News via RSS
Sign up to our newsletter
Business and economy
Children and young people
Culture and sport
Education and skills
Environment and countryside
Equality and diversity
Health and social care
Housing and community
Improving public services
International
Local government
Older people
Planning
Social justice
Statistics
Sustainable development
Tourism
Transport
Welsh language
Closing soon (7)
Recently Added (10)
A series of events will take place across the country on Saturday 25 & Sunday 26 July enabling access to excellence in the arts, culture and sport and celebrating three years to go until the London 2012 Olympic Games.
The free workshops will enable people of all ages and abilities to share in the excitement of the games, to get involved and try something new in a wide range of creative activities. During the weekend there will be events at Caernarfon Castle and Denbigh Castle in north Wales; Caerphilly Castle and Blaenavon Ironworks in the south and Oriel y Parc in St Davids and Laugharne Castle and Laugharne Community Hall in the west.
The events form part of Cadw’s own Cauldrons and Furnaces initiative which is inspired by the Cultural Olympiad and a partnership between Cadw, the Welsh Assembly Government’s historic environment service and the Arts Council of Wales with funding from Legacy Trust UK. The variety of colourful events on show will include community art workshops, dance, music and creative crafts activities.
Local Caernarfon schools will celebrate the Cultural Olympiad Open Weekend with a celebration procession around Caernarfon on Saturday 25th July from 10am. The Banner Project Celebration Day, coordinated by Gwynedd Council’s Community Arts, will see pupils from surrounding schools, Ysgol Llandwrog, Ysgol Bontnewydd and Ysgol Felinheli, displaying their colorful banners and flags which they have designed and created with visual artist Catrin Williams. The handing over ceremony of the flags will be held in the castle in the company of Heritage Minister Alun Ffred Jones. There will also be chance for the whole family to learn more about percussion based music at the Samba Bangor workshop.
There will be a variety of activities at Denbigh Castle on Saturday 25th July (2-5pm) including storytelling by Michael Harvey, animation film showing by Sean Harris and art workshops.
The Great Hall at Caerphilly Castle will be a hive of activity over the weekend as things kick off on Friday 24 July with the Welsh Assembly Government and First Minister Rhodri Morgan hosting a two-hour event at the Great Hall between 10am-12pm.
At the Great Hall, Caerphilly Castle on Friday, 24th (11am-12pm), Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th (11am - 5pm), there will be an opportunity to see replica medieval shields made by artists Beth Sanders and Alice Smith and a chance to get creative in public workshops making some felt brooches and jewelry inspired by the Hall’s medieval shields. Artists Jane Taylor and Amy Ison will also be working in the Great Hall on the same weekend creating two large scale flags!
Why not take advantage of the copper, ceramic or pewter casting public workshops at Blaenavon World Heritage Centre (10-4pm Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th) on the same weekend? The finished work will then be on display at the Heritage Centre. Or enjoy performances by Shift Dance Group and pupils from Hillside Primary School at Blaenavon Ironworks as well as Trevethin Community Choir on Saturday 25th July (12-3pm).
Join artist Shellie Holden as she will be running textile workshops, creating large scale decorative flags using printing techniques inspired by Laugharne Castle at Laugharne’s Community Hall and the Summer House at Laugharne Castle (11am - 5pm Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th). Animation company Cinetig will be running animation workshops with young people from Laugharne’s Youth Club on the same weekend at Laugharne’s Community Hall.
At Oriel y Parc, St Davids, Pembrokeshire (10am - 4pm Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th), community arts organisation ‘SpacetoCreate’ will be running a community arts project, inspired by the stone animals’ heads and figures, for a series of mask making workshops.
Heritage Minister, Alun Ffred Jones, said:
“I’m looking forward to visiting Caernarfon Castle on the 25th of July and I’m delighted that Cadw and the Arts Council of Wales have been working in partnership on the Cultural Olympiad programme.
"The aim of this ambitious programme of events and activities is to inspire and engage with the children and young people of Wales to deliver a lasting legacy of creativity beyond the next four years and beyond the Olympics themselves. The programme promises to excite every community in Wales and bring the values of the Olympics to our diverse linguistic and cultural communities."
16 July 2009
