DCAF’s community art project for 2025/2026 is set to happen today (Tuesday 25 November) between 4.30 and 7.00 p.m. at the Welfare Grounds/ Dearne Playhouse in Goldthorpe.

For the past eight weeks we have been working with lantern artist Sue Walpole to produce almost 90 lanterns celebrating our local community, lanterns in the shape of houses, hearts and plants to symbolise our love for where we live and our belief in growth. Three community art workshops have been held as well as workshops in schools and local groups;.

Join us today for a festival of light, featuring Helter Skelter arts, RSPB Old Moor lanterns, free face painting, a disco bike, light images and the parade itself at 6 p.m.

One of the highlights of this year’s Dearne Community Arts’ Festival (27 September, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Astrea Academy Dearne) is the screening of Sam Batley’s film ‘The Town I Love So Well’ at 11.30 a.m. and 1.30 p.m., along with a Q & A session with Sam himself and the chance to see some amazing local photos by Pete Davies (our resident photographer).

The film looks at Barnsley’s culture, community and creativity and features scenes and interviews from DCAF 2024 along with interviews from many other local creative groups. It lasts an hour, but you can view it here on a drop-in basis.

We’re glad to have a full programme of performances on stage at this year’s Dearne Community Arts’ Festival which will be on Saturday 27 September between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. at Astrea Academy Dearne in Goldthorpe.

• 11.00-11.15 a.m.                                           Opening
• 11.15-11.45 a.m.                                           Greentop Circus
• 12.00 – 12.30 p.m.                                        Alejandro Barnett (harp)
• 12.45 p.m. – 1.15 p.m.                                Barnsley Youth Choir Children’s Choir East
• 1.30 -2.00 p.m.                                               Story Trails (Rebecca Dye)
• 2.15 – 2.45 p.m.                                              Astrea Academy Dearne students
• 3.00 -3.30 p.m.                                               Clayton School of Dance 
• 3.30 -3.45 p.m.                                               Raffle Draw & conclusion

We have some amazing workshops on offer at this year’s Dearne Community Arts’ Festival, happening on Saturday 27 September 2025 between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. at Astrea Academy Dearne in Goldthorpe.

Funded workshops include Circus Skills, hot wax painting, AmazeLab’s pompom cannons, henna designs & paper flower making, making a crankie theatre with Rebecca Dye, writing workshops with John Irving C;larke and metal embossing (new for this year) with Hannah Lord from Flying Fish Studios., Outdoors we’ll have spray painting with Jayde Marie Bell (Eye Violet) and nature art with James Brunt.

We are grateful for all the local organisations who run workshops for us, including Barnsley Museums (poppy making), Barnsley Libraries (crafts), Goldthorpe Brownies & Guides (glass engraving) and Kathryn Wild (creative writing.) We’re also grateful to DCAF volunteers who will be running workshops with sand art, glass painting and sock puppet making this year.

We have a wide range of exhibitors so you can browse and buy paintings, jewellery, knitted and crocheted items plus things for the home, home-made cards, 3D printed items and much more. We’re thrilled to have new exhibitors (Bekely Crafts, Julie Knowles, Karen Murray, Ashley Ball) and to have community groups exhibiting work (Dearne Churches Together, Mindful Activities Denaby, Snap Tin Crochet Group.)

We’re also glad to welcome friends back to the arts’ festival – Gordon Phillips, Shirley Swales, Julie Taylor, Beverley Westmoreland, Alison Marshall, Nichola Hagland, Andi Bee, Chris Johnson and many more…!

It’s just one week to go to the Dearne Community Arts’ Festival 2025 which will be on Saturday 27 September 2025 between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. at Astrea Academy Dearne in Goldthorpe.

We can’t wait to welcome you with loads of exhibitions, performances, demonstrations and workshops. Our thanks to funders Coalfields Regeneration Trust, Better Barnsley Bond, Love Where You Live and Tesco Stronger Starts for their support and to GXO for providing volunteers for the event.

We’re still fund-raising for this year’s Dearne Community Arts’ Festival (held on Saturday 28 September between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. at Astrea Academy Dearne) and so are holding a fund-raising event on Monday 19 August between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Goldthorpe Pentecostal Community Church (Market Street, Goldthorpe.)

The event will be a family fun day bringing the seaside to Goldthorpe, with sand play, water play, puppet show, seaside-themed crafts and bouncy castle. Lots of ‘arcade-type’ games to play and lunch provided.

Tickets cost £3 per person and £10 for a family of up to 5 people, so book in now by contacting Julie Turner on 07729 421405 or emailing julie@gpcchurch.co.uk

We’re looking forward to the official launch of the Dearne Community Story Trial on Saturday 20th January at Goldthorpe Library between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. We’ll have face-painting, sand art, crafts and Lego to keep us occupied – and of course there will be a number of selfie boards there for people to see! Storyteller Rebecca Dye (who was involved in recording the stories of local groups and residents which can be heard via the DCAF website or via the QR codes on the boards) will be performing live at the library at 10.30 a.m. ‘The Cabinet of Curiosities’ is sure to enchant us all!

In addition, the Mayor of Barnsley will be coming to look at the trail, including the selfie board in the new Town Square next to the library.

Other selfie boards can be viewed at:

• Guide/ Scout Hut on Lockwood Road (open between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and serving bacon butties and hot drinks!)
• Goldthorpe Railway Embankment (open between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., with the opportunity to make photo frames out of natural materials and bird feeders)
• Dearne Playhouse (open between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.)
• Thurnscoe Library (open between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m., with crafts and Lego available)
• Thurnscoe Flower Park (outdoor selfie board)
• Station House, Thurnscoe (outdoor selfie board)

Do come along to explore with our trail map and find out more about this great community art project.

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