Care home residents invited to help tell the story of iconic Welsh river

Nation.Cymru Staff

A major new project exploring the story of one of Wales’ most iconic rivers has begun with the help of care home residents in Wrecsam.

Award-winning poet and musician Natasha Borton is now conducting workshops as part of her new role as River Dee Writer in Residence.

She invited Pendine Park care home residents to share memories, experiences and creative reflections on how the river has shaped life across north Wales.

Their contributions through poetry, music and discussion formed the starting point of  flagship Wales-wide initiative led by Literature Wales and WWF Cymru examining the relationship between rivers, communities and the environment.

Natasha, one of three writers appointed to work alongside Welsh riverside communities, said Pendine was the perfect place to begin her journey along the 70-mile River Dee.

She praised the residents for their enthusiasm and the wealth of knowledge they brought to the workshop.

The visit coincided with an ongoing rivers-themed arts project at Pendine where residents have been exploring how rivers have inspired artists and musicians through the centuries.

Natasha said the timing could not have been better, describing the care home’s creative community as an ideal source of inspiration for her research.

She said: “We will be engaging with local communities living all along the entire stretch of each river. The Dee has always played a part in my life and I believe it’s one of the most beautiful rivers in the UK.

“I’m looking forward to learning more about it, travelling along it, writing about it, singing about it. It’s going to be a memorable journey.”

Natasha told Pendine Park residents how her research showed the river had changed course over the years and is strongly linked to Ancient Celtic mythology. It was historically personified as a goddess named Aerfen.

One of the longest rivers in Wales, the Dee takes a meandering route from its source in the Snowdonia mountains down through the beauty spots of Bala, Llangollen and Corwen. It skirts Wrecsam, crosses the border into Chester and then back into Flintshire before heading out to the Irish Sea.

Natasha used translucent pebbles and the sounds of flowing water as imaginative tools to help inspire the residents to create poems. She also sang and played a dulcimer instrument comprising four strings stretched over an elongated, fretted sound box.

She said: “I brought the dulcimer along as it is such a lovely instrument to play and its long curved shape reminded me of a river.

“It was interesting how each of them had a different take on what life by a river means to them. For some it was sensory about the sounds and flow of the water, for others it was the wildlife and environment. Others focussed on the history of the river and how it provides a common link through communities, bringing them together whether for work or social gatherings.”

Pendine resident Gillian Garland wrote a poem about a spider and how a drop of water became trapped in its web, sparkling like a diamond. She had a go at playing the dulcimer, and said it reminded her of a nephew who was very musical.

Fellow resident Lynn Kelly said she enjoyed writing poems as it fired her imagination.

Mark Cartwright found inspiration from Natasha’s tales of the coracle boats which were used in past times for fishing along the river. Unlike on many other rivers the Dee coracles were square rather than round as they better suited the Dee’s rocky bed and strong currents.

Pendine Park consultant artist in residence, Sarah Edwards said Natasha’s workshop had added an interesting new strand to the Pendine river art project which will culminate with a celebration of rivers on June 1.

She said the project is a collaboration between Pendine Park residents’ art club and musicians from the Halle orchestra in Manchester who hold regular outreach workshops at Pendine Park.

Sarah added: “We’re hoping some of our residents will also read out the river-themed poems which Natasha has helped them create.”

An award-winning freelance writer and musician, Natasha has performed at festivals, venues and events across the UK, including Focus Wales, Get a Word in Edgeways, Everyman Playhouse, Wales Millennium Centre, Lush!, The Lowry and Roundhouse London.

Her term as River Dee Writer in Residence will continue until December, during which she will engage with and visit various individuals and groups whose lives have been impacted by the river. She will also host poetry, prose and performance events live and online.

The residency will culminate with her producing a piece of original creative work which embraces all aspects of the river including its ecology, links with community, industry, climate and her own thoughts of travelling all along the river’s winding course.

For more information on her project, visit the Literature Wales site here.

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