CANOPY

Canopy is a new project documenting and exploring the trees and green spaces in Airedale and Ferry Fryston, Castleford, supported by Wakefield Council Culture Grants

Canopy is a program of 10 creative workshops in Airedale and Fryston, exploring local green spaces (including urban areas, parks, woodlands) with particular focus on trees, resulting in permanent 2D artworks at Airedale Library and Tieve Tara Medical Centre, Fryston.

The artworks will signpost local green spaces for people to explore and enjoy, and in National Tree Week, the project will provide an opportunity to plant more trees to increase local canopy cover.

Workshop participants will learn new skills in drawing, painting and collage; using local images and themes as inspiration.

I will collate the work produced in the workshops into designs to be printed onto two A1-sized aluminium panels, one installed on an exterior wall at the garden at Airedale Library and one inside Tieve Tara Medical Centre.

The aims of the project are to promote the use of local green spaces for health and wellbeing through creative activities, and to foster a sense of ownership of these places. The project will link with Wakefield Council’s tree giveaway scheme at Airedale Library during National Tree Week, supporting the aim of increasing the overall tree canopy of the area.

I have chosen to work in Airedale and Ferry Fryston because, according to the Index of Multiple Deprivation, these are amongst the most deprived 10% of areas in England.

The Health Foundation’s report, ‘Inequalities in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy’ states, ‘More deprived areas are more likely to have lower healthy life expectancy’

Through Spectrum People’s Social Prescribing project at Tieve Tara, I’ll work with local people with diagnosed mental health problems in three workshops. (Spectrum People is a Wakefield-based charity that provides meaningful activities and support for vulnerable adults and young people across the Wakefield district. They’ve been running Social Prescribing sessions at Tieve Tare for over 5 years).

Evidence shows that “arts-on-prescription” projects in the UK showed a 37% drop in GP consultation rates and a 27% reduction in hospital admissions.

I’ll also work with two groups for elderly residents at Airedale Library (Knit and Natter, and the MHA-supported lunch club) and families with young children at a stay and play session at Airedale Library.

I want to promote the advantages of being near trees to the communities of Airedale and Ferry Fryston.

According to the Woodland Trust’s Tree Equity score UK, parts of Airedale have only 8% canopy cover, amongst the lowest in the district.

To support the aims of the project, I want to help increase the number of trees in Airedale through creative workshops to promote the tree giveaway event at Airedale Library.

According to NHS Forest ‘Humans need trees for health and proximity to nature has demonstrated significant benefits for mental and physical wellbeing. Specifically, spending time in woodland areas has been found to stabilise blood pressure, reduce stress levels, and induce a sense of calm’.

The 9 trees below are a small selection of trees in the Airedale estate, Castleford, including sycamore, whitebeam, cherry, crab apple, plane, rowan, ash, hawthorn and willow. I had some lovely conversations with people who live on the estate about the trees that live outside their houses; many were planted when the estate was built. Urban trees are a part of our lives, and we would benefit from noticing them more.