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Hwedhla adro An Run ha bewnans Trewoon I Gathering Stories about The Reens and Troon Life

An arts and heritage-led community celebration sharing life memories, stories, photos of The Reens and Troon in Cornwall. The event was for those who couldn’t walk to a sacred place a group of us are working to safeguard.

Resting after a pilgrimage walk to a sacred place called Fenton Ia (after the saint) at The Reens in Troon, Cornwall. Saint Ia was said to have been an Irish princess, the sister of Erc of Slane. Photograph Peter Dewhurst

Preceding the event, a double bill workshop was also held for young people – an afternoon in the woods foraging and making co-created 3D landscapes then followed by a virtual experience and a pop-up installation for everyone at the event in Troon to explore, especially those that could no longer walk to the woods. Many of the older people in Troon spent their childhood playing in the woods.

The celebration was a story café event self-initiated by a local group of us. We facilitated participants in sharing memories by capturing sound, words, film, virtual worlds, and map-making. Additionally, we engaged in the serpentine dance, a traditional parade walk from recent history, and indulged in a the origins of the tea treat together. Moving forward, we are collectively shaping the direction of the project and determining its future development.

We have published work about our walks in a book about Movement Heritage.

 

Movement Heritage

A Celebration and exploration - The Reens and Tea Treats - draft 1

Mapping the Reens with Wendy Brawer of Green Map System to help us safeguard the Reens. Photograph: Andy Hughes.

Hopeful, Positive, Interesting and Local
Interesting, Inspiring, Fun, Kernow
Interesting, Informative, Helpful. Friendly
Freedom, Sunshine, Teatreat, Band
Educational, Friendly, Creative, Inclusive
Green, Nourishing, Enriching, Holisitic
Lovely, Relaxed, Entertaining, Informative
Fun, Good, Nice, Cool

These four words are from participants asked to summarise their experience of the event [outdoor workshop + hall event]

This project is funded by Feast and Camborne Town Council.

FEAST is a programme to make great art happen across Cornwall.

FEAST harnesses the talents and energy of Cornwall’s artists and communities, generating new opportunities for everyone to enjoy the arts. The focus is on bringing people together to share experiences as audiences or participants, and on animating local celebrations and cultural life.

Participatory map-making by Fenton-Ia in the Reens. Mapping of land use within the different categories of common land, created by Philip Hills. Photograph Andy Hughes.

Well done yesterday, it was a joy to have an opportunity to chat with a few old Troon people.On reflection, I think I am going to sit down and write up my memories of life in the village from our youth. There are so many topics we just didn't have time to cover. It is going to take me a while but if you are interested I will let you have a read when it is finished. I realise that my children don't know much about my childhood and experiences and am going to write it partly for them.If you need any help with running the event again next year please don't hesitate to ask.

— David Cotterell, Participant

What a triumph, pulled together beautifully

— Tamsin Floyd, Volunteer and participant

Good luck with the project – it is fascinating and so worthwhile doing!

— Jenefer Lowe, Participant

What struck me filming at Troon was the strong desire of all the participants to rekindle the sense of community in the village. Through their words and the sharing of memories on film, it was clear that the elders of the village all share the same view, that the community is disadvantaged after losing the fundamental point of focus and togetherness that was brought by the Tea Treats. It would seem there is a loss of community spirit, a lack of security and safety and a general sense of loss and degeneration as a result. At a time when metal health is in decline and young people are increasingly finding it hard to find their place in local communities, it has never been more important to find ways to bring people together. Restoring the traditions, which mean so much to the villagers of Troon, would be an enormous stride to better neighbourly spirit and community relations.

— Dave Everitt, Young film-maker

Treve suddenly announced that we would do the steps and luckily the carparking area outside the building was still mostly clear. After I rounded up a body of volunteers Treve gave instructions for where people should stand in the musician positions. We also used several of the parked cars as islands to go around as well. The snake walk was most pleasing and the interweaving was very enjoyable for all of us. Once again the Serpentine Dance [Walk] lived and with much admiration and enjoyment.

— Philip Hills, Co-developer