A celebration of the natural world through original words and music inspired by the national forest
Circularity.org, reached out to creative writers and performers across the National Forest to collaborate on Songs From The Wood.
Musicians and poets from across the area submitted their original words and music to be considered for the project. See who were chosen below...
Beth Hartshorne
Multi-instrumentalist Beth lives “next door” to the National Forest; her explorations of the beautiful landscapes along the National Forest Way and the oneness she feels with nature inspired her submission. She’s deeply touched and humbled by nature and all that it represents: “I wanted to capture and recreate that experience, with inspiration from history, geology, culture, the sense of connection to nature and to all those who have experienced it before me and the generations to come.” She sees the story of the National Forest as one of regeneration and hope for the future that we can all identify with.
Craig Gould
Local musician and songwriter Craig walks regularly in the National Forest and came up with his winning tune especially for this project. It centres around the healing power of nature and the benefits of “taking time out from the technological/commercial world to connect with our natural rhythm”. Craig speaks of his own personal experience of how spending time with nature helped him to recover from mental illness: “I began bird spotting, just in my back garden at first, which led to walks and hikes as I got stronger. Being within nature was such a huge part of my recovery process, and something that I still reach for today to help keep me in a good place mentally.”
Dorothy Ella
Burton-based singer/songwriter Dorothy Ella grew up around the National Forest and has memories of spending time there from a very early age. She feels “at peace” spending time outdoors in nature. Her song is based on the deep connection she feels with her natural environment on adventures, climbing trees, walking and spending time by water. “My concept is to take the listener into a forest time capsule, to show them that nature has always been there, and that everyone is very much a part of the natural world.”
Leah Wlcx
Leah’s song reflects on her childhood memories, growing up in the National Forest, spending every spare minute outside: “running around in the fields, the leaves of autumn, stargazing in the forest, a hot chocolate after playing in the snow, the birds in the sky, watching our breath condense in the cold and crisp air, picking buttercups to see if you loved butter”. Leah, a singer/songwriter based in Burton-upon-Trent, used a ‘toy glockenspiel’ in her music to further reflect the childhood theme and even recorded sounds from the Forest itself to use in her song. Her ambition is to be able to perform the song in the setting she imagined when writing it: “around a campfire, sitting on logs and amongst the leaves, with the sounds of birds, just as in my recording”.
Steve Bloor
Steve is a singer/songwriter from Swadlincote. He regularly walks in the National Forest taking in the sights and sounds of nature along the way. He took inspiration for his song - The Fall - from the effects the seasons have on the trees in the forest, and how a tree stripped bare in autumn regenerates to grow in spring time. He uses this cycle of life as a metaphor for a failing relationship: “I think my song will be relatable to all: nature lovers can relate it to the changing seasons, and others will appreciate the metaphor that the song carries and relate it to past or present experiences in their lives.” A message of hope to all, that life will inevitably “come back around to summer”.
The Coal Tits
The Coal Tits are a like-minded group who formed as part of the National Forest's Black to Green project. They all live in the “Heart of the Forest” and were regularly seen performing in local pubs, historical venues and even on guided forest walks before the Covid pandemic. They tell stories of the Forest, past and present, through their songs, poetry and art: “We think where we live is unique and we are on a continued mission to spread the word to the local population and visitors to the area.” Their song - The Wildwood - tells a tale of the National Forest before, during and after the Industrial Revolution and how the forest survives and regenerates to benefit generations to come.
‘Songs From The Wood’ is released on a Creative Commons license BY-SA 4.0 to allow others to adapt and create their own work from it, even commercially, but they are then bound by the same terms.
The Hut and Piggyback Studios have partnered with Circularity to record the tracks and Fat Tail Creative have been commissioned to partner for filming.
The Fellowship Of The Woods
Imagine if a woodland or forestry setting could replace a building for rehearsal, performance, art gallery, or meeting space.
Breathing new life into different creative pursuits and endeavours.
Watch the film above, and listen to the podcast below (or on any podcast service).
