Our festival goes from strength to strength, with an expanded programme that encourages participation from different parts of the Otley community and beyond. This year we have something of an appetiser on Sunday 13th October, starting with a presentation - "Land Smart" - by Tom Heap of the BBC's Countryfile. This is a joint event with Ilkley Literature Festival and starts at noon at Ilkley Playhouse. LATEST: this event has sold out. This is followed that evening by rising folk singer Detta Kenzie with original and traditional songs at the Horse & Farrier. Her work is strongly influenced by her love of Nature. Tickets are £12 in advance (£14 on the door) and can be bought at the H&F bar (cash) or through the following link (Booking fee applies): https://wegottickets.com/event/632541
On Thursday 24th October international award-winning wildlife photographer Tracey Lund will be speaking at 1A Mercury Row in a joint event with our friends at Otley Camera Club. Tickets are £5 from otleycameraclub.net/purchase
On Friday 25th October award-winning journalist, author and TV presenter Kate Bradbury will be talking about Gardening for Wildlife at the Courthouse. Tickets £12 from: https://otleycourthouse.ticketsolve.com/.../shows/1173657450
Saturday 26th October is the main day of the festival, with a free Courthouse exhibition of artistic responses to nature from the local creative community (10am - 4pm). The cafe will be open and samba band Loud Minority will be playing two sets in the courtyard outside. There will be several opportunities for people to "have a go" at creative processes such as wildlife collage with Miriam Lavelle (10am at Art Works), wildlife photography with Otley Camera Club (10am East Chevin Quarry car park), insect pottery painting (10-4 at the House of Pottery), and making felt fungi pictures with Andrea Petch (2-4.30pm at Otley Studio). All workshops are £10 and bookable at neil-griffin@outlook.com other than the pottery painting which is £6 and a drop-in session. There will be 3 free children's workshops: "Leafy Creatures" at the librarty, sticker art at the Courthouse (Robing Room), and creative forest school on the Chevin. From 10am till 4pm there will be a programme of free, short factual wildlife talks at the Labour Rooms. Subjects covered will be butterflies, Otley's nature recovery plan, wonderful willows, hedgehogs, Leeds peregrines, and the natural history of the Chevin. That evening sees the return of TV presenter, author and WFO patron George McGavin with a new talk "The Life in our Trees" - guaranteed to be entertaning and informative. Tickets £12 at https://otleycourthouse.ticketsolve.com/.../shows/1173657459
On Sunday 27th October we will be holding a free poetry event - "Wild Words" - at 3.15 at the Labour Rooms. Featuring wildlife poetry from Otley Writers, Otley Poetry Stanza and Sarah Smout, there will also be refreshments from the people at Noonoo & Nini. This will be preceeded at 2pm at the same venue by a poetry workshop - "Lost for Words" - with Bernie Stinson (£10, bookable at neil-griffin@outlook.com ). Final drafts can be written on paper hand-made from local greenery and, if desired, recited at the subsequent event.
Finally, on Thursday 31st October at 1pm there will be a lunchtime recital by Laura Barker-Bey. She will be playing music with natural themes on a variety of flutes. Tickets £10 at Wildlife Arts Festival: Lunchtime Recital with Laura Barker-Bey (Flutes) (ticketsolve.com)
Returning for its fourth year, this popular festival is quite unique. Announcing the programme, festival lead and co-chair of Wildlife Friendly Otley, Neil Griffin, said: “We are extremely proud of the festival and the way it has grown each year. There are a huge variety of things to see, hear and do. We have managed, with the kind support of partner organisations such as Wharfedale Naturalists' Society, local businesses such as Sinclair's and the House of Pottery, as well as Otley Town Council and Leeds City Council, to keep many things free, and the ticketed events cheap. Another important part of the festival is the participation of local schools."
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