What's happening at Falkland Centre for Stewardship
Enjoy a wonderful programme of events and activities during the Winter and Spring months. We offer a range of courses and activities to help you explore the beautiful landscape of Falkland Estate, learn or improve woodland craft skills and enjoy 'love food, hate waste' cooking. Sign up for activities as soon as possible because numbers are limited. And don't forget to book 21-22 July in your diary for the Big Tent!
Woodland Spring Events 2012
Wildlife watching * Craft workshops * Community arts * Children’s activities * Volunteering * Skillshare sessions
Woodland awakening!
As part of Fife’s Snowdrop Festival celebrating the first signs of spring, we have an exciting programme of events at Falkland Centre for Stewardship for all ages, including guided walks, craft workshops and wildlife watching.
Finding feathered friends (for ages 7-12) 15th February 10am – 3.30pm
Join Sam, our Woodland Ranger, for an exciting day of creative activities, indoors and (weather permitting!) out in the woods. Learn how to find and identify woodland birds and other wildlife. £15 per child. Lunch not included so please bring a packed lunch.
Craft workshops
Patchwork and appliqué with artist Jan Hendry 5th February 1pm to 3.30pm (adult only workshop).
Taking inspiration from snowdrops and woodland wildlife, learn simple patchwork and appliqué techniques to design and make a small wall hanging, tablemat or bag. Cost £10 adult. This includes all materials.
Felting with textile artist Linzi Knox 19th February 11am to 4pm (adult only workshop).
Using both needle- and wet-felting techniques, make a small wall hanging on a woodland theme. £20 for adults (this includes all materials but bring a packed lunch).
Willow weaving with basketmaker Lise Bech 26th February 10am to 12.30pm (family workshop) and 1pm to 3.30pm (adult only workshop).
Make a spiral bird feeder for your feathered garden visitors, who will be very hungry after the long cold winter months. This simple willow weaving technique can also be used for making other garden structures as Lise will demonstrate. Cost £12.50 for adult + child, £15 for adult + 2 children, £10 adult. This includes all materials.
Basketmaking with Jane Wilkinson 10th & 11th March, 9am-5pm - THIS WORKSHOP IS FULLY BOOKED
Back by popular demand, we are delighted to be able to offer a two-day workshop with Jane. Suitable for beginners and improvers, you will take home a basket with a handle. Cost is £85 and includes all materials but bring your own lunch.
Guided walks
These walks are free but booking is essential. Timings may be changed due to bad weather.
Budding trees 23rd February 10.30am -12.30pm
As winter turns to spring, join Sam, our Woodland Ranger, on this gentle walk looking closely at the trees of Maspie Den as the buds swell and start to open.
Sensory walk 28th February 10.30am -12 noon
This slow ramble along the Tree Trail will engage all our senses in seeking signs of spring as woodland wildlife stirs into new life.
Signs of spring 9th March 10.30am-12.30pm
Another chance to explore the Forest of Falkland with Sam, our Woodland Ranger. Enjoy the snowdrops as they reach their peak and learn about the trees as they burst into leaf.
The inside out woolly tree - Starts on 1st February, 1.30pm to 2.30pm (other times to be arranged to suit participants)
This community arts project will create a whole new species of tree! Using fabulous images that show the microscopic structure of wood, plus what we know of tree roots (up to half the biomass of a tree can be underground!), we’re going to do some tree dressing with a difference. Taking our patterns from nature, we’ll choose a tree on Falkland Estate, knit and crochet its insides and decorate the tree during the Big Tent festival in July so everyone can see the hidden beauty of what lies beneath the bark and underground.
Whether you’re a complete beginner or have some skills already, and whether you’d like to come to meetings or knit/crochet at home (or both), you’ll be welcome to join this group – we’ll need lots of help to cover a whole tree! We’ll also need a lot of wool, so if you have any to donate, please get in touch. If you’re interested, come along on 1st February 1.30-2.30 pm to find out more, or phone 01337 858838 or email info@centreforstewardship.org.uk
Easter Holiday Clubs (for ages 7-12)
2-6th April & 9-13th April 10am-3.30pm
Our Holiday Clubs offer kids the chance to spend a week on Falkland Estate trying out new skills, enjoying outdoor activities and having a great time along the way. Helped by Hazel Darwin Edwards, an experienced performer and puppeteer, and Sam, our Woodland Ranger, the young explorers will plan their own activities and be outdoors as much as weather permits. Activities could include den building and bushcraft, treasure hunts, adventure walks, puppet making, arts and crafts. Cost £85 for week. If you are interested then download the form and return to our office.
Skillshare sessions and suppers
Wednesdays 4-7pm from 22nd February – 28th March
These drop-in sessions will bring together people who want to learn a new skill with others willing to share something they’re good at. It will be up to whoever comes to decide what to do, and there will be opportunities to arrange talks, demonstrations and workshops to learn further skills using ideas that grow from these sessions. Between 6-6.30pm, a simple but hearty supper will be served, using local and organic produce.
Some of the possible activities suggested so far:
Arts & crafts • Knitting, weaving, crochet, patchwork quilting, feltmaking
• Using a sewing machine, mending and alteration
• Nature sketching, collage, clay, photography, nature journaling
• Wood working, hedgerow basketry, bushcraft, drystone dyking
Living off the land • Growing food, wild harvesting, wood fuel, coppicing
• Compost making, green manuring
• Cooking and preserving fruit and vegetables, apple pressing
• Baking and bread making
Other activities • Tools maintenance
• Bicycle repairs and maintenance
• Whatever you would like to see in this list!
We’ll also use the sessions to share tools, equipment, books, materials, surplus garden produce and anything else people are happy to offer!
Accompanied children who want to join in will be welcome. The sessions will be free but a donation for refreshments and heating costs will be requested. There may be a small charge for some materials but these will mostly be reused/ recycled/ shared. If you’re interested in this idea but can’t make these times, please get in touch to see if we can arrange future sessions at times that suit you: info@centreforstewardship.org.uk
‘A world in which we all hold a wider range of practical skills leaves us less at the mercy of disposable goods and built-in obsolescence, and more in a position to shape and fashion the world around us in much more satisfying ways.’
Andrew Simms, The Great Reskilling, Resurgence 269 p 33
Volunteer opportunities A group of Conservation Volunteers meets every Monday to carry out a range of practical tasks around Falkland Estate. There’s a range of tasks to suit everyone so why not come along and try it? There’s also a number of people carrying out wildlife surveys e.g. red squirrels, birds, moths and plants. Training is available for anyone who’d like to learn more about this. It’s a great way to learn more about this beautiful area and get closer to wildlife.
We also need volunteers to help in our new Volunteer and Visitor Centre, opening on Saturday 25th February. Come along between 11am-4pm to find out about the many and varied opportunities to get involved as a volunteer with Falkland Centre for Stewardship. Through the day there will be walks, talks and workshops introducing the range of activities that go on here.
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Woodland events are part of Falkland Centre for Stewardship's woodland learning and development programme. This programme has been kindly funded with support from Scottish Natural Heritage
and Leader in Fife.
