Two nature and art events are being held for free in Dudley beauty spots this weekend

Two art projects are being showcased to the public on Saturday and Sunday and people can join in for free.

On Saturday from 10am artist Lee Mackenzie and filmmaker Lauren Hatchard will be leading participants in a walk around Netherton starting from St Peter’s Church.

Encouraging people to look at their surroundings in new ways and discover hidden places the ’time capsule walk’ will form part of a new interactive map.

The digital map will share participant’s photos, films and stories through a series of fun mini workshops in an effort to celebrate the green spaces and waterways in the area.

On Sunday a trio of artists from the Walkspace collective want people to celebrate the natural abundance, waterways and rich history of Bumble Hole nature.

Their project The Roaming Flags of Bumble Hole will take place across the summer and will involve a sensory guided walk and flag making workshop on Sunday, followed by a celebratory musical procession on August 13.

Project lead Andy Howlett: "We’d love people to join us to help decorate flags using natural dyes made with plants found locally. The designs will be informed by the participants' responses to the sensory guided walk.

Inspired by Tibetan prayer flags, the team will be using five different colours: blue, white, red, green and yellow to represent the five elements of sky, air, fire, water and earth.

He added: "Rather than being an exercise in patriotic territory claiming, the flags will represent nature asserting its own stake in the land."

"In August we’ll host a public ceremonial procession of the flags around the reserve where participants will be able to show off their designs and celebrate their collective stake in nature's abundance. The flags will be fixed into temporary installations around the reserve and along the waterways in a spectacular display. The parade will be accompanied by sing-a-long renditions of original and traditional folk songs drawn directly from the soil in which the flags will stand."

The Walkspace collective are Andy Howlett, Beth Hopkins and Andrew Howe. Using their varied backgrounds in painting, printmaking, song writing and the walking arts to create a truly participatory celebration of this magical area.

The projects, which have been funded by Dudley MBC and supported by Creative Black Country and CoLab Dudley, are part of the Summer of Creativity programme which will see art, colour and fun opportunities popping up in spaces and places across the Black Country.

To book a place on the Netherton walk visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/netherton-time-capsule-walkshop-tickets-368270185037 and for the Walkspace Collective workshop https://ti.to/walkspace/roamingflagswalk

And for more information about the projects visit www.creativeblackcountry.co.uk.