In Autumn 2021, musician Sarah Dew and writer Charlotte Oliver led a group of Young Carers with their families on a community ‘Wild Walk’ through Scarborough’s South Cliff Gardens. 

During the walk Sarah took audio recordings of comments of the participants, along with sounds of the gardens and surrounding area. 

Guided by Charlotte, the families composed lines of poetry which Charlotte later collated into a beautiful sensory poem, ‘From the Star Map to the Italian Gardens’.

Sarah then blended delicate melodies with the recorded poem and field recordings, to create an ambient piece of audio reflective of the community and space in and around the Italian Gardens. 

The audio work was premiered during the opening of the community hub 'Beeforth's Hive' in February 2023, along with an exhibition of Charlotte's community postcard project: 'Dear South Cliff Gardens', with accompanying poetry. 

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Writer/poet/performer Charlotte trained in Theatre at Hope St Actors' Centre and National Youth Theatre. Commissions include BBC Radio York, on which she broadcast her weekly column, Home Sweet Home, over 2020/2021. She has written for Yorkshire Life and Dalesman. Her poetry collection, How To Be A Dressing Gown (Dreich), is out now. She has recently worked with Sarah on a collaborative radio ballad (‘The Dark Store’), supported by Arts Council England.

Twitter @charlotteolivr

Insta @charlotteoliverpoet

website www.charlotteoliver.com

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Background image with thanks from Pixabay by 'Mabel Amber who will one day.'

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