Garden Gathering Community Picnic
We would like to extend a special invitation for you to join us for a joyful afternoon in Mandela Gardens as we kick off our Autumn/Winter season and celebrate, Our Freedom: Then and Now, a nationwide programme marking 80 years since the end of the Second World War.
For the last few months, we’ve been exploring themes of freedom, food and togetherness with some of our local community partners and now, we're bringing everyone together to celebrate! What’s happening on the day: Live music and singalong with Jessica Poole, featuring well-known songs from the 1940s through to more recent decades.
Performances from Mark Mark and his team of intrepid freedom explorers! Unveiling of newly commissioned banners by artist CJ Reay (Black Lodge Press), Community artworks in response to Freedom Road by Simon Armitage, Drop-in craft workshops, lawn games, and creative activities Food donation drive for Barnsley Food Bank – please support by bringing an item if you can! Barnsley Civic has its own long history of community support which has inspired this project.
During WWII, the main theatre was operated as a British Restaurant, and later housed a soup kitchen during the miners’ strikes. Building on this legacy, we’ve worked with Creative Recovery, Barnsley Food Bank, and Good Food Pantries to explore themes of collective action, mutual aid and togetherness, and how this can shape our communities.
As Barnsley Civic approaches its 150th anniversary, we invite you our Civic family, past and present, to come together, reflect, and look ahead to the next chapter in this iconic building’s story.
Our Freedom: Then and Now is a Future Arts Centres programme in partnership with Libraries Connected and Open Eye Gallery, supported by the UK Government through Arts Council England.
Ticket Information
Recommended Age
Running Time
Genre
Workshop/Other Event
Partner Companies
Venue
Barnsley Civic
Performance Space
Mandela Gardens
