2024 Foraging String Club
Foraging String Club 2024
the cordage making gatherings return this year updated in an extended edition, in an annual programme for the first time - focusing on the seasonal aspect of foraging plant fibres while deepening our dialogues with the landscape - embracing the subtle cycle of our local harvest.
Booking period for this programme has now reopened until the 10th of June.
New members are invited to join in starting on the 9th of June in the Summer and continue all the way till the end of November. please scroll further down to find the options to join.
There are 20 planned meetings in total throughout 2024.
1 opening + 1 closing circle (each 1 hour = 60 mins in length)
18 seasonal string making gatherings from March to November
6 gatherings in each season (3 seasons in this programme)
2 gatherings in each month (on second and last Sundays)
each string-making meeting is 2 hours = 120 mins in length
each event (apart from the first & last) will be from 7 - 9pm (GMT)
All meeting will be held online via zoom. This will be an invaluable opportunity to meet with others, share the learning journey of discovering your local landscape and grow your creative practice in cordage making in connection with others who will join this group. We will develop our skills with repeated regular practice of an endangered craft skill.
Each meeting is recorded and stored on a private online archive, available for members to watch replays of each event.
In addition to the fortnightly live online meetings members will receive periodic FIBRE FOCUS emails between March and November to introduce you to a plant that is in season with info about plant ID, where you might find it locally and further guidance on how to prepare them for cordage making: tips on drying and processing the plant fibres.
The year began in February with our first meeting as an arrival - we came together to introduce ourselves in our group, and prepare the tools and the space we are going to use for the year ahead. We spent some time to prepare our individual spaces where we will gather the plants in the coming year. A dedicated area to dry our foraged plant fibres. We talked about where would be an ideal place to put the plants we are gathering what space we have available in our homes or studio spaces and what conditions are most suitable.
The first meeting of the year was on Sunday, the 11th of February. All subsequent meetings are on the 2nd and last Sunday of each month between March and November. 18 meetings in total throughout a 9 months period. I divided this 9 months into 3 parts: Spring, Summer and Autumn Gatherings. Please find all the dates listed below under each season.
Spring Season has finished now, so all new members joining now will be starting in June in our Summer Term.
The last meeting of the year will be the closing event on Saturday, 30th of November to celebrate all we’ve learnt throughout the year and this journey we’ve been on together. It will be opportunity to reflect on all the plants that we gathered and began a dialogue with throughout the year.
Both beginner and established cordage makers or creative practitioners working with plant fibres are welcome to join. No prior experience necessary. This is an inclusive community welcoming participants of all ages, and from all backgrounds.
Why join this Foraging String Club when I could do this on my own?
You are welcome to do all of this on your own, of course. The value of this programme, amongst other benefits is receiving peer-to-peer support and showing up for something, together with others that brings us all joy and nourishment of community, while we learn a lot from each other as we go. As we are making string by hand together in the same space with others you can persevere through obstacles you encounter, ask for support when you face a barrier and receive guidance when you don’t know where to begin or how to continue. You can also share and celebrate others foraging journeys as we each learn more week to week about the more-than-human world around us. By joining a creative group endeavour, you invest in yourself, in your skill and contributions to others’ lives.
By participating in a group creative endeavour you model a behaviour to others that it is safe to join a community and foster connections with others. A creative community can become part of your support system and a place where you begin to thrive. A place where you can find inspiration and companionship. I cannot guarantee a specific outcome of your participation. All is can say it this - my experience taught me that everyone leaves with something more than what they arrived with. What you bring to the table with your active participation comes back to you multiplied. Foraging String Club is rooted in reciprocity.
The 2024 programme calendar
First Event:
Sunday, 11th of February
An opening circle - this will mark the beginning of our journey together. A meeting for us all to get to know each other a bit, share where we are based in the world and what we are hoping to learn and how we would like to integrate this practice into our life and work throughout the year ahead.
Spring Gatherings :: March - April - May
10th + 31th March
14th + 28th April
12th + 26th May
plus periodic FIBRE FOCUS emails about seasonal plant fibres to forage.
Summer Gatherings :: June - July - Aug
9th + 30th June
14th + 28th July
11th +25th August
plus periodic FIBRE FOCUS emails about seasonal plant fibres to forage.
Autumn Gatherings :: Sept - Oct - Nov
8th + 29th September
13th + 27th October
10th + 24th November
plus periodic FIBRE FOCUS emails about seasonal plant fibres to forage.
Last event:
Saturday, 30 Nov
A closing circle - this will mark the end to celebrate our journey together throughout the year. We will share our favourite plants, the cordage we made, things we learnt, things we are taking forward as we hunker down for the colder, darker months ahead. We will welcome and prepare for winter gently.
This is your invitation to embark on a plant fibre journey in community. Every fortnight we will come together to make string and share nourishing moments of making by hand slowly. You might arrive with something to share or maybe only to sit and listen to the stories others bring of their own adventures. you may find a new an idea to pursue or lose yourself in deep reflection while occupying your hands with the wholesome ancient practice of making cordage.
Why isn’t there any sessions planned in Winter?
Many of the plants we forage in other seasons, especially in autumn remain available throughout the winter months. By the time next winter arrives to your door, you will know what grows in the landscape around you and I trust, you will be equipped to identify and continue gathering fibres on your daily walks if you choose to. However, it is said that ‘every mile in winter is two’ which means that the darkest season in the Northern Hemisphere is not the most inviting time of the year for harvest. I would invite you to gather more during the more abundant growing seasons of the year and preserve some of your harvest for the darker months of the year to work with.
The full price of the annual membership at the beginning of the year was £240 per person as a single transaction. The original booking period for the annual programme closed on the 3rd of February.
The programme is now reopening its doors for new participants to join for the remainder of the year, from June onwards, for Summer and Autumn.
The cost of becoming a member is £160 per person.
Solidarity rate for prospective members
Commitment to inclusivity, diversity and accessibility
- BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and low income
In recognition of those who come from ethnic minority backgrounds and have suffered or continue to suffer discrimination due to ongoing racial and ethnic prejudice, aggression and violence on a daily basis the Foraging String Club 2024 would like to offer solidarity with 50% reduced fee for everyone who identify as Black and/or Indigenous People of Colour.
In addition to this, recognising the ongoing struggles faced by those whose gender identity is being targeted with prejudice, criticism, aggression, and violence, this invitation and solidarity here is extended to people with LGBTQ+ identities.
Furthermore, all those who face financial barriers to pay the full asking price, including those who are unemployed, on a low income, single parents, disabled or otherwise struggling to meet their financial obligations daily are also welcome to pay a concessionary membership rate.
This is self-identifying and based on trust. If you choose this option, there will be no questions asked to prove your eligibility.
The solidarity rate is £90 per person as a single transaction.
OR you can pay by instalment in 3 separate payments of £33.
The total sum of 3 payments adds up to £99, if you wish to pay in three separate instalments (in three consecutive months). The slightly higher cost here reflects the transaction charges incurred each time by the bank, website and online payment processor used.
What’s included in the programme?
In between our fortnightly live zoom meetings online you will receive Fibre in Focus emails in your inbox and we have a friendly dedicated whatsapp group where members can share more with each other in between the bi-monthly meetings. I offer support and guidance on all aspects of foraging and cordage making. There is also peer-to-peer support within the group with inspiring chats, book recommendations, useful tips, etc.
What others say about the Foraging String Club:
'As someone who is already an experienced forager for culinary purposes I have found The Foraging String Club to be an extremely rewarding experience, teaching me that nature has so much more to offer than just what can be cooked. Hanna is a superb teacher with a wealth of knowledge on foraged fibres which she is happy to share in a very welcoming environment. For anyone who wants to engage more the natural world the foraging string club is an absolute must. Hanna will help you learn to notice the differing qualities of plants and trees and become more in touch with seasonal changes. I will definitely be signing up for the journey through the seasons next year and would highly recommend it!'
- Chris, Derbyshire
I would recommend The Foraging String Club as it’s an interesting concept to learn an ancient craft, to discover an appreciation of wild plants in the local landscape urban or country. Making the time to practise, to slow down and calmly create something authentic as part of a group is what I enjoy the most about our regular online meetings. I learnt about identifying and using different fibres, harvesting, preparation, technique and experimentation.
- Karina, Kent
Hanna @walkinglantern hosted an Instagram Live Q&A on Friday, 1st of December at 8pm (GMT) to share further thoughts about this programme and she had in store for the participants.
You can watch the recording here and meet the artist who is hosting this programme.
If you have any further questions, feel free to get in touch via email or contact her directly on instagram here.
'From the moment I read about The Foraging String Club I knew it was going to be something special. It has been such a joy to learn to create cordage from foraged natural materials that are freely available and accessible to everyone. And I see our wild plants in a very different light, each more beautiful than before.
Hanna is an amazing artist and a wonderful teacher, even before our first online meeting any questions I had she answered. She gave clear instructions on how to gather plant fibres respectfully and responsibly. Hanna has an incredible wealth of knowledge which she shares generously, and she is always very encouraging and supportive.
Each meeting was relaxed and informative, I learned something new every week, wether it was about cordage making, the plants themselves or other little nuggets of information from the other participants. What I enjoyed most about our online meetings was the real sense of community, even though we were all joining from different places, for those 60 minutes each week we were together, together creating with our own hands, sometimes in silence and sometimes chatting. There was a gentle flow to the meetings, a beautiful way to spend our time together.
I have learned a lot about plant fibres, how each plant that I've worked with has its own character and unique traits. I have a new found respect for what I had considered common weeds! I really enjoyed foraging, gathering plant material for the following weeks meeting and have realised I am walking in nature differently, slower and more attentively. I am noticing plants and how even in the midst of winter some have already sprung into life. I am still gathering plant material to continue my cordage making journey and am already looking forward to the extended edition! I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this.'
- Anonymous, Ireland