The innovative Ebb and Flow project is this week helping primary
school children get a glimpse of the past by teaching them some of
the basic craft skills of ancient times.
Tomorrow (Thursday morning), children at Benhall Primary School
will be learning some very old skills and trying their hands at
felt-making, basic weaving and basket weaving at the latest of the
Ebb and Flow sessions that have involved people of all ages.
“Among the tasks on Thursday, the eight and nine year olds will
be trying out felt-making, which will see them taking wool in its
unspun fluffy texture, adding some soapy water, and then rubbing
it. The fluffy wool then becomes thicker until it can be used to
create a felt garment,” said artist and workshop leader Jonathan
Keep.
On Friday morning, the focus switches to Snape Primary School
where again Jonathan Keep will be leading the sessions but this
time showing the children how to make folded birds in an origami
style, and doing some symmetrical squish paintings, which basically
means there will be a lot of splashes.
“The Ebb and Flow project is aimed at all age groups, giving
them the chance to find out more about the history of the
communities who have lived around the Alde and Ore over the
millennia,” said Cllr Mary Neale, Cabinet Member for leisure and
countryside.
“Over the last few months, children from Benhall, Coldfair Green
and Snape have been out on location along the river with members of
the Aldeburgh and District Local History Society and Jezz Meredith
of the County Archaeology service learning about how people
from the Roman, Iron Age and Saxon generations used the
river.
“The archaeology sessions ended last week but the art-based ones
are still continuing and will help build towards the Flow Fest
event on Saturday, July 19 at Snape Maltings which will be a public
celebration of the river,” added Cllr Neale.
Ebb and Flow is a partnership between Suffolk Coastal and
Suffolk Coast and Heaths, who have both helped fund it with further
backing from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Sustainable Development
Fund, Aldeburgh and District Local History Society, and Alde and
Ore Association.
Other Ebb and Flow projects underway include the recording of
the oral history of the river landscape, and investigation of maps
charting the area over the last 500 years. For more information
about Ebb and Flow, contact the Council’s arts and heritage officer
rachel.nightingale@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk