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Mon 06May

Hawkwood is delighted to invite you to our lively and colourful May Day Festival. Nestled in the heart of the Cotswolds, Hawkwood is a sanctuary for nurturing creativity, sustainability, and wellbeing. As May flowers bloom and the sun shines brighter, we celebrate the return of life with a day of lively festivities.

Event time: Mon 6th May 2024 at 10:00am - Mon 6th May 2024 at 5:00pm

A Day of Local Food, Live Music, Talks, Stalls, Creative Workshops, and Family Activities

Join us in celebrating community at our May Day Festival. This event is more than a festival; it’s a place for:

Conversation

Engage with future thinking talks! Last year’s May Day Festival featured notable speakers like Mary Portas, Cindy Forde, and our CEO Alicia Carey. Enjoy live music throughout the day, including a captivating performance by our artist residency alumni.

Creativity

Participate in creative taster workshops available throughout the day. Unlock your artistic potential, creativity & wellbeing.

Exploration

Wander through our sustainably managed grounds in the picturesque Cotswolds, relish delicious local food, and explore local stalls. Hawkwood Cafe & Bar will be open, ensuring you’re well-fed and refreshed.

Growth

Grow connections with the community, learn from the workshops, the land, and each other. This is a day of growth and enrichment.

Check out our Programme and prepare yourself for May Day!

Name: May Day Festival
Start: 2024-05-06T10:00:00+01:00
End: 2024-05-06T17:00:00+01:00
Location: Hawkwood

ONLINE PROGRAMME, DOWNLOAD TODAY!

• Workshops
• Children’s Activities
• Inspiring Talks
• Sitemap

VIEW PROGRAMME HERE

Discounts available on the day when you book a course! *Conditions apply

Professor Penny Hay is an artist, educator and researcher. Penny is a Professor of Imagination at the Centre for Cultural and Creative Industries, a Reader in Creative Teaching and Learning at Bath Spa University, and Founding Director of the House of Imagination. Her Signature projects include School Without Walls and Forest of Imagination. Penny’s doctoral research focused on children’s learning identity as artists.

A network of parent groups uniting for climate action to protect the kids we love from the climate crisis.

They act because we must for our kids, many of them too young to make their voices heard and to vote. They believe that working with parents on climate has the potential to move mountains – because that is what we do for our kids every day!

Check back for more speakers

Adult Workshops

Sign-up on the day

11am – 11:45am: Yoga Nidra with Mel Skinner

11am – 11:45am: Gong Bath with Aidan McIntyre & Tim Byford

12pm – 12:45am: Gong Bath with Aidan McIntyre & Tim Byford

1:15pm – 2pm: Adventures in Art Journaling with Jo Beal

2pm – 2:45pm: Indian Block Printing with Clare Walsh

2:15pm – 3pm: Positive Ageing with Miriam Akhtar

3:15pm – 4pm: Permaculture Principles with Emily Howgate

Hall Talks

No sign-up required

12:30pm – 1:15pm: The Work of Our Kids Climate with Maya Mailer, Our Kids’ Climate Co-Director & Julian Russar, Our Kids’ Climate Programs Lead and Climate Parent Fellowship Manager In Conversation with Alicia Carey, CEO of Hawkwood

1:30pm – 2:15pm: Hawkwood Fellows in Conversation Jeremy Chapman, Tim Davies and Penny Hay with Alicia Carey, CEO of Hawkwood

2:30pm – 3:15pm: The Launch of Wild Dress with Kate Fletcher, Author of Wild Dress & Zoe Svendsen, Director at METIS Arts facilitated by Alicia Carey, CEO of Hawkwood

Live Music

Subject to some change

10:15am – 11am: Just The Two of Us

11:15am – 12pm: Three Bop

12:15pm – 1pm: The Many Coated

1:15pm – 2pm: Pebble Daisy

2:15pm – 3pm: Savannah Gardner

3:20pm: Raffle Call

3:30pm: Callum Ettrick

Tours, Trails & Art Installations

Some activities require sign-up on the day

10am – 5pm: Wild Dress Immersive Sonic Trail, please bring headphones

10am – 5pm: Garden Guardians, Stroud Valleys Project & Tom Henderson

10am – 5pm: Walking The Land, Andy Freedman, Lucy Guenot, Richard Keating & Deborah Roberts

11am – 4:30pm: Beavering Around, Forest of Imagination, Holly LaVar & Matt Leece

11:30am – 12pm: Tour of Hawkwood’s Grounds, Bernard Jarman

12pm – 4:30pm: Wild Dress Weaving, Nicola Builder, Ali Cockcroft, Caroline Downing, Kate Fletcher & Emily Joy

12pm – 12:30pm: Stroud Community Agriculture Farm Tours, SCA Farm Team

2pm – 2:30pm: Stroud Community Agriculture Farm Tours, SCA Farm Team

2:30pm – 3pm: Children’s Treasure Hunt

3:30pm – 4pm: Tour of Hawkwood’s Grounds, Bernard Jarman

PAY WHAT YOU CAN #PWYC ENTRANCE

We have proudly brought back Hawkwood's May Day Festival and want to be able to provide this much-loved event for the community for years to come!

We don't want price to be a barrier to enjoying the event so are offering a "Pay What You Can" on entrance at our welcome desk.

So come on down with friends and family, bring your energy, and enjoy a day of local food, stalls, workshops, talks and more.

Our History

Hawkwood’s story began in 1947 when Lily Whincop and Margaret Bennell joined forces, creating an adult education college in this very place. For 76 years, Hawkwood has been a hub for learning and personal development, fostering new understandings and personal growth.

“Not only a place people come to learn, but a source of ideas, challenging dialogue, art and artistry, new understandings, personal growth and human development.”

Who we are... watch our video

Release Agreement May Day Festival, Hawkwood

Official Hawkwood Photographers & Videographers are taking photos and videos of this event. By attending this event, you grant Hawkwood the exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, display and use the original video or electronic imagery or any part thereof in any and all media or form of communication whether now existing or hereafter developed.

Can You Donate?
Your generous donations are crucial to supporting our charity's vital work for years to come! We rely on fundraising to support our work. If you can, please contribute below.

DONATE HERE

Hawkwood Team

Chief Executive of Hawkwood CFT, Alicia will be hosting and interviewing our guests.

Alicia is passionate about protecting our environment and supporting people to make positive change. Alicia shows how building trust, embodying values and allowing just the right level of risk enables opportunities to flourish. Collaboration, curiosity and warmth characterise her interactions at every level. In 10 years at Hawkwood CFT, Alicia's unique leadership style has brought financial abundance, ethical awareness, international recognition and creative zest.

Yolande Goodman

Creative Onsite Programme and Residency Manager

Creativity and continuous learning are the linchpins of personal wellbeing, the development of our communities, and a better understanding of the world around us. With my role at Hawkwood, I facilitate people participating in what makes them feel alive! My background is in drama, and I find deep joy in trying new art forms and being outside in the garden.

Sarah Warner

Personal Assistant to Alicia Carey, CEO

I love how diverse our courses are and the people who attend them, I have learnt so much since being at Hawkwood. I’m passionate about the benefits of physical exercise and regularly enjoy running and the gym. I draw inspiration and further physical benefit from various yogas and long dog walks in my beautiful hometown of Stroud and the surrounding areas.

May Day Festival

Event Navigation

A Day of Local Food, Live Music, Talks, Stalls, Creative Workshops, and Family Activities

Conversation

Creativity

Exploration

Growth

Check out our Programme and prepare yourself for May Day!

Discounts available on the day when you book a course! *Conditions apply

2024 Special Guests

Dr Penny Hay

Our Kid's Climate

Stay tuned

At A Glance- Programme

Adult Workshops

Sign-up on the day

Hall Talks

No sign-up required

Live Music

Subject to some change

Tours, Trails & Art Installations

Some activities require sign-up on the day

Stalls, Food & Workshops include...

Coil Basketry Stall

Stall of Eco Home Products

Japansese Fermented Goods

Mumma's Meals

Vélo Pizza

Etsi ki Etsi

Stroud Olive Stall

PAY WHAT YOU CAN #PWYC ENTRANCE

We have proudly brought back Hawkwood's May Day Festival and want to be able to provide this much-loved event for the community for years to come!

We don't want price to be a barrier to enjoying the event so are offering a "Pay What You Can" on entrance at our welcome desk.

So come on down with friends and family, bring your energy, and enjoy a day of local food, stalls, workshops, talks and more.

Our History

“Not only a place people come to learn, but a source of ideas, challenging dialogue, art and artistry, new understandings, personal growth and human development.”

Who we are... watch our video

Release Agreement May Day Festival, Hawkwood

Can You Donate? Your generous donations are crucial to supporting our charity's vital work for years to come! We rely on fundraising to support our work. If you can, please contribute below.

Hawkwood Team

Yolande Goodman

Sarah Warner

Upcoming Courses & Events

May Day Festival

Mon 06 May

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Tue 28 May

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Mon 05 Aug - Tue 13 Aug

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Mon 05 Aug - Wed 07 Aug

Make a Pair of Trousers

Fri 30 Aug - Sun 01 Sep

Traditional Natural Dyeing

Fri 06 Sep - Sun 08 Sep

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Can You Donate?
Your generous donations are crucial to supporting our charity's vital work for years to come! We rely on fundraising to support our work. If you can, please contribute below.