Join The Courtyard for ‘Family Saturday’ fun at Croft Castle and Berrington Hall
Croft Castle and Berrington Hall, both National Trust places near Leominster in Herefordshire, will be hosting The Courtyard’s ‘Family Saturdays’ as they take their popular activities on tour around the county. The National Trust is working in partnership with The Courtyard to provide creative opportunities and unique locations for youth theatre, while also delivering and promoting cultural experiences in Herefordshire.
Starting on Saturday 13 May, families can discover the traditional art of Bunraku puppetry at Berrington Hall. This is a non-verbal form of visual theatre originating in Japan in the sixteenth-century. This workshop will teach the various methods used by puppeteers to make the puppet come bursting to life and will culminate in a short performance created by the participants.
Then on Saturday 10 June, families can get outdoors and closer to nature in Berrington’s walled garden and pleasure grounds as they discover mud play, sculpting and mud banner printing for younger explorers. This Earth Workshop is run with WildPlay, who create playful opportunities for children across Herefordshire to explore nature outdoors. Children can get creative with natural materials, such as moss, compost and sawdust, as they discover Berrington’s eighteenth-century gardens.
On Saturday 20 May, families can get their hoop on with Rock-a-Hula Baby at Croft Castle. This year, Croft is celebrating the sixtieth anniversary of the castle coming into the National Trust’s care in 1957. Families can play games, flick through photo albums and dress up in the castle as they step back in time to the 1950’s. The modern hula hoop was invented in 1958 and children can learn new skills, play games and have fun on this Hula Hooping workshop, surrounded by Croft’s springtime gardens.
Then on Saturday 24 June, families can delve into the art of stage combat, which is a specialised technique in theatre designed to create the illusion of physical combat without causing harm to the performers. This workshop will be taught by an experienced practitioner and is a great opportunity to learn from an expert and develop a new skill, whilst also building confidence and having a lot of fun.
Booking is advisable for Courtyard ‘Family Saturday’ activities, as spaces are limited.
Activities are £2 per child and normal admission charges apply.
All bookings are made through the Courtyard either online (https://www.courtyard.org.uk/) or by phone (01432 340555).
More information about these events, opening times and other activities Croft Castle and Berrington Hall have planned can be found by visiting their websites: