Page 48 - April 2024
P. 48

IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
       Countryside creatives                                                                                                       At Birkhill House CIC



                                                                                                                                   This unusual offering is an animal-assisted
                                                                                                                                   craft  centre  near  Earlston,  which  aims
                                                                                                                                   to improve mental health using the arts.
                                                                                                                                   It  offers  a  mix  of  workshops,  hosted  by
                                   Craving a creative community? The Borders                                                       local makers and creatives, covering skills
                                          might just be the ideal place.                                                           such as fleece rugmaking, crafting leather
                                                                                                                                   wallets, and basket making.
                                                                                                                                   - atbirkhillhouse.co.uk
          cotland is well-known for offering a   hub – but this corner of the country is so much
          vibrant arts scene; Edinburgh and its many   more than quaint villages and picturesque
      Sfestivals  go  hand-in-hand,  Glasgow  is   landscapes.  The  Scottish  Borders  is  a  hub  of
       renowned for its musicality, and Dundee is the   creative  energy,  offering  much  for  arts  and   Borders Events Centre  Re-Tweed
       home of cartoons and animation. Admittedly,   crafts  lovers,  musicians  and  bookworms  alike
       the Borders might not be the first place that   –  from  carefully  curated  local  galleries,  to  a   Located in Kelso, this is the home of art   This  female-led  social  enterprise,  based  in
       springs to mind when you think of a cultural   plethora  of  workshops  teaching  a  variety  of   fairs,  antiques  fairs  and  flea  markets,   Eyemouth,  focuses  on  recycling  textiles  in  new
                                            skills and techniques, to local book clubs and   making it an essential choice for those   and creative ways, with workshops teaching skills
                                            classical music concerts.                       who  want  to  fill  their  new  countryside   including needle felting, crochet and patchwork.
                                                                                            home with one-of-a-kind and vintage
                                                                                            furniture and accessories.        - retweed.com
                                            If you’re thinking of making a move to the
                                            Borders,  here  are  just  a  few  examples  of  its   - borderseventscentre.co.uk
                                            thriving arts and culture community.                                              Readers Groups and Book Clubs
                                                                                            Borders Music and Arts Society    Many  Borders  libraries,  including  those  in
                                                                                                                              Galashiels,  Peebles,  Melrose,  Eyemouth  and
                                                                                            Do you love chamber music? This local
                                            Borders Art Fair                                society  hosts  concerts,  exhibitions  and   Kelso,  host  regular  reading  groups,  both  in-
                                            This annual art fair took place in March, so you’ll   lectures,  perfect  for  aficionados.  There   person and online. The Walk & Talk book group
                                            need to wait until 2025 for the next opportunity.   are plenty of performances scheduled   is ideal for lovers of the great outdoors, while the
                                            It hosts exhibitions from local artists, alongside   throughout  2024,  held  at  the  Society’s   Book Blether club is a great opportunity to find
         The Hastings First Gallery         workshops and guided tours of historical art    headquarters,  the  beautiful  Mellerstain   out about books you might not have heard of or
                                                                                                                              considered before.
         The  first  (and  last)  art  gallery  in   collections in some of the many stately homes   House in Gordon.
         Scotland, located just over the border in   across the region.                                                       - liveborders.org.uk
         Coldstream, this not-for-profit exhibition                                         - bordersmusicandartssociety.co.uk
         space  is  run  by  ESPC  member  firm   - bordersartfair.com
         Hastings Legal. It highlights the Borders
         arts scene with an Art Trail, which lists all   The Arts Society Borders
         the galleries and studios open to visitors   The  Arts  Society  is  an  arts  education  charity,                   Borders Arts Collective
         across the region. The current exhibition,   based in Kelso. It primarily hosts events                               For  residents  who  want  to  learn  an  array  of
         running  until  13  May,  highlights  three   with  expert  lecturers,  covering  all  kinds  of                     creative  skills,  the  Borders  Arts  Collective  runs
         Dumfries & Galloway artists: painter Bella   fascinating topics including renaissance silver                         artist-led,  inclusive,  and  affordable  workshops
         Green,  ceramicist  Heather  Armstrong   and the architecture of the Roman Empire                                    in  Walkerburn.  You  can  learn  a  host  of  skills
         and gilder Nancy Chinnery. The following   among myriad other things. It also provides                               including  vase  making,  printmaking  and  willow
         exhibition,  launching  on  16  May,  will   volunteering opportunities and grants, making                           sculpture,  alongside  traditional  drawing  and
         feature landscapes by local artists.   it a fantastic resource for artists and art lovers.                           painting classes.

         - hastingsfirst.com                - asborders.org.uk                                                                - bordersartscollective.co.uk

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