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boat building Making Christmas 2024

I Saw Free Ships

Dumfries is a port. Dock park has mooring bollards – so where are the boats?

This week at “Making Christmas” There will be a focus on boat building. We will be joined by reps from “Nith Skiff” The Dumfries Coastal Rowing and Boat Building Group.

There will be the core activities of making things from recycled and donated materials, and essentially making time to relax in the storytelling tent.

Could you be part of a plan to build a St Ayles Skiff in Dumfries next year? We could take part in Nithraid and other activities along the Solway and beyond.

The Cluaran crew at Nithraid 2024 – (The Riverside Animal Union)

Oh, and this is what inspired the pun in the title of the theme “I saw three ships come sailing in …

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Arts Installations Making Christmas 2024

Making Christmas Day 1

Making St Andrews Day

Mission Accomplished! Well at least stage one is. We have set up the space, made room for stories, and people dropped in to make stuff.

We have conversations about mindfulness, crafting over wine and Historical Hat Selfies were taken.

More to follow this week – with added boat building as the theme.

Drop in between 10 am and 3 pm. We are easy to find in the Loreburne centre!

Here are some photos of what to expect.

Find out more about the “Making Christmas” project from the menu or clicking the links.

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Events Making Christmas 2024 News

Making Christmas

St Andrews Day

(Nov. the 30th)

Final preparations are underway!

We will be setting up in the Loreburn Centre on Saturday. Come and drop in to say hi and make something!

More info here

https://www.cluaranhaven.org.uk/making-christmas-2024/

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Making Christmas 2024

Site visit

It’s all go for “Making Christmas“!

That is the site visit complete and access routes are scouted out. After the next blacksmithing session in Whithorn it will be all go getting ready. We are excited.

Our programme will be:

  • 30th of November
    • “St Andrews Day”
  • 7th of December
    • “I saw free ships come sailing in”
  • 14th of December
    • “Dress Sense”
  • 21st and 22nd of December
    • “Ghost of Christmas Past”

With a chance to make things every week and special themed activities each week.

Visit the main page on the Cluaran website to get involved.

You could think of it as training to become an elf, if that helps. Whether that is an elf from Greenwood the great, Valinor, Alfheim, Svartheim, Finland, Faerie, or somewhere like the Sword Coast can be discussed.

Or simply drop in and say hi and to have a go !

There may be stories …

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Uncategorized

Legends of Mann

The Isle of Man is in the centre of a Viking era highway. This pdf book give insights into some of the stories told, crosses carved and ways in which the people living there remembered their dead.

Viking_Myths_and_Rituals_on_the_Isle_of_Man

Categories
Events Making Christmas 2024

Making Christmas

“Making Space” on Saturdays in the Loreburn centre

Wordsmith Crafts is moving into the Loreburn centre in Dumfries. We will occupy a space to help you make space for making. The costs of this have been covered so you won’t need cash. Craft cool gifts using recycled and donated materials, help make materials available for others to use.

Scraps of wire to Jewellery
  • No cash needed – others have covered the costs to make this happen.
  • Sit down, de-stress, do something with your fingers.
  • All age (but not free childcare!) craft activities
  • Tap into the skills and techniques that made Christmas before consumerism
  • Time travel and discover Christmas past.

Like a floating monastery we have collected relics from the history of these islands. Come and sit in the storytelling tent and hear stories that are older than Scotland. Escape the present for a moment and let your imagination take you on an adventure.

Leather offcuts become keyrings

We will be open on Saturdays 10 – 4

  • (30th of November)
    • Launch day is St Andrews day
  • (7th of December)
    • With added Nith Skiff activities
  • (14th of December)
    • Time travellers fashion parade
  • (21st of December)
    • With Summerhill community centre activities

Sign up to help on the Making Christmas 2024 page

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Events News schools storytelling

Autumn travels

In Dumfries and Galloway there are two weeks of school holidays in October. Traditionally this was to free up young people to help howk the tatties from the fields. For Cluaran it meant that we could run a story and crafts session for kids on hokiday at Annan museum. It also meant that we could be joined by Kate for a school visit in Oban, taking time off from being a teacher to volunteer at a school! Perhaps it continues the time of from work to work of the Holidays.

A medieval cross in the celtic style, near Oban
Researching Clan MacDougal at Kilbride

Then it was off even further north to tell stories of St Columba on the shores of Loch Ness with History Matters. Cathbad joined a collection of historical characters in the orchard of castle Urqhuart. We helped visitors catch a glimpse of the past in a stunning setting.

Cathbad standing under a picture of Columba
Fabulis vivere per vera veritate

Perhaps one year we will bring the boat! But until then we will continue to give people the opportunity to find a fragment of the past and hear the story that goes with it.

Hopefully this will act as an appetiser, and they will seek to find a place at the table where the feast is in full swing.

Each fragment holds a story
Categories
Arts Installations

Robots

Blacksmithing is a traditional skill. An essential art for sensible things like tool making, fences, … gates.

OR THIS

amazing.

Categories
boat building Events

Nith Challenge

We have been experimenting with boat building and watercraft for a good few years now. Perhaps it is time to attempt the “Nith Descent” challenge?

The challenge is following the river Nith from Auldgirth to Dumfries rowing club. It is a grade 1 or 2 run depending on the water level.

Anyone interested?

This is a pre-enactment project. Trad skills meeting modern materials, and scavenging …

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Events

Making Space

Making Space   will return in September.

There will be two sessions a week.

Thursday evening 19.00 to 21.00
and
Monday afternoons from 14.00 to 17.00
 
As usual this is a club not a led workshop. Please bring your own materials and projects, or try something new with the donated materials and tools we have accumulated.

That said, some evenings will have a theme where regulars are willing to share their skills rather than simply use the time for their own projects.

We ask for £5 a time to cover overheads, or you can contribute in kind.  

Monday 2 till 5Thursday 19.00 to 21.00
 
9th  Rube Goldberg Machines
16th
  23rd
  30th  
5th Coracles and Smithing  
12th  Rube Goldberg Machines
19th Leatherworking  tbc
26th

If you’d like to support what’s going on in a more regular pattern then you could become a Cluaran member.