Make Your Own Festive Willow Decorations

In this morning workshop, you'll get hands-on and create unique festive decorations like Christmas trees, stars or reindeer. Using a traditional Scandinavian design, they can be strung together to great effect. Alternatively, you can ‘mount’ your creations in willow ‘pots’ for really unusual Christmas ornaments that will last for years.

Materials and festive refreshments are included.

Your host will meet you outside the main gates on Ransom Road, so please wait there.

These sessions take place in the beautiful setting of the Community Orchard at St Ann's Allotments. The workshop will be outdoors so please wrap up warm and dress for the weather.

Capacity: The maximum group size will be 10 people.

Tickets: The ticket price includes materials, tea, coffee and mulled refreshments and festive treats! All tools will be provided.

Facilities: A compost toilet is available at the Orchard with hand sanitizer for hand washing.

Clothing: Although the workshop will take place inside our Strawbale building, please wrap up warm and wear comfortable footwear. The garden is a 5-minute walk from the entrance to the allotments.

Parking: There is free roadside parking along Ransom Road.

Contact: If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact the organiser Kayleigh [email protected]

Lucy is a long-term staff member, often found supporting volunteers and welcoming groups. She is the lead for all aspects of horticulture, nature and volunteering.

She is experienced in delivering all kinds of training, and particularly enthusiastic about gardening and nature.

Alongside the day job, Lucy has been weaving willow for over a decade and loves the combination of traditional crafts with gardening and wildlife, especially using natural materials. Lucy will readily digress into side-crafts you can make with offcuts. Whilst Lucy has certainly constructed a basket or 2, she finds the joy of creating plant supports and ornamental structures the most satisfying, and aims to help you find your own style!

This workshop will be run from the garden next to our Strawbale Building on the Community Orchard. This unique building is hand-built from bales of straw and weatherproofed with clay sourced on site. It’s also off-grid, being naturally insulated by a living roof, with solar panels and a log-burner.

The Community Orchard is a garden maintained by STAA for educational purposes featuring a variety of mature fruit trees, many of them heritage varieties, and also includes a pond and a stream.

St Ann’s Allotments are Grade 2* Listed by Historic England, and designated an Area of Importance for Nature Conservation. It is the oldest and largest are of Victorian detached town gardens in the UK, with over 700-years of history, 500 gardens, and 32 miles of hedgerow.

This event is organised by STAA, a small charity that manages a number of highly regarded projects across 30+ plots at St Ann's Allotments that provide community benefit and offering a wide variety of volunteering opportunities.

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