Okehampton Library is working alongside art charity Honeyscribe on a project to support people going through loss and grief.
The project is part of Libraries Unlimited Finding Connection Through Loss.
Feelings of disconnection or loss can be amplified in the cold winter months, so Honeyscribe are inviting people to take part in a collective act of co-creation by dedicating a pressed flower to someone special.
The project will culminate in the creation of an illuminated artwork and an accompanying repository display box (lovingly restored by Men in Sheds, Okehampton) containing preserved flowers and leaves gathered from across the community which will be created by Amy Shelton once the flowers and leaves are collected in.
Honeyscribe are distributing invitation packs through the libraries and via the Mobile Library service and a constellation of support services who respond to issues of loneliness, social isolation, bereavement, and loss including local health centres, care homes, hospitals and through the social prescribers working in the community.
Visitors to Okehampton and Holsworthy libraries can pick up a pack to take away or press a fresh flower at the flower pressing stations where library staff will assist you.
Anyone who would like to dedicate a flower for this project can collect a pack with everything they need from Okehampton and Holsworthy libraries throughout February until March 22, or email [email protected] and a pack will be sent out in the post.
The finished artworks will be exhibited at the libraries and tour to the care homes and support services so it can be seen by people involved in its making.
Okehampton Library and Honeyscribe said they were delighted to be supporting the vital work of Libraries Unlimited on this project and were working with multiple local partners helping to address the complex realities of isolation, loss, and grief.
The project has been generously funded by Arts Council England through their support for Libraries Unlimited’s Finding Connection Through Loss.