Project will film year in the life of Wilton park

Led by Hawick-based artist and film-maker Dawn Berry, 30, the challenge will be to record 12 months in the life of the park to produce a short film.

Wilton Lodge Park events manager Gordon Webber said: “It is an exciting year for Wilton Lodge Park, and we thought it would be nice to get a youth perspective on the life of the park.

“Lots will be going on, with the usual events programme, but also the addition of the new cafe, play park and bridge.

“There should be lots of material there to capture.”

Young people in the area are being invited to help and can find out more about the project at an information meeting being held this Saturday at noon in the theatre at the Heart of Hawick.

Project manager Dawn is a media tutor producing film workshops as well as being a self-employed arts worker undertaking arts, music and film projects.

She has plenty of experience in working with young people thanks to her time tutoring through Voice Of My Own TV, whose young production team present a weekly television news report from the Borders.

However, this is her first project focusing solely on Wilton Lodge Park, and she says the project is “all quite open just now” but she hopes “to allow as many people as possible to interact with the project”.

She said: “We will provide the tools and guidance needed to film, edit and score the film, but ultimately we want input from the youth participants on what they want to see in the film and to tell their story of the park’s life.

“It’s hard to guess how many people will respond.

“A group of 10 would be good, but if more people are interested, that’s even better.

“The funding that the park project has come up with allows for one filming session per month.

“Ideally, we’d be looking for people to come along every month for filming. We’re just waiting to see. It’s all very open at the moment.”

After Saturday’s meeting, the plan will be to prepare a timeline of events happening in the park over the next year and decide which ones to cover and to work out a filming schedule from there.

Dawn added: “I don’t know if people will be interested in being filmed between the sessions. It’s all quite open just now as to what people want to get out of it.

“There’s so much going on in the park just now, with the building of the new cafe and lots of other building works including the new bridge.

“There’s different events held every week and always different bands playing in the band stand, sSo we have got loads to choose from.”

The project could also include parts of amateur filming done by Hawick’s visitors to the park too.

Dawn said: “If people are going around doing their own filming at any events anyway and want to know how to edit it into the piece, that’s something else I can help with.

“It would be great to allow as many people as possible to interact with the project to help document a year in the life of the park.”

The film project is part of the £3.64m Wilton Lodge Park regeneration project funded by Scottish Borders Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

For further details, visit www.scotborders.gov.uk/wiltonlodge

or www.facebook.com/wiltonlodgepark.