Stealing a March Out on the Grange

Out exploring the Grange we met Mark Dainty

who has just opened a new independent bike shop, Cycle Mad.

Mark believes is in the same unit as a bike shop in the '50s - Garleys and showed us a photograph of another branch of Garleys which used to be in Kettering town centre. Cycle Mad has charted its opening via its Facebook page. The shop is located on Hampden Crescent, Kettering.

Mark is a mine of information and well worth a visit!

We also spotted a tree being felled

Racing cars

and a bear which we shared with Grayson Perry's 

Twitter feed @AlanMeasles!

All the images from March walks can be found here

Join Miles and Dacombe for a Art Walk in Stoke

Forward Footing

A Postcard from London Road, 

Stoke-on-Trent, 14 April

Join artist Carole Miles and Jo Dacombe for a walk in Stoke-on-Trent on the afternoon of Tuesday 14 April, the walk is entitled A Postcard from London Road. We are teaming up with another artist, Dan Thompson, for this walk - you can find out more on our blog here.

We also have some other dates shaping up including NW Leicestershire, keep checking this page for the full list of dates and updates.

If you are wondering "How Can I Get There?" and you are on the London Midland line you could join us using this deal 

If you would like to come on a walk or need more information, please email us at milesanddacombe@virginmedia.com

Images from the walks are now being collated on our gallery Flickr page.

A Gift and a Garden

On a grey, rainy morning at The green Patch, 

Carole received a message from a friend 

who works in a local Garden Centre

"We have some plants that are past their best,

 do you think that The Green Patch 

might be able to use them?"

Carole and Nigel went to investigate 

and returned with a wonderful collection of 

past their best (for this season) plants, herbs, 

strawberry plants and bird feeders.

Such kindness totally banished the grey 

clouds and Carole and Nigel completely 

forgot that they were damp from head to toe! 

As a thank you for the contact 

lovely Green Patch volunteers planted some 

tubs and containers to make a little garden 

by The Mollie. Many of the plants have been 

planted in the Bee Garden, whilst others are in 

new borders around the site.

Sharing, creating and growing together helps build communities, supports wellbeing, makes opportunities to create new friendships and a brighter future for us all. The Green Patch and the Avondale Grange Ward are special places and we feel so lucky to be working and connecting with the community during our View From Here project.

The View From Here Mosaics Update

The first four mosaic panels for The Green Patch have been completed

  and with the first fine day Carole Miles and Phiona Richards

donned gloves and applied the grout, a messy job but 

enjoyable when the final results were revealed.

Halloween Pumpkin Lanterns

Homemade Tomato Soup

Broadbeans, Cabbage, Carrots, Turnip (possibly upside down)

Duck Eggs

You can see how the designs were made here and here

and how the panels developed here

The View From Here - Springing Forwards

The group have been working with Carole, 

Sue and Nigel at The Green Patch.

Carole showed the group how to make simple prints

by drawing gently but firmly into polystyrene sheets

The plates were rolled with three colours

then burnished using the flat of the palm.

Prints

Some will be added to our 

View From Here books

Plates after inking can be reused with different colours

Snacks

We went out onto the green Patch, collected twigs

and Sue showed the group how to create 

a twiggy frame for prints to take home for Mothers Day

See more photos here

Preparing For World Book Night at KBA & The Green Patch

Inspired by the lovely World Book Night Book Wrap we have been using recycled materials to create our own wraps for the World Book Night event. We have held printing sessions lead by artist Carole Miles at The Kettering Buccleuch Academy and The Green Patch, we are very excited about how our wraps are taking shape!

We used foam packaging material as printing blocks

and painted textile inks onto them with sponge brushes.

We pressed the blocks onto the fabric 

to create bookshelf inspired patterns.

At KBA, whilst the work was drying

participants had a go at simple screen printing

Block printing again

at The Green Patch.

Margot, one of our volunteers

then used textile stamps

to print 

We will sew a pocket into one end to house the book and then wrap and tie the fabric around them. You can see the complete set of images here

If you live in the Avondale Grange ward, particularly in Margaret Rd, Cora Rd, Doris Rd, Edith Rd, Judith Rd, Dorothy Rd, Naseby Rd, Jean Rd, Stamford Rd, Lime Rd, Gorse Rd, Ivy Rd, Centre Parade, Heather Rd, Aster Rd, Almond Rd, Dahlia Rd, Weekly Glebe Rd and would like one of the books we have to give out please contact us.

If you would like to join a small, creative, friendly group to make a mosaic for the Green Patch, write a poem, learn a craft, have a coffee, make new friends?  Then contact :-

Carole Miles, 

Back To Books      

0796 - 905 0891

email – Fingerprints07@hotmail.co.uk

Carole can also be found in The Mollie - our project base / studio / caravan on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

If you attend KBA and would like to become involved in our Threads and Chatter sessions our next session will take place at 3.15 on March 18th. For more information please contact Mr Rob Walker at The Kettering Buccleuch Academy @kba_community