Families in Sandwell join in Growing Up Green festival
Families and children will be able to enjoy fun activities as part of a Growing Up Green arts festival, with 30 events set to take place in four towns during a seven-day period, to coincide with The Great Big Green Week.
Organiser Amy Martin, aged 40, an art events producer and director of The Parakeet organisation, said: "The children and family arts festival aims to celebrate action on climate change.
"As a mother-of-three children I think it is important to have a relationship with nature and to look after the planet.
"The festival will give children an opportunity to be in a relationship with nature, enable them to nurture their curiosity in everyday ecology and help signpost a way for them to be environmentally responsible both now and in the future.
"Events will be taking place at various places in Smethwick, Bearwood, Northfield, Kings Heath and Bournville during the week of September 18 to September 26 and will include many different activities including a toy swap and allotment play sessions.
"Centres locally where activities will be held include the Dorothy Parkes Community Centre in Smethwick, Bearwood Community Hub at St Mary's Church, Warley Woods, the Bearwood High Street Community Garden as well as the Thimblemill Library and Bear Bookshop.
"There will be activities for early years and pre-schoolers and most of these will take place during the two weekends.
"These will also include story-telling, junk modelling, nature play, craft activities and even a moving story processing through Warley Woods with characters in costumes to bring it to life.
"The workshops will be free-of-charge and many will be drop-in events, although some will have to be pre-booked.
"People can find details about the activities on offer and venues by logging onto the www.growingup.green website.
"This is the first event of the kind and we are hoping it will become an annual event.
"There has been a massive volunteer effort with 20 people helping out and we are hoping more than 500 people might take part over the seven-day period."
