The T100 Festival of Walking, Talking and Making around Thurrock and beyond is back for its 10th annual edition, with this year’s programme of free engaging walks and activities centred on exploring and celebrating the natural environment.
Taking place from Saturday 25 May to Saturday 22 June, T100 Goes Wild will feature a series of twenty-two walks and events, along the Thames Estuary, which invite all to get outdoors, be creative and discover the fantastic nature and wildlife on their doorstep. This year’s programme includes a very special 10-year anniversary flag parade through Grays town centre on 22 June featuring music from Kinetika Bloco, where everyone’s invited to take part and carry a T100 flag.
T100 Goes Wild launches on 25 May with a family-friendly Garden Party taking place at the High House Production Park Community Garden in Purfleet. The event, organised in collaboration with Arts Outburst for its Get Creative May, starts at 12pm and will feature performances, tours, installations, bug hunts, wildlife sketching and more. Following this, the programme will continue with twenty-two walking events (half of which are public and bookable via the T100 website) across Thurrock and further afield to discover the unique landscape and natural wildlife of the area.
The full public programme also includes:
29 May: T100 Goes Wild at Canvey Wick: A day of walking and activities including an early morning spring birdwatch walk led by the local RSPB, a gentle wellbeing-focused stroll and a family-friendly walk and craft session, which includes a bug hunt led by partners, Bug Life.
2 June: Green Spaces of Grays Past & Present: Thurrock Local History Society members will guide T100 walkers on a tour of the former and current green spaces of note in Grays, including the grounds of Grays Hall and The Dell and the stories behind them.
5 June: Go Wild in Belhus: Two walks to choose from – a long or short journey – which explore this fantastic Thurrock site packed full of flora, fauna and wildlife.
8 June: Thurrock Pride Walk: In collaboration with Thurrock LGBTQ+ Community Network and Arts Outburst, on Thurrock’s first Pride event this walk from Purfleet-on-Thames Train Station will head along the Thames past Thurrock’s iconic graffiti wall. There will be planned stops along the way to share stories in relation to the flags and the theme of ‘Firsts’. Walkers will be invited to hold vibrant, bespoke silk flags created by Purfleet-based, arts organisation and event partner, Kinetika, alongside members of the LGBTQ+ community. There will be a stop at The Wharf, Grays, along the way to join those looking to take part in the shorter final stretch.
9 June: T100 Goes Wild in Hackney: A walk along the Hackney Buzzline, an ecological pollinator corridor being created in East London. Along the way, walkers will chat with community gardeners and other local people creating a chain of stepping-stone pollinator habitats along the 4km route.
15 June: A Peasants’ Pilgrimage: A day of walking and performances commemorating the 1381 Peasants’ Revolt’s links to Fobbing conceived of by local artist Phil East. Organised in partnership with the Essex Book Festival, as part of their 2024 Festival programme ‘This Land’, the event will include free medieval street entertainment by The Thameside Mummers in Wat Tyler park once walkers arrive from Fobbing, and a shorter tour of the park led by Basildon Heritage Society members.
16 June : Summer Sketch Tour with J D Swann: A creative walk-through of RSPB Rainham Marshes with ornithological investigator J D Swann. The group will map the reserve through drawing and observation, with the use of binoculars and cameras also encouraged to help bring the wildlife closer.
22 June: T100 10th Anniversary Flag Parade: A lively procession filled with dancing, music and flags made with community members from across Thurrock through Grays town centre into the second edition of the Afro Food Fest. Everybody is invited to join in a memorable day marking 10 years of local creativity and culture. Come and wave a flag! Contact the team [email protected] to reserve your place to carry a flag on the parade.
T100 Young Ambassadors, children, and young people from across Thurrock, have also planned walk events for their community members as part of the T100 Goes Wild festival programme, running over 10 walks in total across May and June. From questing scavenger hunts of forest school spaces to deep listening walks alongside sound artist Jason Singh, there’s an exciting range of walks around local spaces that the ambassadors are keen to explore on foot. Although not open to the public, information about these activities will be available on the T100 website very soon.
All T100 Goes Wild walks and events are free to attend. More information about all walks and events, and booking links where applicable can be found on the T100 Website: https://t100festival.co.uk/2024-walks-goes-wild/
