A Barton upon Humber coffee shop is supporting international World Water Day on Tuesday. (March 22)
The popular Ropery Coffee Shop, part of The Ropewalk arts complex, is happy to provide tap water for their customers without any charge.
But on Tuesday it will be asking customers to make a voluntary donation for their tap water which will go towards fighting the global sanitation and water crisis.
This year World Water Day takes as its theme Water for Cities to encourage everyone, from governments to individuals, to address the challenges of urban water management.
“We have always had a strong commitment to WaterAid, which supports World Water Day, and this is just another way of raising money for this very worthwhile cause,” said The Ropewalk’s managing director, Liz Bennet.
“For some years now we have supported the work of WaterAid through various fundraising ideas and asking for voluntary donations for tap water on this day seemed a natural progression,” said The Ropewalk’s managing director, Liz Bennet.
About four years ago The Ropewalk organised knit-in for knitters from all over the area who gathered to knit blue squares which were then sent off down to WaterAid in London to be sewn into what was the world’s first ever knitted petition.
Since then The Ropewalk has supported the charity by channelling money raised from its Book Swap shelves in the Coffee Shop and knitters who sold cushion covers and hot water bottle covers in the Craft Gallery.
“In January this year we were delighted to send to WaterAid £421 which paid for a school sanitation block and a puppet show to teach good hygiene practice,” said Liz. “And we are continuing our support through the Book Swap scheme.”
In a further development, the Coffee Shop has been registered as a refilling station for tap water joining more than 500 pubs, cafes and shops throughout the country who offer the facility.
“We always try to be as green as possible and at the moment we are the only facility within a 40 mile radius to offer this resource to members of the public,” Liz continued.
A refilling station is a cafe, shop or pub which provides tap water for free. A member of the public can come in to any refilling station and get a re-useable bottle filled with tap water at no charge. Details of all refilling stations can be found on www.tapwater.org
Throughout the summer in the Box Gallery we are showcasing work from makers who are influenced by the sea.
Featuring in Coastal are ceramics by Tregear Pottery from the Isle of Wight, Rebecca Harvey from St Ives, Pru Green from Essex and Dianne Cross from Yorkshire. A new collection of work by Tony Bellars of King’s Lynn brings a bright splash of colour, looking at his fishing boats and gulls you can almost smell the salt air and hear the unmistakable cry of the gull.
This month in the Box Gallery we are celebrating everything nautical with a range of makers from around the UK. Their pieces aim to represent the fun of the ocean and the curious creatures that live within it.
We have a range of ceramics and prints to transport you back to the seaside or give you gift inspiration for that perfect someone who is never far from the beach. So why not come and visit the Craft Gallery today and start your holiday early with a piece from our exhibition, transforming your home into your very own seaside escape.
Here are just a few of the pieces we have on offer in the exhibition.
You are probably wondering why we have a boat within the Box Gallery exhibition!
Not only does it match this month’s nautical theme in the gallery it also promotes Barton’s Heritage Open Days and the free tours taking place from September 14 to September 22 in the neighbouring Barton Haven Shipyard.
Don’t forget to book your free ticket today along with many more events on offer at The Ropewalk.
Selected by Rob Moore and Melvyn Petterson, this biennial exhibition aims to show the best of our region’s printmakers.
Situated on the rugged south coast of the Isle of Wight, Tregear Pottery produces a beautiful range of handmade stoneware pottery. Each piece is made from fine white stoneware clay. The work is hand decorated in a variety of designs – all drawing their inspiration and influences from the exceptional beauty of the surrounding landscapes.
Trained in Kyoto, Japan, in porcelain throwing, Neil’s passion for pottery has seen his work travel across the globe. He continually pushes and challenges the work at Tregear Pottery, refining glazes, developing new designs and expanding the studio. Neil has been awarded with a number of grants, international show selections, and other accolades for the quality of his work. The work is sold in several galleries and shops on the Isle of Wight as well as many well-known outlets across the mainland and now at The Ropewalk. Come in to the Craft Gallery during the month of June and admire the coastal bliss that Neil Tregear’s pottery creates.
Noted brings together artists Lou Hazelwood and Sarah Pennington for the first time, as they negotiate similar interests in the mechanisation of music and roles of women.
Hazelwood’s piece in progress ‘La Boheme/I’ve Got Her Disease Inside My Head’ transposes pianola scores to playable music boxes working with the oppositional themes of the female bohemian and hysteric.
Pennington has constructed a series of new sculptural observations and print works through a combination of historical research and material experimentation with player piano rolls and remnants of piano mechanisms.
This exhibition showcases the initial findings of their separate but related research into, and interventions with, the structures of pianos and pianolas, and social situations surrounding their key periods of use.
If you are interested in following these processes of exploration as they continue to unfold, please visit www.facebook.com/Noted
Rachel Morley creates unique felt items by hand using the wet felt method. The natural colours and shapes of the Scottish coastal landscape have inspired the Pebble range or Doorstops, Cubby Bowls, Cubbyholes and Pebble Pods. Rachel experiments with wool fibres from British breeds of sheep to take advantage to their varying qualities. As a contrast, Rachel enjoys the challenges of felting with a broad colour palette to create the colourful range of bowls.
Rachel’s aim is to elevate felt craft to create innovate products for the interior, echoing organic forms of the coastal landscape. Her fine art background brings a very sculptural feel to her work which is tactile and evocative.
Rachel has a Fine Art Degree and Level 2 and Level 3 Diplomas in Feltmaking. She is a member of the international Feltmakers Association and Design Nation. She is a supporter of the campaign for Wool and member of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Rachel works from a studio in Hickling a village situated between Nottingham and Melton Mowbray. Come in to the Craft Gallery during the month of May and admire the Scottish bliss Rachel Morley felt pieces create.
