News / Broadmead
New festival brings Broadmead to life this Easter
Visitors to Broadmead over the Easter holidays might encounter a few in-tree-guing characters.
Families out shopping are in for a treat as gigantic woodland wanderers step out to bring the city centre’s concrete carapace to life.
The walkabout performance is part of a new community arts festival featuring nature, sustainability and creativity.
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Wandering trees will be bringing Broadmead and the Horse Fair to life over the Easter break – photo: BNHC
Woodland of Wonder will celebrate the natural world with a variety of free workshops, performances and exhibitions at Sparks alternative department store and John Wesley’s New Room.
Visitors can join urban nature photography walks, make junk bugs and seed bombs, and view an exhibition of trees made using recycled and sustainable materials by children from local schools.
There’ll be a chance to sit in the new wellbeing space in Sparks’ Nature department and add a leaf with their own thoughts to the giant interactive artwork by local artist Farrah Fortnam.
Farrah has hung old records amongst the trees inside the department, on which she’s painted representations of the benefits trees bring to the planet including locking in carbon, providing a haven for wildlife, enhancing mental wellbeing and improving both soil health and air quality. Trees reduce air pollution in the city by 50 per cent.
A first look at the Soarks Department of Nature kitted out in foliage and tree-themed artworks ready for the Woodland of Wonder festival – credit: Sparks Bristol
“We’re excited to host Woodland of Wonder in Sparks Bristol as it fits so well with some of our core aims – to share the value of nature and to improve wellbeing,” said Sparks co-director Jenny Foster.
“We hope that visitors taking part will be inspired to protect the natural world, and enjoy some moments of beauty and reflection in the busy shopping environment of the city centre. ”
Activities and exhibitions are running from Wednesday to Saturday over April 3-6 and 10-13. Stiltwalkers will be performing around Broadmead and the Horsefair on Saturday, April 6 and 13. Photography walks must be pre-booked but all other activities are drop-in.
As well as the artworks of local school children on display, the inside of the John Wesley New Room and its courtyard has been decorated with colourful recycled materials – photo: John Wesley New Room
Vivienne Kennedy from Broadmead Business Improvement District (BID) said: “Following 10 years of Easter trails co-produced with John Wesley’s New Room and the Methodist Church, we’re very pleased to also be partnering with Sparks Bristol for Woodland of Wonder.
“We’re particularly looking forward to seeing the artwork created by local schoolchildren and the images collected by the participants on our photography walks – we want them to look closely for the nature in the heart of the city centre.”
Find the full activity timetable at sparksbristol.co.uk/events/woodland-of-wonder
Main photo: Ursula Billington
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