Dumfries based charityInclude Us has teamed up with local illustrator Julie Stephen of The Artful Corner to publish a storybook set at their base at Catherine Street Inclusive Park, Dumfries. Through a series of workshops for families, children, young people and adults, characters and a storyline for the book were developed.
The storybook features Steven C Gull, the Include Us Spokesbird and his park pals Hedgy, Redd and Robyn as they come to the aid of migrating Barnacle Goose, Carl. Can Steven and his pals help Carl find his way to Caerlaverock? Find out at the book launch on Saturday 6th April at 11am in Catherine Street Inclusive Park. Free activities including a puppet making workshop will take place on the day between 11 and 3pm.
Include Us Development Manager Lisa Callander-Bone said “Thanks to Regional Arts Fund funding administered by DG Unlimited we were able to bring Story Seeds (a unique community book writing project) to life. The book reflects our view that diversity and inclusion enhance a community and that wonderful things can happen when diverse groups spend time together. We listened to feedback from some of the most marginalised groups in the community and how they can feel misunderstood then used this feedback to develop some of the characters, focusing on their positive attributes. We hope this will be the first of a series of books that will allow each character to develop further and support awareness and understanding of inclusion and diversity. Despite the depth of thought behind the characters and the important theme of the story, it is a fun book suitable for a wide age range of children, brought visually to life by Julie’s fantastic illustrations and recognisable landmarks within the park”.
Include Us hopes the book can be used as an educational aid to support inclusion and diversity, will add to the play experience of those visiting the park and will spark the belief in all who contributed that they can write a book.
Many park visitors know the park has its very own Steven the Seagull who lends a wing by litter picking left over snacks and warding off other gulls, and now they can find out what Steven does when they aren’t around. The book will be available to buy on launch day with all funds supporting the maintenance of Catherine Street Inclusive Park and the charitable work carried out there.
