and generous people, and this is reflected in the wonderful rewards we have on offer. 

Prize draw:
Jackie Morris original inked otters
Sumi Ink & River Water
25 cm x 10 cm
First Edition Spell Songs signed by the authors and artists.

18 March - New rewards from Elly Lucas! A set of 5 art prints from the photographer who has documented the Spell Songs journey from the outset.

Robert Macfarlane has generously donated a hardback copy of Underland and Ness (with hagstone) both to be signed with a personalised dedication. 

We have a number of other rewards for smaller donations, see below and right for details, but we are incredibly lucky and thankful to have more original Jackie Morris artwork to offer as rewards for higher level donations.

Goldfinches, was painted by Jackie in her Pembrokeshire studio and the process was filmed to create the video for Charm on, Goldfinch, the Spell Song inspired by the line from Robert Macfarlane's Goldfinch spell: 'Charm on Goldfinch, charm on. Heaven help us when all your gold is gone',

Goldfinches by Jackie Morris
Watercolour
79 cm x 57 cm

This unique watercolour is an important piece of The Lost Words and Spell Songs history and as such we are asking for a donation of £3,000 or more towards our outreach work. We urge you to watch the video below and enjoy the magic of Jackie painting to Charm on, Goldfinch!

During 2019 Spell Songs enjoyed sell-out performances and standing ovations at iconic venues around the UK. During these performances Jackie Morris joined the band to conjure otters with sumi ink and river water, while reciting the Otter spell from The Lost Words. We have 3 of these pieces of Lost Words history available as part of our crowdfunding.

Available for a donation of £1,000:
Otter painted live on stage during the performance of The Lost Words Spell Songs at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester on 10 February 2019.
Signed by Jackie Morris
Sumi Ink and River Water
75 cm x 56 cm

Available for a donation of £1,500: 
Otters (with tails entwined) painted live on stage during the performance of The Lost Words Spell Songs at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, London on 12 February 2019.
Signed by Jackie Morris
Sumi Ink and River Water
75 cm x 56 cm

Available for a donation of £1,500: 
Otters (nose to nose) painted during the rehearsals of Prom 49 - The Lost Words Prom, The Royal Albert Hall, London on 25 August 2019.
Signed by Jackie Morris
Sumi Ink and River Water
75 cm x 57 cm

Spell Songs Rewards:
Folk by the Oak festival team are pleased to donate 20 signed copies of Spell Songs, 5 copies of the limited edition box set vinyl, (which usually retails at £66) and 20 Spell Songs tour posters. Do look out for the Folk by the Oak bundles with festival tickets and goodies too!

Among the many generous beings we have had the pleasure of working with during the course of Spell Songs are the team at Graffeg Publishing. We asked for their support for our outreach work and they didn’t disappoint! 

Graffeg have kindly donated a limited edition signed print ‘First Flight’ by Jackie Morris, and a copy of Geiriau Diflanedig, the Welsh language version of The Lost Words, signed by all three authors: Mererid Hopwood, Jackie Morris, Robert Macfarlane. In addition, we have a range of beautiful Lost Words and Jackie Morris postcard and gift card sets

We are also incredibly grateful to our friends at Songlines Magazine, who have donated 10 digital subscriptions worth £55 each, available for donations of £50 or more. 

And for the jigsaw lovers among you, we have the support of Galileo, who have donated 2 of these beautiful jigsaws.

There's more rewards to be enjoyed than we have space to list here, including signed CDs by our amazing Spell Singers, so be sure to check them all out, and follow us on social media to hear when new rewards are added!