Story-Sharing and Nature Art and Poetry at Rainham Hall, National Trust

Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd June

Come along to Rainham Hall Community Garden for a weekend of story-sharing and nature-inspired art and poetry.

Entry to the garden is free. To book a place on the Natural Dye Solar Jars or Go Wild with Words sessions, please visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/london/rainham-hall. Rainham Story Book, leaf and flower pounding, and the poetry slam are all free, just come along.

Rainham Hall, The Broadway, Rainham, RM13 9YN

For further information email rainhamhall@nationaltrust.org.uk or telephone 01708 525579.

 

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Saturday 22nd June, 11.00am – 4.00pm

Rainham Story Book

You can help to make / create Rainham’s Story Book.

Come and take part in story writing (both fact and fiction) and bring your story to life through drawing.

Taking inspiration from Fens, Forests and Fields; a partnership project between Thames Chase Community Forest and arts organisation Kinetika, which collected 100 stories to celebrate our community.

The Rainham story flags from this project will be on display showing the incredible stories and memories already captured. Looking at Rainham’s past or stories from today share your stories and add to a Rainham Story Book.

Tickets: Free, no booking required.
All ages welcome.

 

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Sunday 23rd June

Using natural materials found in the gardens, take part in leaf and flower pounding to create a beautiful card.

Then try a poetry workshop with author and poet Justin Coe to create your own nature inspired poem.

Learn about the solar jar natural dye process and create your own jar to take home to ‘stew’ for at least one month before opening to reveal your unique colour.

 

11.00am-3.00pm
Leaf and flower pounding

Join us for noisy, energetic and fun leaf and flower pounding. A great way to get the natural pigments of the leaves and flowers into fabric to create beautiful designs.

Tickets: Free, no booking required.
All ages welcome. Adult supervision required.

 

11.30am-12.15pm and 1.45pm-2.30pm
Making Natural Dye Solar Jars

Using just the UV light of the sun, solar dyeing uses natural dyes from plants to create beautiful colours on yarn, fibre and fabric. Join us as we guide you through this step-by-step process to choose leaves, flowers and materials to create your own solar jar. Take your jar home and leave it closed for at least one month before revealing beautiful, coloured materials.

Adults age 16+.

£5 per jar, bookable online at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/london/rainham-hall

 

11.45am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-2.15pm
Go Wild with Words

Take your words for a walk on the wild side with this busy-buzzy, fun and family-friendly poetry workshop with poet and performer Justin Coe.

Write an unruly rhyme or an excitable ramble inspired by your awesome outdoor adventures today at Rainham Hall. Justin can help you to prune your poem into a tidy verse and / or a neat haiku, perfect to fit into the card you made earlier. Or perhaps you’ll want to keep your words wild, all the better to shout out at this afternoon’s live and untamed poetry sharing.

Tickets: £2 per person, bookable online at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/london/rainham-hall
Family friendly.

 

3.00-3.30pm
Go Wild with Words Poetry Slam Sharing

Justin Coe reads his fantastic poetry and invites audience members to share their own poems.

Justin Coe is a poet and spoken word theatre creator, specialising in work for young audiences.
For over twenty-five years, Justin has shared his passion for puckish poetics and heartfelt humour, entertaining and educating everywhere, from Sheppey to Shanghai and from The Savoy Hotel to street corners and a sitting room made entirely out of newspaper.

He is the author of The Dictionary of Dads (Otter-Barry Books, 2017) and The Magic of Mums (2020) and the writer/performer of ten family shows, including The House That Jackson Built (with Half Moon Theatre), a play inspired by Justin’s love of libraries.

Tickets: Free

Photo of Justin Coe © Suzi Corker (suzicorker.com)

 

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Rainham Hall, The Broadway, Rainham, RM13 9YN

Entry to the garden is free. To book a place on the Natural Dye Solar Jars or Go Wild with Words sessions, please visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/london/rainham-hall. Rainham Story Book, leaf and flower pounding, and the poetry slam are all free, just come along.

For further information email rainhamhall@nationaltrust.org.uk or telephone 01708 525579.