Communities in the Clyde and Avon Valley are being invited to take part in Make Your Way – a new project encouraging local people to walk and cycle more whilst exploring the rich heritage of their local area.

Make Your Way is focussed on the communities of Larkhall, Lanark, Carluke, Stonehouse and Glassford, and includes multiple ways for people to get involved, including activities like Dorodango mud ball challenges, walks with periscopes, art workshops, creative place name activities and creating new art installations to mark certain walking routes.

Communities are invited to local Make Your Way meetings which will help determine routes and heritage features. They kicked off in Carluke on Tuesday 20 September and subsequent events are scheduled for Stonehouse Lifestyles (Wednesday 12 October, 1-3pm drop in), Glassford Hall (Wednesday 12 October, 3-6pm drop in), Lanark Memorial Hall (Tuesday 19 October, 4-6pm drop in) and Larkhall Leisure Centre (Wednesday 20^th October, 4-6pm drop in).

The project is being delivered by icecream architecture, a people focussed art and design company, and JMP Consultants, a sustainable travel consultancy. It has been funded by Smarter Choices, Smarter Places grant and is part of the Heritage Lottery Fund supported Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership (CAVLP) scheme.

Sarah Frood, Director of icecream architecture says, “We’re looking for as many people from the communities in Larkhall, Lanark, Carluke, Stonehouse and Glassford to get involved in the local Make Your Way meetings. We appreciate that the best knowledge of the area will come from local people and their experiences. Anyone interested in the project but unable to attend any of the workshops can contact us at sarah@icecreamarchitecture.com”.

People are also invited to get involved in the Dorodango Make Your Way Mud Ball Challenge, taking place between now and 1 February 2017. Japanese Dorodango, or ‘Mud Dumpling’, is a process involving creating balls of mud, which are then highly polished and built up in layers. The aim is to create 500 Dorodango which will be exhibited altogether in March. Find out how to make your own, request a Dorodango workshop or find out how to host your own Dorodango Party by getting in touch with the Make Your Way team at sarah@icecreamarchitecture.

A ‘What is in a Name,’ walk celebrating the launch of ‘The Glesart’, a book about Glassford by local author John Young will take place on Saturday 29 October, in collaboration with the Make Your Way team. The walk will focus on formal place names as well as places that have local names but are not written down. It is open to all, starting at 4:30pm at Glassford Hall and is followed by the book launch at 7pm.

Details of a series of further walks and exiting art activities in and around Larkhall, Lanark, Carluke, Stonehouse and Glassford will be announced over the coming weeks at www.clydeandavonvalley.org.

“We’re so excited to see what hidden gems of local knowledge will be picked out and highlighted by the Make Your Way project which will encourage people to utilise new ways of walking and cycling in these special areas,” says Kirsten Robb, Development Officer for Make Your Way at CAVLP. “We encourage as many people as possible from these communities and beyond to get stuck in.”

Get in touch with the Make Your Way team at sarah@icecreamarchitecture.com / 07513 074 991. Keep up to date with project developments on the Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership website http://www.clydeandavonvalley.org/explore, on Twitter @ClydeAvonValley or on Facebook @ClydeandAvonValley.

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For further information, please contact:

Sarah Frood, Director, icecream architecture, sarah@icecreamarchitecture.com / 07513 074 991