Home in Frome has been awarded a grant of £8,290 from The Big Lottery Fund for an exciting new project.
The Community Threads project will run a series of workshops over the next 10 months in which different generations will come together to share their stories and memories of Frome
Writer, David Davies will be working with pupils from Oakfield School, local volunteers and residents from Keyford Heights and Rowden House to capture stories about our home town.
With help from artist, Mel Day, the participants will develop their ideas into images which will be appliquéd, embroidered and printed onto fabric squares. These will then be joined together to create a beautiful heirloom quilt for Frome.
Students will also have the opportunity to create performances based on the stories with drama facilitator Annabelle Macfadyen.
From March 2015, the project will be opened out to the wider community, so that groups, families and individuals will be able to contribute to the making of a wonderful quilt to be shared with future generations of Frome.
The completed quilt will be on display during Frome Festival 2015 at the Black Swan Gallery.
Home in Frome is an organisation which exists to record, share and celebrate the unique character of Frome as it changes through the ages.
If you are interested with getting involved or want to know more about this project, please have a look at Home in Frome’s website: homeinfrome.org. uk or contact them by emailing, homeinfrome2 @gmail.com or by phoning 01373 466399.
Community threads at Oakfield Academy
Twenty Oakfield Academy Year 8 pupils have been invited to work on the ‘Home in Frome’ community project with local artist Mel Day, drama teacher Annabelle MacFadyen and writer David Davis.
This art/English collaboration called ‘Community Threads’ celebrates Frome and everyone who lives in Frome, sharing in meaningful activities that celebrate the town and its citizens and Oakfield pupils have been the first to sign up to take part.
Members of a local care home were invited into school for pupils to listen to their stories from their past. These stories will now be used as the inspiration for an art workshop (run by Mel Day) in December, when the students will design and make a quilt that illustrates them. The quilt is then going to be displayed at Black Swan Arts in an exhibition during the Frome Festival in 2015.
“It was a joy to see our young people work so well with our senior citizens,” said Ms Stewart, head of art. “Not only did they enjoy listening to tales of days gone by, but their questioning and listening skills were put into practice in an enjoyable and practical way. I am very much looking forward to seeing the stories being recreated visually on the quilt.”
