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WildWrights: Making Creative Connections to Nature
Liverpool, England, United Kingdom
Aim
The WildWrights programme helps young minds bloom through creative writing and sensory activities in the natural oasis of a walled garden.
What are we doing?
WILDWRIGHTS brings people and nature together through the power of creative writing.
We're launching an exciting pilot programme to hold four seasonal creative writing workshops at the beautiful Sudley Walled Garden in Liverpool. These interactive workshops will allow people of all ages to come and forge meaningful connections with nature by tapping into their creativity.
Armed with a fun Expedition Guide full of imaginative, sensory prompts, we will explore the garden's rich biodiversity and collaborate with natural elements – from the soil beneath our feet to the clouds above our heads – to inspire original poetry and prose.
By really focusing our senses and forging an intimate bond with an element of nature, we can create beautiful works of writing to be shared online and in print.
Why are we doing this?
Creative writing in a natural setting can be amazingly beneficial for our emotional health and wellbeing.
Immersing ourselves in nature has been scientifically shown to reduce anxiety, elevate mood, and promote an overall sense of calm. The sights, sounds, and scents of the walled garden create a soothing, restorative escape from the stresses of everyday life.
Focusing our senses on the living beauty around us – the flutter of a butterfly, the texture of a leaf – encourages mindfulness, keeping us grounded and present in the moment. This can be incredibly therapeutic.
Being part of a supportive community sharing the experience of nature also forges great social connections vital to emotional health. And tapping into our creativity by capturing our thoughts and feelings through writing can be so liberating.
Who are we?
We are Theatre in the Rough. We create original work that connects young people to nature and the environment.
In today's world, nature and culture too often feel disconnected. We're aiming to bring them together. We take an interdisciplinary approach, combining many art forms to reflect the complexity of the natural world.
The young people we work with care deeply about the environment. Their values inform our process. Through theatre, these voices share vital messages about protecting our shared home, Earth.
Our project partner, Growing Sudley CIC, which runs Sudley Walled Garden, is a social space whose mission is community health, wellbeing, and play. They work with over 200 local community members and groups, through therapeutic horticulture, community herbalism, and nature therapy.
Save Our Wild Isles Community Fund has provided £880 of match funding
Aviva Employee Giving has provided £400 of match funding
Solus Employee Giving has provided £30 of match funding
This project successfully funded on 27th October 2023