Have a go workshops are open to people of all ages and will take place on the 5th, 12th 19th and 26th of June in the Arcade Shop in Market Place. Each session will last around 15 minutes and must be pre-booked online.

• Children taking part should be at least 5 years old and anyone under 16 years of age should be accompanied by an adult.

• Please notify us of any specific requirements.

• Please wear suitable or non-loose clothing and tie back long hair.

• Adults must wear a face mask.

Covid Secure

Your safety is extremely important to us as well as that of our team members so we will be adhering to the latest government guidelines whilst running the workshops. Here are just some of the measures we have put into place to ensure everyone’s safety:

• Restricted numbers per session and pre-bookable slots only – no walk ins allowed to allow us to control numbers.

• Hand Sanitiser provided.

• All staff to take lateral flow tests the day before the event.

• Check in on arrival and ensuring no-one attending has any symptoms.

• Sanitisation after every session.

‘Sculpting a Continent’

Andrew Warburton is using textiles to draw attention to the increase of colossal icebergs, some the size of New York, breaking off from Antarctica in these ‘calving events’ as a result of climate change. His textile installation in the seated gazebo in Market Place is intended to raise awareness about climate change and hopefully inspire people to make changes to lesson our impact on the environment.

The first instalment of the hand tufted textile commission will be revealed on Saturday 5th June coinciding with World Environment Day. The commission will be located in a seated gazebo in Dewsbury’s Market Place. Opposite the installation, in the shop next to the Arcade entrance, there will also be an exhibition space and workshop area set up so that the general public will have an opportunity to have a go at hand tufting and contribute to a community created hand tufted textile by creating their own tufted lines on a stretched rug canvas. Every Saturday in June, Andrew will be hosting these hand tufting workshops in the Arcade Shop from 10am till 12noon and 1pm to 3pm. All sessions must be pre-booked.

Andrew has been designing and making hand tufted rugs for commercial and commissioned floor or wall artwork for over 30 years. He lives in Dewsbury and has a rug making company in Mirfield called Area Rugs. Andrew uses local wool spinners, yarn dyers and suppliers wherever possible to create his bespoke rugs and carpets.

Andrew’s project is part of the Dewsbury Creative Town Programme funded by Kirklees Council and has been commissioned in partnership with Woven in Kirklees