What's happening?
It's Rowntree Park's 100th Birthday this year! With your help, Deborah New & I are making a birthday banner and a swarm of butterflies and bees to create a yarnstorm installation as part of the 100th Birthday celebrations. Just as a bit of background and so you know, Rowntree Park was gifted to the City of York in 1921 by Rowntree & Company
as a permanent memorial to the Rowntree Cocoa Works staff who died or suffered
during the First World War and as a public park for the benefit of York people.
Why Butterflies & Bees?
The presence of lots of butterflies and bees indicates a healthy environment and ecosystem. Both creatures help to pollinate plants – trees, flowers and the crops used in our food. Butterflies also help with pest control and of course are part of the food chain. Bees provide honey and beeswax as well as being important pollinators. Recent decline in the numbers of both insects results from the loss of habitat, toxic pesticides, climate change and extreme weather affecting their behaviour. The yarnstorm in the park will highlight the need to provide bee and butterfly friendly environments and encourage people to consider what they might do to help this e.g. avoid using pesticides and plant bee and butterfly friendly plants. This is something the Friends of Rowntree Park are doing with their Pollinator Project.
The presence of lots of butterflies and bees indicates a healthy environment and ecosystem. Both creatures help to pollinate plants – trees, flowers and the crops used in our food. Butterflies also help with pest control and of course are part of the food chain. Bees provide honey and beeswax as well as being important pollinators. Recent decline in the numbers of both insects results from the loss of habitat, toxic pesticides, climate change and extreme weather affecting their behaviour. The yarnstorm in the park will highlight the need to provide bee and butterfly friendly environments and encourage people to consider what they might do to help this e.g. avoid using pesticides and plant bee and butterfly friendly plants. This is something the Friends of Rowntree Park are doing with their Pollinator Project.
Yarnstorming Workshops
At our Butterflies & Bees workshops, you can unleash your creativity with knitting, stitching, pompom making, finger knitting and possibly even a bit of yarn creativity involving a garden fork (only at the outdoor sessions – but please feel free to ask about this if you’re curious!)
All materials for the workshops are provided, then
leave your makes behind for display in the park. If you prefer to bring your own materials,
please do.
Yarnstorming Workshop Dates
Saturday 5 June 2021 – Friends Railed Garden Rowntree
Park
Terry Avenue, York, YO23 1JQ
14:00 – 16:00 – This is an outdoor event so please bring your own picnic rug or chair
14:00 – 16:00 – This is an outdoor event so please bring your own picnic rug or chair
Friday 11 June 2021 – Friends Railed Garden Rowntree Park
Terry Avenue, York, YO23 1JQ
10:30 – 12:30 – This is an outdoor event so please bring your own picnic rug or chair
Monday 28 June 2021 – Rowntree Park Café
Rowntree Park, Richardson Street, York, YO23 1JU
13:30 – 15:30
Although all events are free, BOOKING
IS REQUIRED in order to ensure numbers comply with Covid regulations. CLICK HERE TO BOOK. Events in the Friends Railed Garden in
Rowntree Park are outdoors and not under cover so please bring your own rug or
chair to sit on and suitable clothing/sunscreen etc. There is plenty of space for you all to
maintain social distancing.
You will be
required to check in for all events and leave your details. Hand sanitiser and wipes will be available. Children must be accompanied and everyone coming to a workshop must have a ticket.
Please do not attend if you have any Covid symptoms.
Want to join in but can't make a
workshop?
If you can't get to any of the workshops but still want to be involved, you'll
find some Butterfly and Bee Knitting Patterns here. In all there are two
different butterfly patterns. One allows
you to make 4 different sizes of butterfly.
There is one bee pattern which you can use to make 7 different sizes of
bee. There are 3 different bee wing
patterns which you can mix and match with the bees you knit. Why not give
them all a try? If you'd prefer to stitch there are also butterfly and bee stitching
instructions.
 |
| Butterflies & Bees Patterns |
Completed butterflies and bees can be left at
Rowntree Park Cafe, Rowntree Park, Richardson Street, York, YO23 1JU, or
dropped off at any of the workshops (see above). If you use social media
why not post a picture of your butterfly or bee and use #butterfliesandbees in
your post.
And you don't have to use these
patterns - we'd be happy to have a knitted, stitched, felted or crocheted butterfly
or bee of your preferred design. We
wouldn’t say no to a flower or two either.
All butterflies & bees to arrive by Saturday 31 July 2021 please.
When will the installation be up?
The Birthday Banner will go up in July 2021 in time for the park’s birthday on 16 July 2021 (on the tennis court fence near the café). The Butterflies & Bees installation goes up in Rowntree Park in time for
the August bank holiday weekend, weather permitting. Find it in the arbour by the tennis
courts. The display will continue until the end of September 2021.
And afterwards?
When the butterflies and bees come down and have had a whirl in the wash they will be going on sale to raise funds for the Friends of Rowntree Park who work hard to help maintain, improve and promote the park for everyone’s enjoyment. So, keep a look out for the sale dates in October 2021.
When the butterflies and bees come down and have had a whirl in the wash they will be going on sale to raise funds for the Friends of Rowntree Park who work hard to help maintain, improve and promote the park for everyone’s enjoyment. So, keep a look out for the sale dates in October 2021.
This project is sponsored by
