Picnic in the Park

Friends of Chinley Park Celebratory Day!

Jim Lampard led an afternoon of music making at the Picnic in the Park in Chinley Park on Saturday 30th June 2012. Weird and wonderful scrap musical instruments were made under Jim’s expert guidance.

This event was a great one to be involved with, not only because it was a celebration of all the hard work that people in Padfield had done to create a fantastic play park, but also because it was the first Yurt event so far this summer where the sun shone!

Local Storyteller Gordon McLellan provided some fantastical stories inside the Yurt adding another dimension to this fun filled family event. There were games, races, circus skills, acoustic music, treasure trails and much much more. There was also a great sense of achievement and community. people living locally had not only organised the event but had worked to create the play park, it really was a smashing event to be part of and well done to everyone that took part in the play park project and the day.

Chernobyl Children’s Project

Chernobyl Children’s Project (UK) works in Belarus, the country most heavily affected by the nuclear disaster of 1986.

Local groups throughout Britain host children and teenagers for recuperative holidays away from their contaminated homeland. Many of these children are in remission from cancer and we also supply medicines for the cancer hospital in Minsk and support the children’s home hospice movement.

This year on July 27th 2012 HPCA provided a 2 hour workshop for children visiting the High Peak from Chernobyl and their host families.

We made masks, cartoons, collage and games with children enjoying the activities and mums and dads from Russia and the High Peaks getting a chance to talk and share experiences as well as having a well earned cup of tea and a biscuit.

Artist Paul Gent led the session, children engaged and played and we even practiced a little Russian with varying degree of success. The families went on to enjoy a boat trip in Whaley Bridge after the arts session. The workshop took place in the Mechanics Institute in Whaley Bridge and a big thanks to them, we had great facilities for our activities and for all the children and families to enjoy themselves.

Whaley Bridge Water Festival June 8th-12th 2012

The Whaley Bridge Water festival is a fantastic opportunity for families with children of all ages and makes for a great weekend that includes local bands, dance, stalls, animal and bird shows, a traditional Punch and Judy show, traction engine displays and fairground rides.

This year HPCA took its wonder yurt out to add to the entertainment with local artist Jim Medway who specialises in comic book making and cartoons leading a great workshop getting everyone drawing their very own Whaley Bridge Water Festival Cartoon Character.

The rain came down, but the yurt held up and Jim helped over 150 children and adults create cartoon creatures great and small.