Meanwhile back at the club…

We had agreed that on some Tuesday evenings we would hold Young Roots activities at Wincobank Youth Group for any young people who wanted to join in.

James the Ranger showed how to make bird feeders from pine cones and peanut butter and Jon Harrison came back to explain how to edit the Hue and Cry film so that Rudi and Dylan could do it themselves.  Penny came in  with a bag of clay and a clay green man face –  rather weird looking with leaves sprouting everywhere. We made faces which Anna fired for us in her kiln,

The Survival Game – part 2

We were so impressed with the shelter Beck had made in February, that we began to wonder how people in those days made luxury  homes and what is might have been like to live in one so in the next holidays, at Easter, we made our own house – well part of one…

It was a bit draughty, rather dangerous with no door to lock, but felt quite friendly without fences and walls every where.  So we started thinking about life in a village and we thought we would make a little film to show primary children a slice of olden days life.

Dylan told us about the ancient law of Hue and Cry whereby a  criminal had to be driven out of the village or the whole village would be held responsible. There was no time to write a script so with a little direction the actors improvised while Thomas and Alex filmed the action.  Watch our mini movie here: Wincobank Hue and Cry on YouTube

The Survival Game – part 1

The winter months are bleak but beautiful high on Wincobank Hill.  It’s difficult to imagine how folks survived here thousands of years ago, when all there was was wood, wool and woad.

We spent a day in the woods  trying to imagine what it might have been like. We were cold and hungry – so we lit a fire, cooked pancakes and then set fire to the popcorn…  After some practice the lads lit the kelly kettles and brewed up. And then Beck built an amazing shelter from dead wood and leaves but we all agreed it would have been a chilly place to sleep.

Light Up the Hill

A Ghostly Night Out

There was quite a buzz in Wincobank in November 10th.  There were children in the chapel garden carrying the lanterns they had made at school, parents tagging along not wanting to be left out.

Up at the hillfort student archaeologists stoked their fiery furnace, the piper played her weird tune and the Ghosts of Wincobank, decked out in illuminated finery and a dab of blue face paint hid in the bushes, ready to frighten the life out of unsuspecting lantern bearers.

The Brigantes waited to re-enact once again the account set out by Tacitus of the fateful night when Caratacus came to rouse the locals to rebel against the Romans and once again Queen Cartimandua  struggled with the dilemma of what she was going to do.

A Roots of Iron film crew hovered to capture the excitement of the night and record the comments of the crowd. And here it is – filmed and edited by the young people of Wincobank – Light Up The Hill – click here.