Dear Friends of the Whale,

Community Wellbeing and Happiness in Lambeth
with Whale of a Time
at The Mayor's Thames Festival 2010

When: 11th - 12th September 10
Saturday and Sunday, 12 am to 7 pm

Where: @ Potters Fields Park, London, United Kingdom

The Whale of a Time Workshop will take place in the the Blue Ribbon Village.

How do I get there?
To find Potters Fields Park please download festival map.

Whale of a Time is being held as part of The Mayor’s Thames Festival, London’s largest free outdoor arts festival, taking place on 11th & 12th September 2010.

The Whale of a Time Workshop is a fun and hands-on activity, where young and old are able to model whales and other endangered species out of clay, and at the same time learn about the environment, biodiversity and sustainability.

This Whale of a Time Workshop is sponsored by the Lambeth Psychological Therapies Service, a part of the national IAPT programme run by the NHS. The aim is to increase people’s awareness of ways to help wellbeing. We do this by engaging young and old in environmental issues through modelling endangered species in clay. Read NHS news release.

What is mental wellbeing?

"To experience good mental health and wellbeing is to feel positive about today and to have hope for the future; to feel reasonably confident about being able to handle life's stresses and problems; and that mostly life is fulfilled and rewarding" 'Wellbeing and Happiness in Lambeth' Please feel free to download information about The Lambeth mental wellbeing programme

Click here to take survey about community wellbeing

The Whale of a Time Workshop is based on modelling techniques where you can learn how to use sculpting tools and explore your creativity through experimentation. We work from wildlife photographs and you can create your unique art pieces whilst learning about endangered species around the planet.

Clay-sculpting is therapeutic and helps to release stress and tension while connecting with nature. The Whale of a Time Workshop supports this journey of transformation and brings healing and wellbeing to both the participants and the planet. NHS Lambeth has just commissioned us to do action research on the health benefit of our workshop. Read more about the Whale of a Time Workshop.

All your models are displayed during the festival at the Whale of a Time Gallery and after the festival is finished you can take your models home or get them fired and glazed. View photos of previous workshops online at the Whale of a Time Gallery.

Mayor’s Thames Festival: 11th and 12th September 2010, 12pm-10pm

The Mayor’s Thames Festival (www.thamesfestival.org) is London’s largest free outdoor arts festival. A spectacular, free celebration of London and its river, the festival takes place every September with a packed weekend of outdoor events on the River Thames, the riverside walkways, roads, bridges, docks and public open spaces from the London Eye to Tower Bridge and beyond.

The festival commissions new work, and transforms unusual spaces on and around the River Thames with a vivid mixture of music, dance, feasting, carnival, river races, art installations and street arts. It’s all about bringing people together and encouraging them to take part. The finale is a magical illuminated Night Carnival that winds along the north and south banks of the Thames, followed by fireworks fired from the centre of the river itself.

An event with a real creative legacy, the festival has four key ongoing education projects with schools and community groups focussing on art/design, the environment, music education and food growing. In 2009 the Festival worked with 288 schools from London and overseas and 225 community groups, reaching over 10,000 young people worldwide.

The Thames Festival River Parade

This year’s Thames Festival River Parade takes place on Saturday 11 September. The commentary for the parade will be broadcast from the riverside walkway by Potters Field Park as part of the Blue Ribbon Village.

If you have friends, family or colleagues that you think might like to enter a boat, please forward the invitation onto them. The River Parade is a great way to celebrate the Thames and the many different people and vessels that use it. It’s free to take part and entrants receive up to four tickets to the Thames Revival Supper.
Download Thames River Invite. (pdf).

The Mayor’s Thames Festival is supported by Arts Council England and the Mayor of London.

"As a contender for London's best annual event, the Mayor's Thames Festival is right up there" Time Out Magazine

"Great balls of fire, acrobatic cavemen and a giant bubble filled with music ... this year's Thames Festival was an eye-opener and a jaw-dropper" Guardian

Please contact Emma Lawson, Thames Festival Press and PR at emmalawson@globalnet.co.uk

Please contact Irene Schleining, Whale of a Time Press and PR at irene@whaleofatime.org

Flukey and Spirit, our big fluffy giant whales will be waiting for you! :)