Park’s May festival is going ahead helped by host of online activities

THE Friends of Derby Arboretum’s annual MayFest, normally held in the park, will be a mixture of events this year, both online and outdoors, due to the impact of Covid-19.

On Sunday, the Friends group will be on Facebook Live as well as YouTube, sharing videos of various workshops.

Friends of Derby Arboretum member Ruth Richardson will start the event around noon on Facebook, explaining the various activities. Then, from 1pm a series of homemade videos will be shown on the Friends’ YouTube channel.

Visitors to the park are invited to leave a message about why they love it on a ‘leaf’ attached to the railings next to the community garden.

Visitors can also view the results of their community workshops with displays of crafted balloons, spring flowers, May crowns and more.

There will also be a virtual tea party, hosted by the leader of the Friends group, Jo Simister, and St Thomas’ Community in place of their usual tea tent. By following the Zoom link participants can join in the conversation whilst enjoying their home brew (and biscuits!).

The Co-op’s charity, Co-op Foundation, has awarded a £10,000 grant to Friends of Derby Arboretum to help it continue to support the local community through its Cultivating Friends project. Based in Normanton, the project will continue connecting to the local community through physical events and virtual activities on its YouTube channel and Facebook site.

It is planning four celebrations spread out over next year to encourage more people from the diverse local communities to become involved in volunteering.

Jo Simister, chair of the Friends of Derby Arboretum, said: “These months of pandemic have shown the whole of society how essential green spaces and creative activities are for everyone’s mental, physical and spiritual health.”