The Places That Link Us
A year-long (2025 - 2026) outdoor arts project reaching across the Rushmoor community and the area, inspiring people with the creation of a new community garden, outdoor sculpture and performance, providing opportunities to create and come together outdoors, and increasing awareness of local green spaces.
Co-led by two artists, Barbara Touati-Evans and Judita Vivas, The Places That Link Us is a partnership between the Hawley Community Garden, West End Centre, and Farnborough Library. It is funded by the Farnborough Airport Community Environment Fund and Pride in Place Grant, UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
The artists will explore, with their local communities, how we can connect to our green spaces in more respectful and caring ways.
How do the green spaces help us come together? How can we breathe new life into neglected green spaces? Can we establish green “corridors” that interconnect our green spaces and raise environmental awareness?
JOIN US for FREE, open-to-all, activities and events taking place during the summer and autumn 2025. All the details below.
The project will culminate in the opening of a new community garden at the back of the West End Centre in Aldershot (August-September 2025); a large living sculpture installation built at the Hawley Community Garden, co-created with the participants and made out of natural and found materials (September 2025); an outdoor performance trail which will reconnect Farnborough town centre with the green space by the Library (October 2025); and a public exhibition about the project at the West End Centre (January 2026).
Funded by Farnborough Airport Community Environmental Fund and Pride in Place / UK Shared Prosperity Fund
Hawley Community Garden
May 8 & May 15, 10-1 pm, Garden Crochet at MCP ‘Stich It Don’t Ditch It’, Mayfield Community Centre GU14 8TX.
Come and help us make small baskets for the site-specific living sculpture installation that will be unveiled at the Hawley Community Garden in September. All materials provided, no previous experience required.
Book your place by emailing placesthatlinkus@gmail.com
June 14, time and booking tbc, Open Day with garden crafts and performance activities at Hawley Community Garden GU14 8DL.
Sept 13, time and booking tbc, Harvest Fest with arts and performance activities, and site-specific sculpture unveiling at Hawley Community Garden GU14 8DL.
In March-April 2025, Barbara and Judita took up an Artist Residency at the Hawley community garden to explore what needs to grow, what we want growing and how we do it, not only in terms of plants and nourishment but also community cohesion and climate resilience. Find out more about their residency and how it inspired the creative activities below.
Library Green
May 3, 10-3pm, Stall and arts activities at Farnborough Craft Fayre. Drop in to creatively explore the Library Green, contribute to a collective map and make a badge. All materials provided, suitable for ALL.
July 5, 10-3pm, Stall and arts activities at Farnborough Craft Fayre. Drop in for creative activities, suitable for ALL.
July 29 & 31, time and booking tbc, Creative Picnic on the Green, outdoor arts and performance at the Library Green GU14 7JZ.
October 4, time and booking tbc, Site-specific Performance Event at Farnborough Town Centre and the Library Green GU14 7JZ.
In March-April 2025, Barbara and Judita took up an Artist Residency at the Library Green, the green space between Farnborough Library and Farnborough Skate Park. They creatively explored the history and ecology of the site, who uses and inhabits this space presently, and how we can care for our urban green spaces for the future. Find out more about their residency and how it inspired the creative activities below.
Westy Community Garden
As part of the The Places That Link Us project, the West End Centre in Aldershot, with the help of the Blooming Marvellous community gardening group, is building a brand-new community garden at the back of the building, transforming a currently unused, concrete, urban space into a shared green space, due to be opened in August-September 2025.
Join us at the events below to creatively explore the idea of “green build”, find out more about the new garden and how to get involved.
May 27, time and booking tbc, a full day of family-friendly sensory garden craft & movement workshops at the West End Centre GU11 3JD.
June 7, time tbc, “Design your garden”, drop in to the West End Centre stall for outdoor arts activities at Victoria Day.
July 5, 10-2pm, Sensory garden craft & movement for Eco Explorers Club, Aldershot town centre. Drop in, suitable for ALL.
July 26-27, time tbc, “Design your garden”, drop in to the West End Centre stall for outdoor arts activities at the Picnic & Pop Festival.