What treasures will you discover at the farm?! We will be joined by members of South Lancashire and Cheshire Metal Detecting Club for a practical introduction to Metal Detecting.
During this practical half day workshop, the South Lancs & Cheshire Metal Detecting Club will guide beginners through the fundementals of metal detecting, teach us how to document our findings and introduce us to ethical practices. Supported by members of the group, you will head into one of our fields where you can put your learning into practice and develop your technique under the guidance of more experienced detectorists. Bring your treasure back to our Detectorist Finds Table in the barn!
This workshop is suitable for beginners. All equipment will be provided.
This activity is suitable for all ages however, please be mindful that it does involve walking across uneven ground for over an hour and being outdoors in all weathers so it might not suit everyone!
Please dress for the outdoors; we reccomend wearing sturdy shoes like wellies or walking boots and waterproofs.
You must register to come to this event. Please visit our website to secure your place.
The South Lancs & Cheshire Metal Detecting Club is reputed to be one of the oldest and one of the more successful Detecting Clubs in the UK. Founded in the autumn of 1978, the group work with farmers and land owners to coordinate metal detecting days for it’s members. Through their work, the group have raised thousands of pounds for various Charitable causes. The SLC meet on the first Wednesday of each month at St Basil’s Parish Centre on Hough Green Rd, Widnes WA8 4SZ from 8pm.
All the family are welcome to Kindling Farm at dusk for a chance to spot these incredible aerial acrobats!
Guided by Tony, the Halewood Triangle Park Ranger, you will learn about the different species living in the UK and how to use a bat detector before venturing out into the fields where we will survey the night sky for bats! Join us from the earlier time of 5.30pm for hot chocolate in the barn!
This activity is suitable for all ages however, please be mindful that it does involve some walking across uneven ground and being outdoors in all weathers for over an hour, so it might not suit everyone!
This activity will finish no later than 8pm but please note that we might finish earlier depending on the amount of bat activity on that evening.
Much like us humans, bats are not a fan of rainy and windy conditions and are unlikely to venture outdoors in bad weather. We will be keeping a close eye on the weather forecast and be in touch as soon as possible if we need to cancel or rearrange this event.
Please dress for the outdoors; we recommend sturdy shoes like wellies or walking boots and waterproofs.
You must register for this event. Please visit our website to secure your place.
From preserves to pickles, curing and kimchi, people have been finding ways to prolong the life of fruit & veg for centuries. At this heritage taster day, we’ll be exploring smart ways to reduce food waste and make the most of your harvest using traditional preserving methods.
Join us in our field kitchen for a day of demos, tutorials and workshops with independent chefs, local community kitchens and foodie practitioners:
Fancy fermenting? Lucy Antal from The Alchemist Kitchen will be leading a 30 minute practical workshop teaching us the ancient art of making Kimchi. Up to 12 spaces available on a first-come-first served basis. Take your kimchi home to enjoy!
Campfire cooking with practitioner and farm member, Ali Holden who will be setting up a camp fire in the courtyard where you can try your hand at cooking jam over an open fire.
Join us in our field kitchen for a ‘waste not, want not’ demo with Greg from Eat Up Gud who’ll be cooking up exciting Caribbean dishes using produce from our fields including our glut of courgettes!
The Kindling Farm Market Stall will be open to buy fresh, seasonal produce grown at the farm.
There are two opportunities to attend this event. You can book a time slot between 10am-12.30pm or 2-4.30pm.
You must register to come to this event. Please visit our website to secure your place.
Join us to create symbols of freedom in flight! Create your own multi media sculptures and photo-collage on large scale paper spread across the gallery walls to collectively explore freedom. In response to Lou Miller’s use of birds in her exhibition We Dream of Our Freedom, this drop-in workshop encourages you to use recycled materials to craft sculptures and layer mixed-media winged pieces!
Draw, stick or build your metaphors for freedom, taking inspiration from the poem Freedom Road by Simon Armitage, which you can view here.
There will also be an opportunity to create postcards and to contribute towards a communal zine to collectively explore freedom.
Free, drop in
Join photographers Yaqeen Amir, Anoosh Ariemhar and Open Eye Gallery for a free drop-in portrait session.
The photographers will have a range of images of historic and local landmarks, objects and wider imagery connecting to the theme of freedom to explore and project onto Bluecoat’s gallery walls.
Children and families are invited to select their preferred image/s and have a free portrait (or silhouette portrait if you want to remain anonymous) with the image.
A copy of the image will be available to take home on the day. A selection of images from the workshop will be displayed as part of a national photography exhibition celebrating the wider Our Freedom Then and Now programme.
There will also be a drop in opportunity to create postcards and to contribute towards a communal zine to collectively explore freedom, taking inspiration from the poem Freedom Road by Simon Armitage which you can view here.
Free, drop in
Join us for a hands on screen-printing workshop to celebrate the launch of our new exhibition, We Dream of Our Freedom by Lou Miller. This special drop-in screen printing workshop takes inspiration from the poem Freedom Road by Simon Armitage which you can view here.
Roll up your sleeves and print posters with the artist on paper for free, or a tote bag or tee shirt for a suggested £3 donation, and leave with something made by hand. All materials are provided, and Lou will be on hand to guide you through each step.
There will also be an opportunity to create postcards and to contribute towards a communal zine to collectively explore freedom.
Free, drop in
One winter morning, Peter woke up and looked out the window
Snow had fallen during the night. It covered everything as far as he could see.
Discover a world blanketed in wonder in this brand-new dance adaptation of ‘The Snowy Day’, inspired by the award winning picture book by Ezra Jack Keats. Join Peter as he crunches through the snowy streets of his New York neighbourhood, in this intimate icy adventure.
Brought to life by Polka Theatre and Can’t Sit Still, the award nominated company behind ‘Oh No, George!’, ‘The Snowy Day’ is specially designed for 1-4 year olds and their grown-ups, featuring one dancer and original music by singer/songwriter Rob Green. Join us to experience the magic of fresh snowfall in Keats’ classic, heartwarming tale.
The Liverpool School of Art, the second oldest School of Art in England and creative heart of this city, turns 200 years old in 2025! As part of the Being Human Festival and as one of the many celebrations for the School’s bicentenary, you’re invited to participate in making a huge map to identify the people and organisations which connect in any way, shape, form, or time to the School since its formation in 1825 – discovering the creative ecosystem of Liverpool’s art education history in the process.
This event will run concurrently with the exhibition Back to the Drawing Board: 200 Years of Art Education based in the same building, and will hopefully contribute to further exhibit work as part of the ongoing celebration activities.
- Fri 7 Nov 13:00-16:00
- Sat 15 Nov 11:00-14:00
Mount Pleasant Campus Library 29 Maryland StL1 9DE
All are welcome – you don’t have to have been a student at the Liverpool School of Art to attend! Light refreshments will be provided.
The building is wheelchair accessible, but please email archives@ljmu.ac.uk if you have any specific access questions or concerns.
If you can’t make the event but are still interested in the Liverpool School of Art’s history, LJMU Special Collections & Archives manage the archival papers of the School which are available to browse here, and you can visit anything from our many collections by appointment anytime Mon-Fri 10:00-16:00.
This event is part of Being Human Festival, the UK’s national festival of the humanities, taking place 6 – 15 November 2025. Led by the School of Advanced Study, University of London, with generous support from Research England, in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy. For further information please see https://www.beinghumanfestival.org/
The Dorothy Kuya Walking Tour explores the impact of Dorothy Kuya’s anti-racist activism in modern Britain as we explore the Liverpool and the L8 area.
Dorothy Kuya (1933-2013) was one of Liverpool most prolific anti racist campaigners whose activism spanned seven decades. Born in Liverpool to a West African father and white English mother, Dorothy was aware of racial discrimination from a young age. At 13 she began attending Young Communist League meetings and would stay a dedicated and respected member of the CPGB until the 1980s. Inspired by the anticolonial sentiment of her youth and the pan-African radicals living in the North West, Dorothy would also go on to become an important member of the Movement for Colonial Freedom (now Liberation) and the National Assembly of Women. Dorothy had a local, national and international profile. As the first Race Relations advisor for Haringey Council, working closely with former MP Bernie Grant and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. In Liverpool, Dorothy was a formidable member of the Granby Residents Association and integral to the development of the Atlantic Slave Trade gallery, the International Slavery Museum and Slavery Remembrance Day.
Learn more about the Dorothy Kuya Archive here and you can visit the archive at the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool.
Starting point: Corner of Falkner and Catherine Street, L8 7NE
End point: Jermyn Street, L8 2XA
The Great War to Race Riots tour explores anti-Black race riots that occurred in Liverpool and other seaports across the country in 1919.
This tour covers the area now known as Chinatown and the Baltic Triangle, which at the beginning of the 20th century was a densely populated and multicultural neighbourhood known locally as ‘sailor town.’ The tour follows the last journey of Charles Wotton, a young Bermudan seafarer who was murdered during the race riots. It finishes at the Queens Dock where Charles was chased into the River Mersey.
During the tour we present press reports from the run up and aftermath of the riots which, although over 100 years old, echo the fear-mongering of today. The tensions around the immediate post WWI economic slump, industrial unrest and mass demobilisation were manipulated so that Black people become the scapegoat, culminating in the racial violence on the streets of Liverpool. In August of this year, history was repeated when race rioting broke out, fuelled by the ‘divide and rule’ tactics of the politicians and the mainstream media. The events of 1919 contain important lessons for today.
The Great War to Race Riots book is available here, containing the full archive and original documents surrounding the 1919 riots.
Starting point: Chinese Arch, Nelson Street, L1 5DW
End point: Queens Dock, L3 4BX
*These are difficult times. We know some people may struggle to afford full price tickets. If you would like to attend this event but can’t afford to, please contact info@writingonthewall.org.uk. All queries will be treated in confidence.
