A Day at Clayfest
Mark, David, Peter, Ian and John from Gartinny Nurseries, our vocational day service in Coalsnaughton, were able to attend Clayfest thanks to generous funding from Perth and Kinnoull Rotary Group and Earth Building UK. The theme for this year’s Clayfest was ‘the culture of earth building’, which explored how people and places reflect the experience of building with clay. The conference included a range of events and workshops, as well as demonstrations on building with clay and how clay was used to create many of the buildings around Errol.
On the day the group learned about traditional building methods using clay and building clay structures as well as making models and painting with natural materials. There was also a focus on exploring the different textures that can be achieved with clay, which served as a great sensory session for the individuals. The workshops were run by Jem and Jools Cox who are thatchers by trade so they were able to pass on a wealth of knowledge.
Tony Monir, Autism Practitioner at Gartinny, went along with the group on the day: “We are always looking for opportunities to learn new skills and clay building is something that the group were eager to learn more about. This was a fantastic opportunity for the group and has allowed them to develop their skills and learn more about the history of clay building.”
Everyone had a fantastic time at Clayfest and we can’t thank Perth and Kinnoull Rotary Group and EBUK enough for making it possible for them to attend!
