On Saturday 31 January, the people of the south and beyond have the chance to be part of a historic project, by coming along to the Southern Community Art Project open day.

The event will run from 2 to 4.30pm at The Hub, Thie Rosien, Old Castletown Road, Port Erin. One of the highlights will be the chance to contribute to a community sculpture, themed ‘Found Treasure’. The idea is that in the coming months, people bring a piece of ‘treasure’ to the Hub – perhaps a shell or some driftwood from the beach, or even a piece of litter. Saturday’s open day marks the first of a series of set days each month on which this will be happening.

As Community Artist Verity Charlesworth explains, ‘In the summer we’ll launch a competition to design the sculpture, incorporating all the found treasures people bring in. The winning design will be assembled with the help of the Men in Sheds, and the final creation will be a permanent fixture in the garden at Thie Rosien.’

Visitors to the open day will be able to find out about all the creative activities on offer at The Hub as part of the year-long Southern Community Art Project – kindly sponsored by the Isle of Man Arts Council and supported by the Manx Lottery Trust. The activities include weekly art, creative writing and craft sessions, plus an after school arts club and the creation of an art garden. There will be a chance to sample some of the activities on the day – along with tea, coffee and home-made cakes.

To find out more, visit https://www.facebook.com/HubCreativity