Many of you may already be familiar with Outside Lives, but for those who aren’t, Outside Lives Ltd is a community focused, not for profit organisation based in Gwernymynydd. The return of in person events! Fast forward to August this year and the Outside Lives team have spent a time prepa - ring for the much-anticipated return of face to face, in per- son events. The first new in person events started at the beginning of August and have so far delivered a wonderful range of small and creative events on site, many of which have sold out fast! Events to date have been pre- dominantly creative, artist-led sessions such as, jewellery making, willow art, sewing sessions and forest school ses- sions for children, with many more events planned in the coming months. Sessions are presently being run in small numbers so that people feel comfortable re- connecting and as community confidence grows these will be developed further. They’d also like to hear from the commu- nity on any session types that people would like to see so they can look at further deve- loping what’s on offer. “This has been a tough time for so many folks, especially those people who’ve shielded throughout, so whilst opening up is great, we are trying to make this a safe space, where people can be confident in at - tending in person events here on site.” - Lucy Powell, Founder and Di- rector of Outside Lives. In addition to their in-person events launch, they also conti - nue to offer a range of online events, such as online crafting sessions and watercolours, offering people who still wish to get involved in their own time, or feel safer online that in person. “We’ve learned a lot from the last year or so about the impor - tance of communities staying connected. Activities and events are an important way of bringing connection into com - munities and bringing people together, they help to create a support network that supports the building of bonds and rela - tionships, and we’re excited to be part of this again.” There’s so much to get involved with! There are still lots of events scheduled for September, in- cluding ongoing sewing and craft sessions every Wednes - day morning at Mold Rugby Club, needlework sessions and a wonderful in-person water- colour session taking place at Outside Lives. To find out more on forthco - ming Outside Lives Events or to book online, please visit outsidelivesevents.org , or scan the QR code below which will direct you to the events pages.. S tarted in 2018, by ex-Social Worker, Lucy Powell, their main aim is to bring together members of the community, connecting people of all ages and abilities through shared interests by providing activities and events that support personal and community wellbeing whilst also celebrating and protec - ting the natural environment. A magical nature- based site Their wonderful 5-acre rural site at the historic Aberduna Hall sits in the dramatic sha - dow of Moel Famau – a fitting backdrop for an organisation centred around a love of the environment! Playing host to a range of wonderful outdoor events in recent years, designed, and delivered in co-production with the community, they have a growing number of lo- cal volunteers and participants who continue to support the ongoing development of their sustainable, nature-based site. Sadly, as with many commu- nity facing organisations, face- to-face events were placed on hold in March 2020 due to Covid-19. Thanks to funding received from WCVA however, they quickly took everything online, delivering a range of art, craft, engagement, and wellbeing initiatives on Zoom – many of which continue. They also set up several ‘spe- cial interest’ groups to encou- rage people to keep connec- ted - whether it was through a love of growing vegetables, nature, taking part in yoga and wellbeing sessions online, or providing cooking inspiration and community quizzes; it was a coming together of like- minded people that helped people to stay connected and engaged through lockdown. 33 32 A range of fun & creative workshops! by Outside Lives News&Views 241 | September-October 2021 EVENTS 34 News&Views 241 | September-October 2021 EVENTS G w e r n a f f i e l d C a d o l e M a e s h a f n G w e r n y m y n y d d SIZZLE & STROLL Walk, Book Launch & Vegan BBQ Family Event Adults £5, Kids £4 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH 2021 From 11:00 to 15:00 At Outside Lives - CH7 5LE Visit: outsidelivesevents.org to book Outside Lives Ltd. Registered Address: Aberduna Hall, Maeshafn Road, Gwernymynydd, Mold CH7 5LE Join us for a fantastic celebration of our local history and launch of The History of Here! COME ALONG AND JOIN IN THE FUN T he project, which has been gaining momen- tum over the past 12-months, has seen Outside Lives join forces with local His- torians, Discoverers, Cavers, Archaeologists, Artists, and other influential sources, to bring a selection of intriguing tales of the area to the fore in a wonderful book, audio and BSL tour, which are set for of- ficial long-awaited publication in early September. The event was previously scheduled to happen in early August but was postponed The rescheduled date will still follow this original plan... but with some new and exciting additions! Anastacia Ackers , Project Lead on The History of Here Project, said: “We were so disappointed to have had to postpone the Sizzle & Stroll event in August, but for safety reasons, it was the right thing to do. With the date of the book launch nea - ring, however, we thought - why not add this into the event and just make it a bigger and more exciting celebration! The History of Here book is an account of some truly won - derful stories from our local area – some perhaps better known than others, and for people living locally, this will be a chance to learn a bit more about this magical place we all call home, taking in some of the history on foot!” The ‘Stroll’ element of the event enables walkers to take in some wonderful local histo- ry, myths, and legends along a circular route that takes roughly 1.5 hours to com- plete. Starting at Aberduna Hall (Outside Lives HQ), the route follows an historic route, passing Loggerheads – home itself to significant Arthurian legend - over to Colomendy Hall and the important yet les- ser known, Ogof Colomendy cave site. Back at Outside Lives and in addition to the BBQ, you may also find some of the characters from the stories brought to life and there will also be some free copies of the new History of Here book available! There will also be some woodland heritage ac- tivities for the children and a raffle, providing the chance to win some lovely prizes, the proceeds of which will help support ongoing and future Outside Lives projects. The event itself will run from 11am until 3pm. The Stroll route is marked out on the printed map that will be pro- vided and is designed to be walked at your own pace. For those who are interested in hearing more about the his- tory of the places visited on the walk, MP3 players and a downloadable audio tour will be available, as is a printed story sheet. For anyone thinking of booking onto this special event, further details will be provided by email upon booking, including an audio download link for those who require it. Getting involved in this lo - vely event is easy. Tickets are just £5 for adults and £4 for children (under 18) and can be purchased online at outsi- delivesevents.org. Please note that whilst the general terrain is relatively flat and suitable for most walking abilities, it is sadly not deemed accessible for wheelchair users. Please Note: anyone who pur- chased tickets for the origi - nal event Sizzle & Stroll date, these tickets will carry over to the 18th September. If anyone booked for the previous date, but cannot make the new, re- vised date, please get in touch with Outside Lives: outsidelivesltd@gmail.com Find out more about The History of Here project by scanning the code here: due to forecasted bad storms, which sadly forced the original event to be rescheduled the day before. The Sizzle & Stroll was however, always designed to celebrate some of the fea- tured stories from The Histo- ry of Here, as the Stroll route itself features local ‘Historic Halls, Inns and Battles’. For those who work up a hunger on their Strolls, a deli- cious Plant-based (meat free) BBQ is available from 12:30 at Outside Lives. Sizzle & Stroll and ‘History of Here’ Book Launch Event! Outside Lives’ ‘Sizzle & Stroll’ event is set to take place on Saturday 18 th September at their site in Gwernymynydd. This wonderful event will celebrate the imminent book release of the CADW, and Welsh Government funded local history project, ‘The History of Here’, a project that looks deep into some of the age-old myths and legends of our area.