Weave a willow Deer with Dragon Willow’s Leilah Vyner. All materials are supplied – just bring yourself and have fun.

Have a look at Leilah’s website for more information about Willow Weaving.

Fee: £90 Includes lunch and materials. Please confirm any dietary requirements on booking.

Location: The Yorkshire Arboretum Peter Sowerby Building

To book please email visit@yorkshirearboretum.org or phone 01653 648598.

Weave a willow squirrel with Dragon Willow’s Leilah Vyner. All materials are supplied – just bring yourself and have fun.

Have a look at Leilah’s website for more information about Willow Weaving.

Fee: £90 Includes lunch and materials

Location: The Yorkshire Arboretum Peter Sowerby Building

To book please email visit@yorkshirearboretum.org or phone 01653 648598 BOOKING FOR THIS COURSE IS NOW CLOSED.

Weave a willow Deer with Dragon Willow’s Leilah Vyner. All materials are supplied – just bring yourself and have fun.

Have a look at Leilah’s website for more information about Willow Weaving.

Fee: £90 Includes lunch and materials

Location: The Yorkshire Arboretum Peter Sowerby Building

To book please click further down the page

Join guest poets Stuart Pickford and Sarah Wimbush, plus Poet-in-Residence and Arboretum Trustee Chris Bridge, for a midsummer’s evening of poetry reading in the stunning surroundings of the arboretum.

Chris Bridge

Chris Bridge is volunteer, trustee, guide and Poet in Residence at the Yorkshire Arboretum for 2021 to 2022. His first collection, Walking Through, was published by Graft Poetry in 2016. His second collection Tracks was published by Graft in 2021. His latest bookley, Of Trees & Time, inspired by the Yorkshire Arboretum, is released in March. His poetry has featured in Pennine Platform, Tribune, Scrip and Other Poetry. 

Stuart Pickford

Stuart Pickford is the recipient of an Eric Gregory award. His first collection, The Basics, was published by Redbeck Press and shortlisted for the Forward Best First Collection prize. His second collection, Swimming with Jellyfish was published by smith/doorstop. Stuart lives in Harrogate and teaches in a local comprehensive school.  

Sarah Wimbush

Sarah Wimbush’s poetry is rooted in Yorkshire with tales of childhood, colliery villages and Gypsies and Travellers. A member of York Stanza and the recipient of a Northern Writers’ Award, she has published two prize-winning pamphlets: Bloodlines (Seren, 2020) and The Last Dinosaur in Doncaster (Smith|Doorstop, 2021). Her first collection, Shelling Peas with My Grandmother in the Gorgiolands, is released in 2022 with Bloodaxe. 

Your ticket includes: Entry to the arboretum from 5pm, for you to enjoy a walk before the reading; a free glass of wine; an evening of poetry in the glorious surroundings of the arboretum.

A rescheduled opportunity to meet the artist with this year’s Artist-in-Residence Meg Huby. Meg will be in the Arboretum Cafe all afternoon to chat about her work, her inspiration, and her process.

No booking is required.

Join our new Artist-in-Residence, Meg Huby, for an informal day of drawing in the arboretum.

Spend a morning strolling and sketching among the trees, repair to the cafe for a delicious, warming lunch and spend the afternoon adding colour and interest to your drawings in the Visitor Centre.

No formal teaching is involved but encouragement, help and advice will be readily available. The aim is to have a fun day and enjoy the arboretum environment in new ways.

What to bring with you:

Do bring pens, brushes, inks and watercolours for the afternoon. But please don’t worry if you don’t have any. A small selection of materials will be available to borrow or buy on the day.

Find out more about Meg by visiting her residency page.

Book below. Please inform us of your dietary requirements for catering purposes:

A half-day workshop taking photographs and receiving advice and support from a qualified teacher from Ryedale Garden Photography who has many years experience.

The workshop is for a small number of people and is ideal for beginner photographers or for those who are new to digital photography. You will cover a range of topics such as composition, exposure, focus, camera settings, aperture and shutter speed. This is a great way to explore the arboretum, spending the morning with like-minded people and picking up advice on how to take better photographs.

£50 per person

For further information or to book a place click here.

Members and friends are invited to mark the launch of this new exhibition of our Artist in Residence, Lesley Seeger. Meet the artist and enjoy complimentary refreshments.

Booking required - please call 01653 648598 or email visit@yorkshirearboretum.org

Enhance your garden evenings with a delightful fairy light filled willow globe. No prior knowledge of willow weaving needed - just enthusiasm! All materials provided.

Bring your own lunch or take a break in the Arboretum Café. Booking essential.

See Lesley Seeger, our Artist-in-Residence, at work in the arboretum and learn how her surroundings will inform her forthcoming exhibition.

Normal admission applies. Lesley will be based at the outdoor classroom for the duration of the day.

Join our Artist in Residence Lesley Seeger on a one-day painting course at the Yorkshire Arboretum.

Inspired by the ‘spirit’ of trees, you will explore colour, composition and layering techniques in a contemporary, experimental style.

The courses are suitable for both adventurous beginners and more experienced artists seeking to develop their style. Further information, or to book: www.lesleyseeger.com

This course is now fully booked, however there are still spaces available on the Sat 11th May.

Join our Artist in Residence Lesley Seeger on a one-day painting course at the Yorkshire Arboretum.

Inspired by the ‘spirit’ of trees, you will explore colour, composition and layering techniques in a contemporary, experimental style.

The courses are suitable for both adventurous beginners and more experienced artists seeking to develop their style. Further information, or to book: www.lesleyseeger.com

A half-day workshop taking photographs and receiving advice and support from a qualified teacher from Ryedale Garden Photography who has many years experience.

The workshop is for a small number of people and is ideal for beginner photographers or for those who are new to digital photography. You will cover a range of topics such as composition, exposure, focus, camera settings, aperture and shutter speed. This is a great way to explore the arboretum, spending the morning with like-minded people and picking up advice on how to take better photographs.

£50 per person

For further information or to book a place click here.

Make a luxury, rustic willow wreath for your home from natural, locally sourced materials. Show off your creativity and get into the Christmas spirit!

Booking essential - please call the Visitor Centre on 01653 648598 or book your tickets by following the link below:

Make a luxury, rustic willow wreath for your home from natural, locally sourced materials. Show off your creativity and get into the Christmas spirit!

Booking essential - please call the Visitor Centre on 01653 648598 or book your tickets by following the link below:

Members and friends are invited to mark the launch of Threads through Nature - an exhibition by local mixed media and textile artist Justine Warner who has produced a body of work based on the Yorkshire Arboretum during her year-long residency.

Meet Justine and enjoy complimentary refreshments.

Free

Booking required. Please call the Visitor Centre on 01653 648598 or email us at visit@yorkshirearboretum.org

Learn a new skill and make a handsome willow pig for your garden.

No prior knowledge needed - just enthusiasm!

£60 per person.

All materials provided. Bring your own lunch or take a break in the Arboretum Cafe.

Booking required. To reserve your space please ring the Visitor Centre on 01653 648598 or email us at visit@yorkshirearboretum.org 

Lots of nature-based activities for intrepid explorers aged 6-11 including make a story stick, meet a tree, story trail, crafts and poetry. No adults allowed! £15 per child, including packed lunch. 

Booking required please. Please book below, call the Visitor Centre on 01653 648598 or email us.

Re-enact the Three Little Pigs and The Billy Goats Gruff in the arboretum environment. Can you make it over the bridge before the troll comes? Will the wolf huff and puff? Suitable for ages 3-11.

£3.50 per child.

Sessions start at 10am, 11am and 12 noon. Standard adult admission applies.

Booking required please. Please book below, call the Visitor Centre on 01653 648598 or email us.

We welcome Ryedale Book Festival to the arboretum for a day of fantastic activities for bibliophiles and tree lovers. Join best-selling authors Fiona Stafford (The Long Long Life of Trees) and Karin Celestine (Honey for Tea), international storyteller Cat Weatherill, artist Alice Fox,  and poet Daniela Nunnari sharing their tributes to trees. Younger visitors can enjoy performances of stick stories, old and new, and a range of stick inspired activities (including knitting!) on this fun day out for all the family. 

Full details of all events including the programme for the day and tickets for some activities are available through the Ryedale Book Festival site here

Free

Standard admission applies with additional fees for some ticketed events.