Archive: Winter Woodland Windows was a community activity in February 2021.

During the COVID-19 restrictions, community art projects offered Buxton residents ways to share creative experiences while staying apart.

The original report recalled a Buxton Sparkles lantern display in the Pavilion Gardens in December 2020, costumed characters waving at children, online museum craft sessions and residents’ advent windows.

Glowing Lanterns and Winter Woodland Windows 

Local artists’ group Stone and Water invited Buxton residents to create Winter Woodland Windows over the weekends of 13–14 and 20–21 February 2021.

Artists and storytellers Gordon MacLellan and Sarah Males had planned a weekend of lantern walks through Buxton’s woodlands. “It is clearly not a good plan to organise an event like that just now, so we thought we would invite anyone who feels so inspired to bring the woodland into their homes and share their trees with other people by making winter woodland windows!”, said Gordon in 2021.

“We have two activities people can join in with, making glowing lanterns for a window ledge or woodland window displays. People are already sending in photographs of what they’ve done so far which is brilliant!”

The 2021 activity

Residents were invited to display their creations in windows between 6pm and 8pm on those weekends.

This video is provided by YouTube. Choose whether to allow external content, or open it with the provider.

Watch on YouTube

Stone and Water initially offered 100 free craft kits. In its gallery of the windows, the group reported distributing 100 kits by 14 February and hoped to prepare another 20.

How to make a Woodland Window?

You will need:

  • A sheet of black card or paper (the organisers used A3 for practice)
  • A piece of chalk
  • Sharp scissors
  • A craft knife and cutting mat (scissors might do as an alternative)
  • PVA glue, brush
  • small pot (to mix glue and water in)
  • Coloured tissue or cellophane
  • Sheet of plastic

You’ll find full instructions on how to make the ‘woodland windows’ on their website at stoneandwaterblog.wordpress.com

The organisers hoped the activity would help people enjoy making something and cheer up passers-by.