THIS WEEKEND I ATE THE EDEN PROJECT…
What do you get if you cross a writer [waves, enthusiastically], a friend and her child with a day at the Eden project?
Too. Many. Clichés. It’s a fertile environment for [rips up note pad]. Great oaks growing out of small acorns [ deletedeletedelete]. Sewing the seeds of creativity [stomps out of room, slamming door].
Putting it simply, the day was great. Because:
a. it’s cold out but toasty in those biomes and at this time of year I kinda dig a bit of frizzy hair
b.it’s £5 for locals
c. everyday there’s storytelling
[Dusting off, then getting on, soap-box] This is one of the lost arts of our culture. I love that Eden celebrates it , finds it space to cozy up to and uses words to gather folk on a daily basis.
Nestled in the Med biome the teller corrals her audience. The acorns peg it about – but hey – it’s warm and their young bones call for action. The adults form a wobbly circle, on walls, the floor (toasty) and, thus positioned, lasso their offspring ready to hear. At first I fear a riot as a there are ramps for jumping, trees for pulling (and that’s just the adults, old bones finally getting the message), however within a heart-beat little faces are enthralled. As am I.
There are tales for telling.
The stories are old and comforting – like the biome they form a warm blanket around the group. The teller is engaging, interactive and we become the chorus to her verse.
Those who think Eden is something for adults, the hip session crowd, the hyper conscious sustainability eco warrior are right. But it’s also a space for the unassuming; the family; the child. Eden is a safe, warm space that values words as well as action; silence and echoes as well as shouts and screams and encourages growth in more than one direction [DRAT it…]
You can buy your ticket before Feb 10th and have until October to validate. [Giving in..] fertilise your family’s imagination this week at Eden: http://www.edenproject.com/buy-tickets/local-pass
Rebecca Ritson 