A free, regular group for people interested in exploring the plants that grow all around us – especially those that are often overlooked!
Through relaxed walks around Aylsham, and gentle crafting sessions, we’ll discover the plants growing in our area, and learn about them over a cuppa and a chat.
Join us on monthly Friday and Saturday afternoons.
What to expect?
Our group will run twice a month.
Plant Potters – Fridays 1pm – 3.30pm
Meeting once a month at Aylsham Library
This monthly session will involve walking outside to discover and identify plants growing in different areas of the town centre. We might discover small plots and patches of green space that would appreciate our care- by picking up any litter we find, or by sowing more plants, if we have permission.
After pottering around the town, we’ll return to the library to research and explore the properties, stories, histories and folklore of the plants we’ve encountered, over a cuppa and a biscuit. Together we’ll produce a digital ‘Plant Story Map’, which will grow and develop during the year, as we discover and sow more plants across the town.
Plant Playdates – Saturdays, 1pm – 3.30pm
Meeting once a month at the Friends Meeting House (after Mend With Friends)
Our second monthly session will be a creative workshop, where we’ll experiment together making simple plant ‘recipes’, using or inspired by some of the plants we’ve discovered during our Friday afternoon Plant Potters. We might be working with:
- edible plants, that can be used for food or medicine
- creative plants, to make dyes, inks, paints, brushes and prints
- practical plants, to make textiles, tools, string, and soaps
- plants with interesting histories, local meanings, stories, and folklore!
Together, we’ll design and make a set of plant ‘Recipe cards’ to share our new plant knowledge and skills with other people in the community.
Make, Grow + Mend project. If you would like to find out more, you can visit our website, find us on Facebook, or follow our updates on Instagram.
If you’d like more information about Make, Grow + Mend, or anything else we do, we would love you to get in touch – send us an email to hello@wastesmiths.co.uk.
Who is Make, Grow + Mend for:
The group is for people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds – the only requirement is that you’re interested in plants, creativity, community, drinking tea or coffee, or having a chat!
You might already have some plant-related knowledge, e.g. experience of foraging or growing or other plant-related crafts, or you might have none at all. Everyone is welcome – whether you’re a seasoned horticulturalist or a newbie plant enthusiast, we’d love you to join us.
These sessions are aimed at adults, but under-18s are very welcome, as long as they are accompanied by an adult. Small children/babies are very welcome to be with us.
Accessibility:
The Friday afternoon sessions will usually involve some walking in and around Aylsham town centre. We may also be litter-picking, and sowing seeds on some occasions. It is possible that we may not be able to make every aspect of every activity physically accessible for everyone, but we will work to make everything as accessible as we can.
If you would like to participate, and you have specific access needs, or any questions related to access, please get in touch and we will do our very best to adjust our sessions for your needs. You can reach us by sending an email to hello@wastesmiths.co.uk.
Also, as we will be providing refreshments for these sessions, please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions or allergies that we need to be aware of.
Carers and support workers are very welcome to join us!
What do you need to bring with you?
All the materials and equipment for the activities will provided, so you don’t need to bring anything with you to join in. We will provide a hot drink as part of the session and you are welcome to bring your own reusable cup.
Wastesmiths C.I.C. 