Rule Of Threes

On Monday we had the perfect start to the week in one of our favourite places, Rimrose Valley Country Park. We're working with @groundworkclm and @rimrosevalleyfriends to bring the park's natural and social heritage to life for all generations. It was great to welcome the team from @heritagefunduk to see for themselves what makes it such a vital green space in our community. The valley was beautiful as always thanks to @greensefton and the growing community of RVF volunteers.

🪡 STITCH REMIX: Clothing Clinic! We've heard from people who joined us already saying how special it was to share new skills, meet new people in the community, and try so many different techniques in one day. It was beautiful to see, something that is so foundational to how we work within the library, bringing artists and creative practitioners together within the community to share skills and ways of galvanising creativity towards positive change. The energy in the room was incredible and we can't wait to see you all again in the library soon! Want more STITCH REMIX? Theatre costume maker @marinad.designs , who was with us on Saturday, will be back running Costume Chaos in Netherton Library on 31st March, 11am - 2pm. 🔗Book your place via what's on in our Linktree. Huge thank you to the artists and makers who joined us (all tagged here) and to @zerowastelcr for supporting the project

🪡 Costume Chaos! Yesterday @marinad.designs led our first STITCH REMIX workshop, Costume Chaos, inviting people to make a quick and fabulous last minute World Book Day costume. Over the past couple of weeks @seftonlibraries have been running a Costume Swap, encouraging people to donate unwanted costumes and find a new one for World Book Day. Some people chose elements from the rack and altered them, creating a brand new costume in time for tomorrow's celebrations. We had help from local family members, one of whom was a tailor in Turkey (and provided expert feather-sewing help for some wings!) It was a joy to turn the community room into a costume-makers studio and, as well as those who had booked, people's curiosity brought them to the room to make their own outfits and have these moments of cultural exchange amongst the fun chaos. 🎟️ Missed out and want to make your own? Marina will be back in Crosby on Saturday 7th March as part of STITCH REMIX: Clothing Clinic, running a station in the large lecture hall to help you make a simple costume from some of the ones swapped and donated. Thanks to @zerowastelcr for supporting the programme 🔗 Book your place via 'what's on' in our Linktree!

🤝 Squish! has been at the heart of what we do since the start of our creative programme, building a community of families in Bootle and Netherton through slow, creative play. Lead artist @nickimccubbingart says that ‘kids are the best artists’ and the curious and inventive way children approach making and experiencing the world is something that’s permeated the whole of our programme. Showing what’s possible when we take children’s creativity seriously, Squish! has also supported parents and carers to find new friendships and support structures, swap advice whilst sharing in unexpected new arts experiences co-created with artists, musicians and performers of all kinds. This experimentation and playfulness drives our programme even more over the next year as we work with four Associate Artists to create new performances, workshops and music projects with local families - and each other - whilst developing their own creative practice. Here's some highlights from the programme recently ✨ 🔗 Visit our Linktree to book your place.

🪡 Clothing Clinic! For National Repair week you're invited to Clothing Clinic on 7th March! A creative takeover of Crosby Library to repair, rewear and repurpose old textiles and clothes. Saturday 7th March Crosby Library 10am - 1pm There'll be skill sharing, stalls and repairing and mending stations with local artists and makers and the Stitch Club community. Join us to: 🧵 Fix or learn about your sewing machine 🪡 Repair and upcycle clothes 🧵 Learn crochet, patchwork or printing 🪡 Swap fabric, clothes or haberdashery 🧵 Darn your knitwear and socks 🪡 Refresh clothes using flowers and natural dyes 🧵 Make and repurpose a costume 🪡And loads more! You're also welcome to just come along and watch with a brew! We're working with lots of local partners, makers and artists on the day (tagged here!) who'll be hosting different stations around the library. Thanks to @zerowastelcr for supporting the programme. 🔗 You can find out more about each of the stations and book your place via our Linktree!

🧵STITCH REMIX: Clothing Clinic! Do you have experience of fixing, making or mending? An upcycling enthusiast with skills to share? We need you!  Whatever your practice or skill, we’re looking for people to share their skills in the library with others in our community. The Stitch Club group and other local makers and menders will be running an SOS session for sewing machines, darning and brooch making.  If this is you, and you have experience fixing or making things, we’d like to hear from you! Please contact At The Library by email: [email protected] by Wednesday 25th February telling us how you can help. Stitch Remix: Clothing Clinic is part of National Repair Week, focusing on sustainability and ways we can breathe new life into our clothes! Thank you to @zerowastelcr for supporting the project.

🚨Two spots left!🚨 This month as part of our @at.the.library_ programme we're launching Artist Office! A new meeting point for artists to connect with other creatives and conquer their to-do lists and arts admin. There's TWO PLACES LEFT to book for advice and support applying for @aceagrams Research and Development for Individuals grant. Are you planning on applying this spring? Join curator, writer and arts producer @lesleytaker and our Programme Producer @saraw0lff to discuss the process and gain some insight and advice. Tuesday 10th February Crosby Library Email [email protected] to enquire about the final PM 20 minute slot! You can also drop in any time between 11am and 3pm to have some coffee, biscuits and tackle tasks together!

Earlier this year we called out for artists to work with us in a sustained way, developing their practice with early years families in our @at.the.library_ programme. Working in this longer term, deeper way is something our audiences have asked for, learning and developing relationships with artists over a longer period of time. Doing what we like to call 'deep hanging out' is something we're doing with our audiences and artists across the whole programme! We're delighted to announce the selected cohort of artists whose practice ranges from song writing to puppetry, music production to performance. We can't wait to see the work that develops with local children and families and how each artist works with us in Bootle (and Netherton). Sign up to our At The Library newsletter to find out more about the programme over the next 12 months 🎉 Huge thank you to @youthmusicuk for supporting the programme. We're delighted to be working with a funder offering so much training and resource to artists working with music and early years throughout the UK.

🪭 Today was the first Dance, Mama! workshop in Netherton Library led by @movemadance world dance practitioners! It was such a beautiful session seeing dancing together! The focus is giving parents and carers some time for themselves, getting grounded in the body and exploring dance and movement inspired by different world dance practices whilst the toddlers played. One mum said 'I really needed that!' and everybody looked visibly lighter having moved, played and danced together! Join us every Friday for Dance, Mama! Open to all caregivers and toddlers aged 12 months - 3. Older siblings welcome. 10:30am - 12pm Netherton Library

🦇During half term week, we invited young people in years 6,7 and 8 to create new lore for Netherton, making our own folk horror story. We then dressed up and filmed some of the story's scenes and recorded different creepy sounds to soundtrack the film. It was so much fun to engage with place in that way and see the young people experimenting, trying out equipment that was new to them and creating a really complex and elaborate story (there were TWO sets of evil twins and one character had three layers to them, a character within a character within a character). Watch this space for the collage of film and sounds we're putting together because we'll screen it soon in the libraries for everyone to see! Thanks again to the young people who joined us, to @tom_doubtfire for leading the workshops with us and @riabagley for sound expertise and bringing so much exciting sound-making tech for us to play with. It was so much fun to engage with place in that way and see the young people experimenting, trying out equipment that was new to them and creating a really complex and elaborate story!

Call For Applications: Mental Health Professional in Residence [apply by 28 November] We’re looking for a qualified mental health professional to work with us on an 18-month @aceagrams funded action research project exploring how libraries can better support community wellbeing. You’ll help us to understand what’s already working, strengthen our approach, and co-design a new strand of work on men’s mental health. You might be an OT, counsellor or similar, with experience outside clinical settings and a real interest in early intervention and prevention, creativity and community. You’ll work alongside librarians, artists and local partners to build confidence, share insight, evaluate and shape practice. Visit the link in our bio to read more about the role, and submit your application by Friday 28 November, 6pm. If you have any access requirements, have any questions about the role or if you need these details in a different format please email [email protected]. 📷: Image of @francesdisley 's ceramics for Chamomile Circle.

🪩 The rave goes on! Huge thank you to everyone who came to the launch of Queue Up And Dance last night @roughtradelpl , the book celebrating Quadrant Park and its legacy. For the past year we’ve been collecting archival materials including flyers, posters, photographs and even people’s membership cards to build the Queue Up And Dance archive. The book, produced by lead artist Dave Evans @square_crisps , collects interviews with people who donated to the archive and original Quad DJs to tell the story of what made the night so special. By no means a definitive history, this book weaves together people’s versions of the night, why it’s still so special, and the cultural and political context that meant it couldn’t have happened at any other point in time. Huge thanks to Dave for everything and for being the best panel host, DJ and founder of @sisucrew Melissa Kains @maliss_a who led the young people’s workshops throughout the programme and wrote the afterword for the book, writer and author @_emmalwarren_ for being on the panel and writing the introduction for the book, and to the incredible @quadrantparkofficial DJs and community for creating the archive with us. Thank you to Rough Trade for having us and to @historicengland and @heritagefunduk for supporting the project. Produced by: Dave Evans Printed and distributed by: @backstagebooksofficial Book design: Mike Carney @mikesstudio The book is now available to buy from the Queue Up And Dance website (find it in our Linktree) and a range of bookshops across the country. Stockists coming soon to the site.