Pupils from Ambler Primary School ‘Go Ape’ in Alexandra Park

AMBLER Arts have gone bananas – raising a whopping £3k to go towards arts and music workshops for Ambler Primary School by swinging through the treetops. On Saturday, parents, teachers and youngsters from the school took a leap of faith at the Go Ape adventure venue in Alexandra Palace in aid of arts workshops for the children. The money will go towards subsidising music lessons in the morning taught by local musicians. Plans also include a graffiti workshop, drumming lessons and pottery workshops.

Year 3’s Esme Millfleet and, below, Rachel Millward get into the swing of things

Rachel Millward, a parent at the Finsbury Park school, helped organise the event. “It’s all about advocating arts in the school,” she said. “Violin, cello, ukulele, guitar, drumming and recorder lessons will start in September. The area has so many great different people and arts professionals who would love to bring what they do and know in the school. We believe that creativity helps the child in all kinds of ways so it’s about making the arts accessible to everyone.” The Ambler Arts group is a special interest group of the school’s Parents Teachers Association group – Friends of Ambler.

Grow hops and herbs for happiness

Garden co-ordinator Alex Schmidt
Whittington Park Community Association, in Yerbury Road, is looking for volunteers to help run the new community garden for the project Hops, Herbs, Health and Happiness. The garden is looking to run workshops every two weeks which will be open to everybody. Garden co-ordinator. Alex Schmidt says: “The garden is designed to be beneficial for people with special needs and over 50s, for people who can’t bend over. Even if not spending a lot of time on it, you are being active in fresh air which is something a lot of old people don’t do anymore. It establishes bonds between generations.”
The garden is new and will grow vegetables, herbs, strawberries and raspberries which will be used in the café on the site. Last week, the garden began growing hops. “The idea is to create a green backdrop wall,” says Alex. “The flowers of hops are antibacterial. You can roast them. Some people eat them. All the stuff which is usually thrown away will be made into compost. We will be encouraging people to think about how you can actually grow things even in the city.”
The garden’s next session is next Thursday, May 3. For more info go to whittingtonpca.org.uk/2681-2/gardening-project/ or please contact Alex on 020 7272 1847.

Puppet theatre is looking for recruits

The Little Angel Theatre

Calling all Islington teenagers! The puppet theatre for children and families, tucked away behind St Mary’s Church in Upper Street, is looking to hire eight young people aged 13-16 to sit on its Youth Board. The Little Angel Theatre was opened in 1961 by John Wright, a puppet master who transformed a derelict hall into the 100-seat venue it is today. The theatre is calling for applications from those demonstrating a passion for performing arts to become members of the board, which will be responsible for organising and running events and workshops at the community arts hub.
Beth Warnock, community engagement manager at the theatre, says: “We have done youth theatre for quite a few years which includes holding weekly groups with different roles, such as making puppets and doing a show. Setting up this youth board will teach younger children about other roles apart from being a puppeteer that exist at a theatre.”
For more information on what the role will involve go to: https://littleangeltheatre.com/news/youth-board-opportunity/
Online application form at: https://form.jotformeu.com/BethLittleAngel/youth-board-application

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