Artist Frances Disley speaks to New Hutte Neighbourhood Centre's Gary about community spirit in Halewood, where people pull together in times of hardship. Throughout history, various tree species have been considered to have special qualities. Following the Roots pairs stories and memories with tree species in Halewood Triangle Park. The project connects Gary's memories with willow - known for its resilience and tenacity.

Part of a series of six interviews with residents of Halewood, for the project Following the Roots: Stories of Halewood, a public sculpture trail in Halewood Triangle Park.

Produced by Heart of Glass. An Every Town and Village Tells Its Story project in partnership with Knowsley Council. Made possible with the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Following the Roots: Willow with Gary

Artist Frances Disley speaks to sisters Diane and Judy about their memories of growing up in Halewood. Throughout history, various tree species have been considered to have special qualities. Following the Roots pairs stories and memories with tree species in Halewood Triangle Park. The project connects Diane and Judy's memories with ash - the tree of life in Norse mythology.

Part of a series of six interviews with residents of Halewood, for the project Following the Roots: Stories of Halewood, a public sculpture trail in Halewood Triangle Park.

Produced by Heart of Glass. An Every Town and Village Tells Its Story project in partnership with Knowsley Council. Made possible with the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Following the Roots: Ash with Diane and Judy

We commissioned writer Bernadette McBride to reflect on A Sense of Green. Her creative response is the following poem, inspired by the púca: a creature of Celtic, English, and Channel Islands folklore. Púca are said to (sometimes) bring good fortune and offer help to rural and marine communities. Shape-changers, they were believed to take on the appearance of horses, goats, cats, dogs, hares and even human form - along with animal features, such as ears or a tail!

This poem follows an imagined púca of St Helens and Knowsley, visiting some of the sites of A Sense of Green.

A Sense of Green: The Púca

We are recruiting for a new chair of our board. This is an audio transcript of the chair recruitment pack that is on our website.

About Us

Introduction

How to Look After a Grieving Elephant (and other social animals) is a children’s participatory art project about grief, by artist Jenny Gaskell. The aim for this project is to get children and adults talking about grief, how we might care for each other, and of course, to have fun along the way. 

Working with children aged 5-10, Jenny researched how some animals act differently when an animal close to them dies. Over a series of art workshops, games and crafts, our collaborators learned about some of the ways that animals - including elephants, giraffes, whales and wolves - share their grief, and how we can look after ourselves as humans too.

The Grief Helpline for Social Animals provides a wealth of information on how social animals experience grief, how to look after ourselves, and each other too. Listeners will hear children’s perspectives on empathy, care, and support, shared in the warm, honest voices of young people. Also available to experience via a phone installation at locations in St Helens (2024-25), The Helpline opens up a compassionate way to consider grief and loss, inspired by the ways animals naturally support each other.

How to look after a grieving elephant

Heart of Glass

Related tracks