Delivering events and supporting volunteers to engage communities in the Brecks with all areas of the scheme: history, geography, wildlife, heritage skills, crafts and the arts.
Delivery Lead Organisation: BFER Delivery team supported by contracted delivery providers
In July 2023, BFER supported Drake Primary School to facilitate creative workshops for a school-wide project about litter pollution in rivers. The school conducted litter picking activities along the riverside of Thetford with pupils and engaged with Thetford River Group, who supplied them with litter extracted from the rivers to use in/inspire artworks. The pupils worked with a rapper to create a rap about preventing pollution, choreographed dances, and created artworks inspired by the river and keeping it litter free. BFER funded two days of creative workshops with willow weavers in Thetford town centre in a disused shop, which was then used as a public gallery to showcase the pupils’ work. The exhibition was opened to the public – and you can take a virtual walk-through below.
In 2022, the whole of Drake Primary School (from nursery up to Year 6) spent a week working with a local artist to create botanical art.
In all, 468 pupils learned about Brecks riverside plants. Each class focused on a different plant, learning about its habitat and qualities and how to draw it. The school entered their finished artworks into the Jubilee Art Competition (held by Norfolk Gardens Trust and judged by Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk, Lady Dannatt). The school succeeded in winning the Special Art Prize for overall best school (resulting in a prize of £200), and a Year 5 pupil won second place!
“I didn’t know what to say, I was amazed…I think the key is try hard and don’t give up” – the Year 5 student in 2nd place
The school has used the prize money to hold additional art workshops, following the river theme, and run their own independent project to create a river themed heritage trail with the pupils. The school also created a special podcast episode to celebrate the botanical art project, which you can listen to below.
To develop three geographically diverse Delivery Hubs, with a variety of satellite locations that act as the primary sites to engage with the community on the following BFER themes: History, Geography, Wildlife, Heritage skills and crafts, The Arts
To provide support to the delivery projects across the Scheme by developing an engagement and volunteer hub that support the project
Objectives:
This project enabled engagement across the BFER scheme – incorporating all of the main BFER themes and covering the whole project area – by developing an engagement and volunteer hub. It also developed strong delivery hubs in Thetford and West Stow and numerous satellite locations such as Brandon, Mildenhall, Lakenheath and Knettishall Heath. This aimed to showcase the varied landscapes of the Brecks, as well as BFER delivery partner sites and organisations. BFER worked closely with project partners as well as wider local stakeholders, to offer a broad range of activities and events, including guided walks, creative workshops, and talks. These were advertised predominantly to the general public.
This project also hosted a Volunteer Hub on the BFER website, promoting volunteering opportunities across the Brecks and providing a place for volunteers to share their experiences of volunteering through blog posts.
Overall, the project engaged with over 50 volunteers and 5353 people. This was through 141 events which included work with 28 schools.
