About

River Roots was a three-year collaborative intergenerational creative project taking place between schools and vulnerable adult groups across Herefordshire.

Led by artist Lucy Baxendale, with support from Associate Artists Jenny Hope, Adam Blake and Bym Welthy, sessions include working with visual arts, movement and music, and follow the theme of rivers and the environment surrounding them.

River Roots also took place remotely with Ross Young Carers and The Hub at St Peter’s.

St Marys School, Fownhope & Brockhampton Care Home

In 2019, Adam and Bym worked with year 3 at St Mary’s School who created a story about Sammy the Salmon’s mission to stop a naughty frog called Jeffrey Robertson from bullying everyone along the river.

The children wrote a performance and songs based on their story which they then performed interactively for the residents at Brockhampton Court using some fun masks they made for their characters.

Madley School & Dulas Court Care Home

Sessions with Madley year 5s have involved an exploration of items that might be found in a river, including things we shouldn’t find, such as plastic bottles and the recent discovery of microplastics in the River Wye.

Children worked on some poems and stories with Jenny Hope based on this theme, and then met Dulas Court residents to hear their river-based memories, and create some more poems with them.

A visual arts response to the theme then enabled children and residents to work together to create a river scene, and fish from plastic milk bottles which were then decorated with their poems.

Bym & Jenny worked together to create words to put to music, using instruments from Bym’s plastic band. All of these activities came together in a culmination at a celebratory event for all involved.

Pontrilas Dementia Friendly Cafe

We’ve worked with local members of the community in intergenerational workshops to create items that can be made to use in the café.

Participants made decorative stained glass effect leaves for glass doors, and ceramic sugar bowls and jugs. We’ve also used jesmonite and printed table cloths in sessions for the public.

Ross Young Carers

Ross Young Carers have done a variety of different activities, from making woodland inspired monsters and pinch pots, from clay to making instruments from lollypop sticks, and playing instruments from Bym’s plastic band.

We worked with Ross Young Carers to make elements for our float for Ross River Carnival.

Credits

Produced by Wyldwood Arts in partnership with Wye Valley River Festival. Supported with Funding from BBC Children in Need.

Partners

Faulkner House, Herefordshire Housing, Fownhope

St Mary's Primary School, Fownhope

Pontrilas Dementia Cafe, Ewyas Harold

Young Carers, Ross-on-Wye

Dulas Court Care Home, Madley

Madley Primary School

Ross-on-Wye Festival