Inspire's Worksop Library becomes a Fun Palace!

Visitors can drop in between 10am and 3pm to take part in activities including crafting bugs from clay and foraged materials, stone painting, sensory play, science busking and much more. The library will welcome local community groups and organisations including:

•          The Harley Gallery
•          From The Heart Charity
•          Ignite!
•          Mr Straws House, National Trust
•          UK Atomic Energy Authority
•          Bassetlaw Community and Voluntary Service (BCVS)
•          Oasis Community Centre
•          Veolia
•          Women in Engineering Society at the University of Sheffield
•          Now Church at Langold

The day will also be peppered with performances and musical activities: Dukeries Ukeries Ukulele Group will be playing at 10am, followed by Langold Dyscarr School Choir at 11am.  Join Inspire Music’s own Red Hot Band for their first set at 12.30pm, then indulge in some musical play before joining them in their Fun Palace grand finale, kicking off at 2.10pm.

Nature and the environment – important elements in much of Inspire’s work - are at the forefront of Worksop Library’s Fun Palace this year, with many activities encouraging visitors to be mindful of their impact and decisions when it comes to the world around them. The Harley Gallery will be utilising materials foraged from the nearby Welbeck estate in their session, and Veolia will be in attendance with their beanbag game aiming to raise awareness of recycling. BCVS will be helping families paint stones to contribute to a display at Willow Community Garden, a community resource based at nearby allotments.

Get hands-on with science and prepare to be amazed; science has always featured in a big way at the Fun Palace in Worksop and this year is no exception. Nottingham-based charity Ignite will be back with their ever-popular science busking kit full of simple science tricks. The UK Atomic Energy Authority and the Women in Engineering Society will both be attending with a variety of fun STEM activities including snap circuits, a virtual reality headset and giant plasma ball.

Inspire are pleased to offer a special Little Creatives drop-in session at the event, featuring Nottinghamshire artist Amy Lee Young. Amy joined the Little Creatives team in 2023 and is now part of the project that empowers local artists to design workshops for early years children. She will be sharing her sensory activities with the smallest Fun Palace visitors who will be able to explore colour, texture and the effect of light on different materials and experience making sounds that create a calming atmosphere. Little Creatives is a regular event taking place at libraries across Nottinghamshire.

During the event, Inspire’s I Am An Artist exhibition will be on display in the library’s gallery. Five artists in collaboration with local groups, including Worksop’s Oasis Community Centre, have created a colourful and inspiring collection of artwork. Locals can catch the exhibition from Saturday 5 October until Wednesday 13 November before its tour continues around the county.

Additionally, teams from Inspire will be on hand with badger-themed crafts, as well as hosting a quiet zone – perfect for those who may need a little bit of calm during the excitement of the day’s events. Elsewhere, children will be able to try their hand at coding with fun Code-a-Pillars, which can be programmed to follow a route around the space. The fan favourite badge machine will also be in action on the day, so visitors can create a memento to take away with them.

The Fun Palace event starts at Worksop Library at 10am on Saturday 5 October. Further information about the event can be found at inspireculture.org.uk/funpalace

Fun Palaces is a free, nationwide campaign for culture at the heart of community and community at the heart of culture happening over the weekend of the 4 October – 6 October 2024. Each Fun Palace celebrates the unique skills and passions of local people – run by, for and with the local community.