Breathing   S  p  a  c  e  s

ANOTHER EVENING IN WARRINGTON Carl Peploe The sun sets in a big red ball over Orford gas works. All the drunks are feeling small. So are all the jerks. Next the moon rises, full and like a globe. Women come out in search of their cats in their bright pink robes. Over there, there is a noise – someone’s coming to harm in the direction of Densham Avenue. It raises great alarm. It’s another night: the stars are out and the wind is cold, the Orford yobs give y

As part of the workshops that we are running with Elizabeth Gaskell's House as part of their Bicentenary of Ruskin's birth I wanted to read some Ruskin's original texts. This year Ruskin and elements of his thought and writing are being discussed and responded to as part of the celebrations that are seeing many of the cities cultural institutions putting on events : https://www.ruskinprize.co.uk/manchester Apparently Ruskin was not fond of Manchester - in the mid 19th Century

A RECIPE Adele Fowles Bring together one crystal clear free-flowing river with sandy banks, an overhanging willow tree and one small secluded beach. Discard any washed-up debris and switch to silent mode (to ensure all bird song is heard). Liberally scatter with shards & flashes & sparks of brilliant bright light healing herbs & rock salt. Now allow time for deepest rest For expansion

The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside has partnered up with Manchester City Council to celebrate and improve the wildlife and wild spaces right on our doorstep as part of a project called My Wild City (you can find out more about the project here). We have created a short survey which will help to shape the new 10-year vision for biodiversity in Manchester and are working hard to ensure that as many people as possible can have their say for wildli

As well as running the Breathing Spaces project this year, we are also very fortunate to have been asked to run a series of drawing and photography workshops for Elizabeth Gaskell's House as part of their celebration events for the bicentenary of Ruskin’s birth. Previously we ran a mindful drawing workshop, one month ago, and the weather was a bit dreary and it drizzled quite a lot. Yesterday could not have been more different. The sun shone down on us and illuminated our env

POEM Wayne Old trees I can see very clear, Listening to different birds singing and nesting down the years. I can smell flowers sat under this old tree. I am just a person, not a bumble bee, feeling a breeze in the air! But just sat here I don’t care. DUSK Len Kids running, crunching the paths. Animals shrieking and feeding from earth. Flowers opening. Garlic in your nose. Garlic on your fingers. Garlic in your mouth. Garlic in your pockets. The dusk

Images by Mikie Thompson taken during the Dusk Chorus walk at Parrs Wood Environmental Centre, for International Dawn Chorus Day 5/5/19

Mindful Drawing Workshops with Naomi Kendrick 11th of June & 9th of July 2-5pm, St Luke’s Longisght Two drop in drawing workshops for you to try out drawing into the crumpled surfaces of paper, a relaxing process that results in drawings that hint of winter trees, maps and the body. We will be making a shared scroll drawing on tissue paper and there will also be the opportunity to explore making drawings with natural objects and clay as well as trying out different types of p

To what extent is our mental health related to our environmental conditions? Is there a causal relationship between environment and mental health? To realised spiritual masters the environment is not a factor in their well-being or mental state. In fact, for these people it is said that if your heart is calm and pure everywhere is the Pureland. We could even go further and say that people who have truly realised inner peace can themselves affect the environment, people report

Inspired by the word charts collected from the Dusk Chorus on Sunday evening.