Sperrin Soul

Sperrin Soul is dedicated to promoting environmental stewardship and sustainable practices through workshops and programmes, where educating and creating with repurposed materials, that would otherwise find their way to landfill, is a primary goal.  We strive to bring people together to connect with their local environment and learn why and how to best protect it.  Activities we currently participate in:  Monthly Environmental Art Club for young people to explore ideas of what constitutes waste, could these 'throwaway' things be an opportunity, how can we repurpose/ reinvent materials- such as single use plastics, fabric offcuts and swatches, kitchen scraps used to create dyes and inks (onion skins/ red cabbage/ avacado skins/pits, etc).   Gathering donations from friends/ families/ businesses of cardboard, fabric off-cuts, plastic tupperware, bottles, glass jars, plastic cutlery, straws, tubes, fruit netting, parcel packaging, waste giftwrap, newspapers, etc, with which to store homemade paints/ glue/ pigments/ materials and for use in creative arts and crafts sessions.  Gathering waste/cuttings from road verges after hedge cutting, to create natural dyes and inks- e.g. from hawthorn/ gorse. Demonstrating sustainable practices. Receiving and distributing donations from friends/ family/ parent participants of forest school workshops of used wellies and waterproof/ thermal clothing (grown out of) to use by other participants who may need them (circular economy).   Utilising stored rainwater to use in ink and dye making.   Educating and modelling the use of composting methods in workshops/ long-term forest school during snack/ lunch times and making use of this for planting projects.   Storing paper based art work that isn't taken by participants for future collage activities.   Using wood offcuts/ 'scraps' in children's woodwork and creating sessions from local carpentry businesses/ men's sheds.  Encouraging all participants of courses to embrace a zero waste ethos and to reconsider materials and their multiple uses.