The Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape team worked with INSTAR - artists Trish Evans and Nick Humphreys - as well as local producer Chelsey Everatt, local farmers and four secondary schools to create Shelf Life. Project manager Lauren North has written a case study on their experience of developing the project and plans to build on the success.
Young people at Banovallum school loved the process of creating linocut prints with INSTAR
When we launched the Nature Calling Project across the Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape, our aim was simple: help young people discover the wildlife on their doorstep and build positive, practical relationships between a new generation and the farming community that cares for this special place. What followed was months of creativeness, curious questions, discussions on farmhouse doorsteps, and - most importantly - new lines of trust between people who live and work on the land.
Why the Lincolnshire Wolds?
The Wolds is a landscape of rolling chalk hills, hedgerows, flower-rich grasslands and working farms — beautiful, but also fragile. For many young people the countryside can feel distant, an Instagram image rather than a living place. Meanwhile, farmers face real pressures: markets, regulation, legislation and the practical challenge of balancing production with nature recovery. Nature Calling set out to bridge the gaps: to give young people the knowledge and love of nature, and to create opportunities for farmers to discover how art can produce something meaningful and ask the difficult questions that no one is approaching.
What we did
We approached all the secondary schools in the market towns around the Wolds and four came back to us. All really positive and excited to have their students take part in the project. These were: Queen Elizabeth Grammar, Horncastle; Louth Academy, Louth; Banovallum, Horncastle and John Spendluffe Technology College in Alford.
The artists, INSTAR, produced hands-on print making sessions for young people at the secondary schools. These included discovering lost species, traditional Japanese printing methods, using Lino carving tools, conversations about nature and the creative freedom to create nature inspired prints. The sessions were designed to build knowledge, confidence and the ability to trust the process. Most students we worked with were working towards their GCSE in Art and could use INSTARs engagement sessions for Nature Calling towards their final grade.
INSTAR held three to four sessions at each school to ensure that students could take their time, learn the skills and techniques with confidence. Teachers from different schools noted how those students who were usually disruptive and uncommitted were now really keen to get stuck in and produced excellent artwork and grades!
Our work with farmers involved sending an information sheet about the project to farmers whose land we hoped to include in the final piece (the display of bill boards). This opened conversations with farmers, INSTAR could then arrange to visit them and find out about the difficulties they face: discovering how hard it is to have a working farm while minimising the loss of habitat and species as best as they can.
Stories that stuck with us
From teenagers discovering new artistic techniques, learning about vulnerable species and rediscovering a love for art to farmers keen to shout about how they use regenerative and sustainable farming practices. These personal stories highlighted the lasting impact of the project.
Looking ahead
Nature Calling showed the power of practical, empathetic work with youth engagement and the importance of talking with our farmers face to face to understand what goes on behind the picturesque landscape we all know and love. The next step is embedding these relationships into local networks so the benefits continue to grow.
