To keep up to date with events and workshops running at the garden then join our mailing list, just send us an email: okehamptoncommunitygarden@gmail.com

Story Spaces

Storytelling workshop with Katy Cawkwell and Pip Jones

Save these summer dates in your diary for joyful weekend gatherings and inspiring midweek workshops to nurture your own creativity – all free of charge thanks to National Lottery funding.

Welcome event: Sun afternoon May 21st, 2023 (exact timing tbc)

Workshops: 1.30-3.30pm Tuesdays June 6th, June 13th, June 20th, June 27th, July 4th, and July 11th

NB June 27th, especially for home-ed families and parents with young children.

Final event: Sun afternoon July 16th (exact timing tbc)

The welcome event will be open to all ages and full of storytelling performance and fun storymaking, mindfulness, nature connection activities. You can sit back and enjoy or get fully involved!

The midweek workshops are open to all adults, suitable for all levels of ability and experience (with one session especially for parents to bring children along to if they wish).

You will be gently guided and encouraged to develop your storytelling skills alongside simple mindfulness practices and nature connection games with an emphasis on fun and connection! 

To book your place and keep up to date – https://www.skylarker.co.uk/storyspaces

Children’s Activity Sessions

We hold children’s activity session every Tuesday during school holidays where children can just let their imagination go wild. We have a ‘Magical Mud Kitchen’, the only outdoor sandpit in Okehampton with some lovely wooden toys, John Deere ride-on toys, and indoors we have arts and crafts. Each week we offer a different activity, but if the children are happy in their own games we don’t force the activity, we want it to be a child led environment. We provide refreshments and healthy snacks for children. We are registered as an activity provider with ‘The Children’s University’, participating children can get their passport stamped for coming to play in the garden.

We start at 2pm – 3.30pm. To help us buy more crafts and snacks we ask for a small donation of £1.50 per child. Suitable for primary school children and younger siblings, parents must stay for the session. There is tea and coffee available for parents for a small donation of 50p.

Activities include: Den building, pizza making, bug hunting, fire on a plate, whacky sports day races and circus games, to name but a few.

The dates for this year: April 4th & 11th, May 30th, July 25th, August 1st, 8th, 15th & 22nd, October 24th (weather permitting).

No need to book. There are toilets and parking on site. Baby changing facilities, but we do ask that you take dirty nappies home with you.

Drumming Circles

Rowena holds monthly drumming circles around a fire pit each month on the full moon, and around the Equinox’s and Solstices. After the drumming session we head to the Heart Space (our lovely shed) for tea and cake, and a bit of a natter. The drumming session usually lasts about an hour, there is no obligation to hang on after if you don’t want to, but there is the option of staying, we usually chat for about an hour.

If there is anything you would like the group to focus on whilst in the circle, please feel free to speak to Rowena at the beginning of the session.

Dates and times for the year: 20th March, 5pm. 5th May, 6pm. 21st June, 6.30pm. 3rd July, 6.30pm. 22nd September, 6pm. 30th October, 5pm. 27th November, 6pm. 21st December, 3pm.

No need to book, just turn up and bring a drum if you have one.

The Heart Space Workshops

Strengthening Mens Wellbeing: The New Masculinity with Paul Beard. 20th March. 7pm – 8.30pm

Paul Beards is a local self-mastery and wellbeing teacher and coach; he will facilitate discussions and share some wellbeing top tips and practices in a way that works for you.  Paul has taught and coached people for 20+ years both independently and in adult mental health and social care in both Devon and Bristol.  Paul is passionate about teaching wellbeing skills and practices in a down-to-earth, accessible, and practical way so that people can go away and use them to make a real difference in their lives. 

About the workshop…

• Are you a man who would like to improve your wellbeing, but are not sure how?

• Feeling confined by what our traditional view of ‘masculinity’ dictates?

• Interested in finding out how modern ‘liberating masculinity’ can help you embrace wellbeing, free of hang ups?

If it’s a Yes to any of these questions, then I invite you to come along to Paul’s Men’s Wellbeing session.

Traditional views of masculinity tend make us men feel trapped in an emotional straitjacket and can make us prone to selfishness, misogyny, stifling emotions and even violence. It limits our possibilities and potential. In other words, traditional views of masculinity can quickly become what is known as ‘toxic masculinity.’

As an antidote, what some people call ‘liberating’ or ‘healthy’ masculinity is emerging everywhere. It builds on traditional masculine roles like the protector, provider, and explorer, expanding men’s options to include compassion, collaboration, the courage to allow and express emotions, connecting with others and environmental stewardship.

This workshop has been funded by Devon County Council. Places are limited, so please do book to reserve your place, email okehamptoncommunitygarden@gmail.com.

Crystal Workshop with Christine Star. 15th April 10am – 1pm

In this workshop Christine will be teaching you how to lay a crystal grid with the aim of sending healing to Mother Earth. Working together as group amplifies the energy and with the emergence of spring we will send healing to the earth and ask for a good harvest.

This will be followed by a short meditation, some sound and finally giving a gift to the earth.

Refreshments are available. Workshop costs £10. Places are limited, to book your place please email okehamptoncommunitygarden@gmail.com

A Shamanic Experience with Rowena Hillier. 20th May 10am – 4pm.

Shamanism has been practised for thousands of years.

It offers us a simple and effective way to connect with the magic of the earth and shows us how to use the natural energies of the Sacred Circle of Life to empower our lives, promote healing, achieve our natural potential and access our inner strength.

As a Shamanic Practitioner I am able to re-connect you to the true you, helping and guiding you with areas of your life where there are blockages or patterns that no longer serve you, dispersing the dis-ease you feel within your body. Thus empowering and enabling you to move forward on your path on this earth.

This work is done by connecting with our power animals, spirit guides, helpers and the plant and mineral spirits.

Workshop costs £30 to attend and booking is essential as places are limited. Please email Rowena for further information and to reserve your place. wisdomcaller@gmail.com

Sound Moves 9th June 6.30pm – 9pm

A journey of sound and movement with sound therapist Claire Gee and Tai Chi instructor Kate Dixon.

Take time out to relax and unwind to the lovely gentle soundbath. Healing sounds, nature, movement and stillness, a recipe for vitality!  

You will need to bring a yoga mat, blanket and cushion for the sound bath to help keep you cosy and warm during the meditation. You may also want to bring some water to keep you hydrated throughout.

We aim to hold the session outdoors, but should the weather be unsuitable then we can use the Heart Space, a lovely indoor area.

Refreshments will be available

Workshop costs £10 and booking is essential as places are limited. Please email to reserve your place: okehamptoncommunitygarden@gmail.com.

For additional info please contact Claire info@bawcombewellbeing.co.uk or Kate kate@forestchi.co.uk

Community Action Days

Join us and help out with some of the projects around the garden. We invite people from the community to come along once a month and get involved. We have some interesting jobs ahead of us. And we have the most stunning location for a community garden, and when the sun is shining there is nowhere else I’d rather be.

  • Tree planting
  • Building the geodesic dome greenhouse
  • Creating the wild flower meadow
  • Lots of planting…and weeding!
  • More to be announced

The day will start at 10am and end at 4pm, however you do not have to stay for the whole session. We start off with a cup of tea and a chat about what jobs we are going to tackle that day. We stop for lunch at 12.30, a free lunch is provided.

When it comes to harvesting the fruits of our labour, we can all take away fruit and veggies (when available) at the end of the day, just take what you need.

Projects & dates

We have 300 trees, donated by the Woodland Trust, so we may need to plant them over two weekends, the 18th & 25th March. Jane from Country Lanes Garden Centre has very kindly donated some bonemeal to help the trees get started off. We have tools on site, gloves and a few kneel pads for those who want them.

I’m looking forward to seeing the geodesic dome going up on Saturday 23rd April. There will be a limited number of people who can help with this project, but we will have other things for people to do. The dome is made from a kit from Build with Hubs, using hazel poles and specially engineered hubs that lock the structure together. I’m not sure how we are going to cover it with plastic, but I’m confident that we can work it out. We will have to put posts into the ground to anchor the dome to, otherwise we could find it blown across the garden when we experience strong winds.

Future projects and dates to be announced. Join our mailing list for up to date info, just drop us an email: okehamptoncommuitygarden@gmail.com

Regular Volunteer Sessions

We regularly meet up to keep the grass mowed, the garden free of weeds, planting out seedlings, watering etc. Anyone is welcome to come along and get involved. We currently meet every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday between 11am – 3pm. You can come for as long as you like, there is no obligation to stay for the whole session. There are refreshments available in the Heart Space (the tea shed). When it comes to harvesting the fruits of our labour, we can all take away a share of the fruit and veggies (when available) at the end of the day, just take what you need.