Can you help bring The Woodyard to life?
If you are a fan of 'Vera','Shetland' and the Matthew Venn stories by award-winning novelist Ann Cleeves, this one is for you!
Ann Cleeves is donating the naming rights for a character in her next Matthew Venn novel. So what will it be?
Proceeds raised will go towards The Woodyard project, a community-led venture underway in Barnstaple, North Devon. With Ann's support, the local community is on a mission to create a real-life community hub based on the fictional 'Woodyard' described in The Long Call.
Time to place your bid... The auction is now live and will run until midnight on Friday 17th May 2024.
Below, Ann explains a bit more about the Woodyard project, what it is and why she is supporting it...
Read about it in the North Devon Gazette.
As you may know, I spent my teenage years in North Devon, in the South West of England and have a strong connection with this part of the world. In one of my books, The Long Call, again set in North Devon, I describe a bustling community hub called The Woodyard as a place where people meet, engage in creative activities and connect with others.
"The Woodyard was Jonathan's pride and joy ...he'd made the imaginative leap [combining] his passion for bringing together different groups of people in one place ... artists and people with a learning disability ... a community hub, an arts centre, a café, a place for people to meet and explore ideas ... people right at the heart of things rather than being hidden away."
The Long Call (2019)
You can imagine my delight when I was approached at the end of last year by a small group of charity leaders asking for my support to help them to create a real-life Woodyard in the heart of Barnstaple town. This would remain true to my vision of the fictional Woodyard - a welcoming space for all, but particularly for the lonely and the disadvantaged.
Anyone who knows North Devon is aware of its beauty but, beneath the surface, it has serious economic and social challenges. And, post-pandemic, there is also a high degree of social isolation and loneliness. By developing a central accessible community hub in the heart of the town, the plan is for The Woodyard to provide a much-needed focal point for charities and community groups to share resources and knowledge. It will also mean that anybody who needs a bit of extra support in their life can find the help they need under the one roof.
And a lot of people will begin to feel a lot less lonely.
North Devon has so much to offer. There is a wealth of creativity and talent to tap into and a strong sense of community. This is why I am supporting their bid to help to make my fictional Woodyard a reality.
We are working towards opening the doors to the real-life Woodyard by Autumn 2025. To find out more about this exciting community project, please visit the Woodyard website.
Any support you can give, whether it's a donation of time, money or skills, would be hugely appreciated.
Thank you,
Ann Cleeves
