We are very pleased to be commissioned by The Friends of St Peter’s – Preston Park, Brighton to deliver a series of six creative workshops at St Peter’s, Preston Park between May-September 2018.

The workshops are a key part of their HLF-funded Project Restoring the Chancel: Highlighting the 20^th Century History of St Peter’s, Preston Park and are intended to engage local people around St Peter’s to:

• Visit the church for the first time.
• See the church as an enjoyable place to spend time.
• Look afresh at the church and particularly the stencilling in the chancel.
• Find out more about St Peter’s and the history of the surrounding Preston Village area.
• Find out more about the practice and history of the art of stencilling.

Activities:

We will deliver six creative drop-in workshops at St Peter’s on the following dates: 31st May, 24th June (Preston Village Day), 14^thJuly, 31st July, 16th Aug, 8th September. Each workshop will run from 11-4pm, though the timings for 24^th June, Preston Village Day, are still to be finalised.

Each workshop will focus on one core creative activity, with some simpler and/or quicker activities running alongside. The activities to be delivered at each workshop will each respond to some element of the church’s interior, exterior or history, or the creative processes embodied within the building, including stencilling, repetitive patterns, print making, mosaics, etc.

Strike a Light – Arts & Heritage activities will include:

• Block printing on paper/calico in the form of flags, pennants or large hangings.
• Creating your own portable letterpress
• Small mosaics
• Other forms of printing
• Stained glass making (using plastic)
• Geometric pattern making with spirographs.
• Brass rubbing

All welcome, and especially families with children up to the age of around 11. However both older/younger children can attend and the range of activities will cater for this.

Children will remain the responsibility of their parents/carers and will not be left in the care of Strike a Light.

Adult Workshop:

One of our event days on Saturday 14^th July, is intended to be an adult-focussed activity and will encourage adults to try new things, so this particular date isn’t open to children.

Strike a Light will be working alongside Hare and Humphreys, the conservators who will be undertaking the conservation of the chancel. Hare and Humphreys start work in late-May and from that time on parts of the chancel will be covered with scaffolding, obscuring some of the stencilling.