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Land of the Fanns 100 Stories

18th May 2019
Posted by Johnny Jenkins

Across Barking and Dagenham, Thurrock, Havering, in Brentwood and Essex there are stories in the landscape just waiting to be told: Stories full of history, of mystery, of love and loss, tales of people and adventures, stories that are part of the living history of the Land of the Fanns.

The Land of Fanns 100 Stories project is identifying, recording and sharing the valued community heritage in the stories of the landscapes in this area. Working with outdoor arts organisation Kinetika, the project aims to gather 100 stories from communities and individuals across the two London boroughs, Thurrock and Brentwood.   

A series of 10 walks led by Kinetika, begin on Tuesday 28 May across the Land of the Fanns Landscape, visiting various locations such as Langdon Hills, Bedfords Park, Thorndon Country Park, Rainham Marshes and many more green spaces and heritage places. The first walk is from Wooded Hills to Ingrebourne Valley: over the following eight days, there are one or two walks daily with a final walk on Tuesday 4 June Rom/Beam River walk. All walks are free and open to all. Lengths and times vary, Please check the website www.landofthefanns.org/land-fanns-100-stories/ for full details or call 01708 642978.

The walk routes have been devised by local volunteers to inspire stories, invoke memories and provoke responses amongst young and old alike.  During the walks, walkers will be encouraged to discover Land of the Fanns, getting to know the area if it is unfamiliar and to think about their personal connections to the landscape and share their stories about the area. The stories and reminiscences may be captured through informal writing and drawing or by photographing the landscape.

Stories can also be shared with the Land of the Fanns, either by phone, email, online or in person at various places throughout the summer. Please see website for more information.

Once the 100 stories have been collected, participants will be invited to a Creative Residency (Saturday 26th October – Saturday 2nd November). Here the stories will be turned into drawings in various workshops including, Writing About Heritage, Producing Relevant Web Content and Creative Writing and Drawing, creating content for flag designs.

In the Spring of 2020 participants will turn the drawings into 100 silk flags using Kinetika’s batik process. The flags will form part of the celebratory Walking and Arts Festival planned for Summer 2020. 

Walk Schedule

  1. Tues 28thMay: Wooded Hills to Ingrebourne Valley
  2. Wed 29thMay: Langdon Hills
  3. Wed 29thMay: Bulphan and the Fens
  4. Thurs 30thMay: Thorndon Country Park
  5. Fri 31stMay: Davy Down to RSPB Rainham Marshes
  6. Sat 1stMay: Hornchurch Industry and Leisure Heritage Walk
  7. Sun 2ndMay: Ingrebourne Valley and Rainham Hall
  8. Mon 3rdMay: South Ockendon and Belhus
  9. Mon 3rdMay: Thames Chase and Stubbers
  10. Tues 4thMay: Rom/Beam River Walk