Make Your Own Festive Willow Decorations

St Ann’s Allotments are the oldest and largest area of Victorian detached town gardens in the world, and are Grade 2* Listed by English Heritage. The site covers 75 acres, has 700 gardens, over 30 miles of hedgerow and 2000 fruit trees, many of which are heritage varieties.STAA deliver outreach programmes to allow all members of the community to benefit from the site, including children’s activities on the Community Orchard, and volunteering opportunities on Urban Nature, Nursery, and Heritage Display gardens.

STAA

Get crafty and create your very own Christmas decorations using natural materials

St Ann's Allotments

Workshops

Our seasonal learning programme is designed to help people get into gardening for wellbeing, whether that be foraging the hedgerow, making a seasonal wreath, or learning how to compost.

In this morning workshop, you'll get hands-on and create unique festive decorations like Christmas trees, stars or reindeer. Using a traditional Scandinavian design, they can be strung together to great effect. Alternatively, you can ‘mount’ your creations in willow ‘pots’ for really unusual Christmas ornaments that will last for years.Materials and festive refreshments are included.

<h3>Workshop details</h3>Your host will meet you outside the main gates on Ransom Road, so please wait there.These sessions take place in the beautiful setting of the Community Orchard at St Ann's Allotments. The workshop will be outdoors so please wrap up warm and dress for the weather.Capacity: The maximum group size will be 8 people.Tickets: The ticket price includes materials, tea, coffee and mulled refreshments and festive treats! All tools will be provided.Facilities: A compost toilet is available at the Orchard with hand sanitizer for hand washing.Clothing: Although the workshop will take place inside our Strawbale building, please wrap up warm and wear comfortable footwear. The garden is a 5-minute walk from the entrance to the allotments.Parking: There is free roadside parking along Ransom Road.Contact: If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact the organiser Kayleigh info@staa-allotments.org.uk

<h3>About Lucy</h3> Lucy is a friendly and enthusiastic willow weaver, spending a lot of time twisting sticks into all sorts of baskets, decorations and allotment features. Her craft business, Willow Knots (Insta/Facebook: @Willowknots.notts) offers a range of crafts and workshops, determinedly plastic free throughout, and all made with UK willow and a splatter of Nottingham foraged twigs and dried flowers.Lucy’s favourite makes are what she calls ‘scribble birds’, using willow for small sculptures, using freeness and creativity; however recently has become increasingly addicted to the discipline and strength of basket making.Lucy also has a background of working with adults and families in the outdoors, and has extensive experience in delivering workshops and events – it such a joy for her passing on the magic of turning a pile of twigs into something of beauty, each one completely different.

<h3>About the Community Orchard</h3>This workshop will be run from the garden next to our Strawbale Building on the Community Orchard. This unique building is hand-built from bales of straw and weatherproofed with clay sourced on site. It’s also off-grid, being naturally insulated by a living roof, with solar panels and a log-burner.The Community Orchard is a garden maintained by STAA for educational purposes featuring a variety of mature fruit trees, many of them heritage varieties, and also includes a pond and a stream.St Ann’s Allotments are Grade 2* Listed by Historic England, and designated an Area of Importance for Nature Conservation. It is the oldest and largest are of Victorian detached town gardens in the UK, with over 700-years of history, 500 gardens, and 32 miles of hedgerow.

<h3>About STAA</h3>This event is organised by STAA, a small charity that manages a number of highly regarded projects across 30+ plots at St Ann's Allotments that provide community benefit and offering a wide variety of volunteering opportunities.