Make, Grow + Mend Aylsham: Plant Playdates!

What to Expect: This monthly session is part of Make, Grow + Mend: Aylsham, and takes place alongside our monthly Friday afternoon 'Plant Potters'. Each Plant Playdate will be a creative workshop, where we’ll experiment together making simple plant ‘recipes’, using or inspired by some of the plants we’ve discovered during our Friday afternoon Plant Potters. We might be working with: • edible plants, that can be used for food or medicine • creative plants, to make dyes, inks, paints, brushes and prints • practical plants, to make textiles, tools, string, and soaps • plants with interesting histories, local meanings, stories, and folklore! Each Plant Playdate works as a stand-alone session, and you do not have to have taken part in other aspects of the project to participate. However, if you enjoy being creative, and connecting with plants and other folks who love plants, we would love you to get involved with the Make, Grow + Mend movement in Aylsham! Over the course of these 10 playdates, we’ll design and make a set of plant ‘Recipe cards’ to share our new plant knowledge and skills with other people in the community. We'll present these at our Make, Grow + Mend celebration event, in April 2027. You do not need to bring anything with you for these sessions, as all materials and equipment will be provided. There is no charge to take part, but donations to support our running costs are welcome. Who is Make, Grow + Mend for: The group is for people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds – the only requirement is that you’re interested in plants, creativity, community, drinking tea or coffee, or having a chat! While these sessions are aimed at adults, under-18s are very welcome, as long as they are accompanied by an adult. As we will be working with some non-edible plants, as well as heat, sharps and other tools, these sessions may not be suitable for very young children to take part. However, small children/babies are very welcome to be with us. You might already have some plant-related knowledge, e.g. experience of foraging or growing or other plant-related crafts, or you might have none at all. Everyone is welcome – whether you’re a seasoned horticulturalist or a newbie plant enthusiast, we’d love you to join us. Plant Playdates are part of the Make, Grow + Mend project, organised by Wastesmiths CIC. If you would like to find out more, you can visit our website, find us on Facebook, or follow our updates on Instagram. If you’d like more information about Make, Grow + Mend, or anything else we do, we would love you to get in touch – send us an email to [email protected]. Accessibility The Friends Meeting House is accessible by wheelchair, and there is lift and step access to the upstairs room where we will be meeting. There is an accessible toilet on-site and the meeting room is fitted with a hearing loop. If you require drop-off for access reasons, this is possible; follow the directions for Peggs Yard, Aylsham. If you are driving yourself and would struggle to travel from the nearest car park, please get in touch with us so we can organise a solution: email [email protected] Carers and support workers are very welcome to join us! As we will be providing refreshments for these sessions, please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions or allergies that we need to be aware of: reach us by email at [email protected] If you have any questions about access, or if there's anything you would like us to be aware of, please get in touch with us: email [email protected]. Getting To Us We meet at the Friends Meeting House, Peggs Yard, Red Lion st, Aylsham. If you're coming by bus, the closest stop is Aylsham marketplace, which is approximately 2 minutes walk. If you're coming by bicycle, bikes can be parked securely outside the building or outside the Town Hall, 2 minutes walk away. If you're coming by car, parking outside the building is restricted, however there are many places to park in Aylsham, and all car parks are free. Aylsham town centre is small and all car parks are relatively close. There are sometimes spaces to be found in the market square, but there are often markets on Fridays and Saturdays and we’d advise one of the car parks instead. A useful map of Aylsham including Burgh Rd and Buttlands car park is here: Aylsham Town Leaflet Walking Directions from Burgh Road Car Park: The closest car park to the Friends Meeting House, Peggs yard, Red Lion st, is the Burgh Rd car park (see map in link). There are 57 spaces and 2 disabled spaces. Once parked, walk up through the pathway on Blofields Loke (there’s a sign at the start of the pathway detailing some of Aylsham history). You’ll head up left towards town, past Wagtails pet shop, Dig In and the butchers on your right. At the junction with Red Lion st, turn right and walk past The Bookhive and The Old Tearooms. After the Bon Bons Sweet Shop, turn right into Peggs Yard. The Friends’ Meeting House is near the back of the yard on your right. There’s a small garden in the front. Come in through the front door – there may be the ACE Refill station in operation. Head up the stairs, or for those with mobility challenges, use the lift at the base of the stairs. We’ll see you at the top of the stairs. It’s a 5 min walk at an average pace, a 6-7 min wheelchair average roll.