Dear Friends of the Whale,

Whale of a Time at
Green Man Festival 2010

We are proud to have been part of this year's Green Man Festival. Even the continuous rain didn't dampen the high spirit in the kids field. With about 1000 children at the festival and hundreds of activities to do, Whale of a Time provided the perfect activity for old and young to explore their creativity while learning about endangered species in a fun and inspiring way. People made hundreds of models of endangered animals and plants around the planet which were displayed in the Whale of a Time Gallery through-out the festival.

With great support by the friendly kids field organisers Emily Williams and her wonderful team this was the perfect festival experience for all of us. We're looking forward to be back next year!

Everybody was having a whale of a time connecting with nature. Please view photos of Whale of a Time at Green Man at the Whale of a Time Gallery.

Green Man Festival, August 10

Please read comments below:

Child (age 4) said, “I love it. it is the best in the world.”

Mother said, “Abandoned by son to complete a turtle. I don't mind!”

Eve, said “Really relaxing in such a stressful time like camping! Hope to see you next year.”

Enanette said, "My son (11) and daughter (9) really enjoyed it. A lovely calming, absorbing activity for a hectic weekend."

Ella (6) said, “I loved making the animals and really enjoyed playing with the clay.”

Mother said, “Kids loved it and so did the parents! Thanks - see you next festival!”

Jess Kay (24) said, "This is a brilliant idea - everyone is having a great time. It's such a great place to be, really chilled-out and happy."

Cara and Heather (9), "We thought it was really fun! We would definately recommend it. There were a lot of animals to chose from."

Please read more comments.

Link: Green Man Festival

The Green Man Festival is an independent music festival held annually in the Brecon Beacons, Wales. "Of all the festivals in all the fields in Britain, probably the best field of all has been bagged by the Green Man Festival" (The Times).

It's a three-day festival with live music including psych, folk, indie, dance and Americana across five stages, as well as DJs playing everything from dub-reggae to electro and stoner rock, throughout the night.

Music is at the heart of Green Man, but aspects of culture, sustainable living and environmental consciousness have become central to Green Man too. This year there will be an opportunity to sculpt your favourite animal or plant species in clay at the Whale of a Time Workshop.

We'd particularly like to thank Bruce Rowland & Colin Taylor who organised the event and played in the competition and Bhupesh Thapa & Lawrence, the Islington Park Rangers, for their support and efforts throughout.

The word had gone out and our Whale of a Time Gallery filled up fast. Participants made many models of birds, tigers, monkeys, elephants, whales, and many other endangered species. They discovered a new kind of activity and a skill that they didn't know they had before participating in the workshop.

One parent said in astonishment of her son's creations that the next thing she would do would be to 'go out and buy a bag of clay for [her] child' as she was so impressed by her son's first-time efforts in sculpting real life-forms in clay.

A big whale thank you to all who contributed and we hope to organise more workshops in Islington in the future!

Everybody was having a whale of a time connecting with nature. Please view photos of Whale of a Time at Pétanque in the Park at the Whale of a Time Gallery.

Pétanque in the Park, August 10

Please read comments below:

Bhupesh Thapa, West Area Parks Manager, Environment & Regeneration Department, Islington Council said, "We were so happy to have Whale of a Time at our event at Barnard park. The kids loved the workshop which was very professionally run. We look forward to having Whale of Time back in Islington and would highly recommend the workshop."

Rick Cowling said, “Very informative, enthusiastic and friendly staff. Children really enjoyed it!”

Doi Cowling said, “The best workshop I've ever been too! It's my type because I love animals!”

Paul L. W., said “My daughter really enjoyed the clay making. A very good idea for small children.”

Mother said, "Fantastic idea! Both myself and my son had a great time! Staff were really lovely too!"

Adult said, “Fun, fun! Remembered how much fun playing with clay is!”

Father said, "Wonderful tactile play!"

Kiya (3) said, "I had a lot of fun playing with the clay and getting messy!"

Please read more comments.

Link: Boules-London