Harvest Workers Coop has been working on a monthly family workshop in Okehampton for almost a year now Jo and I have developed a strong pattern for the seasonal workshops involving preparing food, storytelling, creative art and play and engagement with the outside.

We’ve been lucky to be have found a fantastic venue in the form of Growing our Future’s EcoHub. A wooden framed structure with a wide covered outside space and then a growing space with polytunnel and raised beds. It has been a great place to grow with on a wHarvest Workers’ Coop has been working on monthly family workshops in Okehampton for almost a year now. Jo and I have developed a strong pattern for the seasonal workshops involving preparing food, storytelling, creative art and play and engagement with the outside.hole host of levels.

Seasonal Stories in a Family Workshop

Over the year our stories have taken us to nettles, broad beans, potatoes, salads and this month apples! Story can be so many things. It can invoke the folk heritage of the land and give a glimpse into other ways of viewing the world – the old apple man has followed me in stories for year! It can be give an opportunity just to see the world around us afresh – little Katie’s discovery of the star inside the red house of the apple was a tale borrowed from Elaine at Killerton and has led to so many moments of wonder as the apple is cut open to reveal its secret. It can be a recounting of practicalities – the process of the pressing and actions of scrumping and scratting, pulping and juicing is a story that takes place as we enact it. It can be held in the mask and in the puppet of apple, twig and leaf and released in a dance, a play, in telling. The story rolls on and out as the apples are blown from the branch, hiden in the grass and then gathered again to be part of the seasonal round.

Into the future .. Funding Support

We are now in the second year of a partnership with Learn Devon who have recognised the impact of this rich family learning and exploration of environment and funded another year’s program. It is going to be good to be able to build on what we have done last year and develop a deeper program of activity which maybe we can start to take out to the wider community.