Black to Green Festival
Join us for the Black to Green Festival, created by SPARK’s Youth Ambassadors.
There’s something for all ages – recycled crafts, meet the minibeasts, nature storytelling, theatre performances, guided tree walks, and a chance to discover how our amazing reed beds naturally clean the orange mine water. See our new youth-curated exhibition ‘Roots & Renewal’ exploring the journey of mining landscapes from black to green.
Part of the Natural History Museum’s Fixing Our Broken Planet programme.
Event Schedule:
Download your festival programme here
10am: Meet the Trees Walk – Discover tremendous trees on a guided autumnal walk on our Nature Trail.12pm: Nature Storytelling – A woodland wildlife tale with Roger from the Woodland Trust!
10.30am-2pm: Rag Rugging Demo – Recycle creatively and try your hand at a traditional craft from mining communities with the Yorkshire Rug Makers.
10.30am-1.30pm: Meet the Minibeasts – Meet the marvellous minibeasts who help our planet with Lion Learners!
11.30am-3.30 pm: Greta’s Glorious Garden – Join Greta in her magical autumnal garden, as she gets ready for the glorious garden competition.
11.30am–3.30pm: Spooky Stories from the Coal Shed – Discover something spooky lurking in our coal shed
12-4pm: Spooky Recycled Crafts with Biffa – Create decorative Halloween pumpkins using waste materials with the Biffa Education team!
12.30pm: Why’s Our Water Orange Tour – Discover why the water onsite is bright orange!
11.30am-3.30pm: Makers’ Shed – Create your own duck pond or tie-dye using ochre, an orange pigment from mine water! Experiment with mine water using PH testing!
1pm & 3pm: Roots & Renewal Curator Talks – Meet the young curators and discover more about the journey of coal mines from black to green!
Performances by Yew Tree Youth Theatre
2pm: Eco Folk Tale – A powerful performance by Yew Tree Youth Theatre inspired by the natural world
3.30pm: Emma Lister Kaye – Discover the story of a trailblazing woman in mining
4pm: Youth Workshop – Speak Up for the Planet. A workshop for young people on advocacy and using your voice to champion green issues. Open to all aged 11+.
Timings subject to change.
Work with the Youth Arts Ambassadors has been made possible by generous funding from Prosper and Creative Minds.
