A COVID-secure approach to marking the winter solstice has been taken at Fort Royal Park in Worcester, with the launch of a Solstice Story Stroll.
In previous years, The Friends of Fort Royal Park and Commandery Gardens have organised a solstice event, to watch the sunset over the Malvern Hills. As it is not possible to have a community gathering this year, they have installed the Solstice Story Stroll instead.
A treasure trail of Sun-shaped boards decorated with a mixture of poetry, prose, facts, characters and challenges has been fixed around the park for visitors to follow and enjoy.
Each board has two interactive elements: a QR code that visitors can scan with their phones or tablets to bring up music, spoken word and video; and a message only visible in ultra-violet light. The trail Fort Royal Park is in place until December 29, giving visitors plenty of time to view it while staying in their Covid bubble.
There are 12 boards, one each for the solar months in a year plus some ‘welcome’ boards at the park’s entrance.
The boards were created by Ian Craigan of Puppet Tree Community Arts. He said: “I’m a storyteller and community artist based in Worcester. For the past five years I’ve worked with the Friends of Fort Royal Park to stage a Solstice event. This year we are mounting a Solstice Story Stroll in the park. I have hidden a Secret Maori creation myth story that runs across all 12 boards – only visible in UV light.”
Lynn Denham, Chair of the Friends of Fort Royal Park and Commandery Gardens, said “Our Solstice event in the past has been an antidote to Christmas shopping and a celebration of light and darkness. It has also been a spiritual opportunity for individuals to write their ‘intentions’ and burn them in a ‘Solstice Fire’. The intentions can be things to discard from the past or future things to adopt. 2020 has been a painful year for most of us so the Friends thought it was important to find a way to say goodbye to the last 12 months and look forward to the light.”
