The Tree of Life.

It seems like ages ago now but in the Easter holidays, Jack, Lou and I went to some workshops to help make 'The Tree of Life'. North East Lincolnshire Council wanted to;

'...invite members of the local community to join them in the creation of a 'Tree of Life' sculpture - 'a symbol of the community's vitality and willingness to shape its own future'.

It was a great project, started by local artist Michael Scrimshaw. The first day that we went, Jack got stuck in making branches for the tree using what looked like a giant cigarette rolling machine, newspaper and corrugated cardboard.


while Lou and I made some leaves with clay. She decided that quantity was more important than quality and churned out about ten in an hour....

Over the next week, Lou and I went to a couple of workshops. Jack decided once the tree had been built that the leaf making was a bit boring for him but Lou loved it, as long as she was allowed to do it all herself ;)


This is her favourite leaf. We went to the glass leaf workshop and I didn't really know what to expect. Once I realised that it was like Tiffany glass making and involved breaking glass, using a grinder and soldering iron, I told her that I thought she might have to watch while I made it for her, bearing in mind she was the youngest person there by about 10yrs but no! She managed to convince one of the tutors that she could do it all herself and with her help, made the leaf at the top, with the little corner, so that she knew which was hers when it was put on the tree.


This afternoon, we went to town to seeing the tree officially being handed over to the community, in Freshney Place. It looked great but so much smaller than it had in the workshop but amazing with all of the work on it.

Here is the leaf, good job it has the magic corner on it so that we know which is Lous ;)

And here is Lou with the Mayoress. Lou was the only child there so they pinched her for pics ;)


The tree is going to stay in Freshney Place for a week then be moved somewhere else in town, probably into St James Church.