00:00I'm Lydia, I'm one of the co-directors of Fruitworks Co-operative and we're here today
00:05at Kirkstall Abbey Community Orchard running an art workshop as part of our series of art
00:11workshops across this autumn. We've been in Chapel Town, Wortley, Kirkstall and Bramley
00:19and it's been a range of different activities, so learning watercolours and sketching like
00:24we're doing today, singing workshops, embroidery and it's just been an opportunity for people
00:31to come into these community spaces rather than just doing practical work, we're here
00:36to just enjoy the space. Studies have shown that despite us being a nation of dog walkers
00:42and gardeners, we are actually very nature depleted here in the UK. It seems that being in nature,
00:49walking through nature, maybe on a dog walk daily, isn't having the effect of observing
00:57and caring and noticing the damages of the climate and ecological emergency. What we need to form
01:06that connection is an emotional connection and that often comes through the arts. So we are
01:10bringing local people into local green spaces and facilitating their ability to just take
01:19time to stop and observe, to connect with what's around them.
01:23Leeds is one of the cities with the most community orchards. I think outside of London it's got the
01:28most community orchards of any city in England, reaching over over 100 in the last year or two.
01:34And this is such a fantastic example of a lovely community orchard. The trees are really well cared for.
01:40A lot of orchard work is about, it's about the people more than the trees. So a space where there
01:46are
01:46people coming together to care for the space and enjoy the space, eat and enjoy the fruits,
01:53that's what makes a really successful community orchard in my view.
01:56They've got clipboards, there are picnic blankets, there are chairs and everybody is just kind of
02:03either doing their own thing or they've met somebody and they're sharing the paint palette together
02:09and they're sat just in this beautiful sunshine painting, observing, looking, breathing, taking a moment
02:15just to enjoy the morning. We've been so lucky to work with amazing local artists who've brought
02:23those incredible facilitation skills and knowledge of their craft to share more widely and they've made
02:31it so accessible to people. These workshops have been really powerful because they've really helped
02:36people to slow down and engage in a craft and a skill. It's not just about doing it well, it's
02:44not
02:44about reaching a certain output, it's really about actually slowing down and observing our environment
02:52and that is a way to kind of connect with and care about our environment and nature more profoundly.
