Highside Stitchers Banner
A Community Art Project
Kirkby Malzeard Home Page Village Arts Page Highside Stitchers Page
BannerIn May 1996 a colourful textile Banner capturing the heart of the area was made by members of the community to celebrate Kirkby Malzeard's inclusion in the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. All the features of the village were stitched and embroidered, including the fish and chip shop, Kirkby Motors, and the bus which calls twice a week. The 16 local women who made the Banner spent six months creating it, meeting weekly at the Mechanics Institute as well as working from home. The Banner measures nine feet by six feet and newcomers as well as established residents were involved in the project.

The Banner is permanently displayed in the Main Hall of the Mechanics Institute Village Hall, Kirkby Malzeard.

Rural Arts North Yorkshire gave practical help as well as training in batik and felt-making. This complemented the artistic and needlework skills of local villagers, who began to look for a new project as soon as the banner was launched! The next project was the Crackpots Mosaics, which involved learning new skills at workshops run by Rural Arts North Yorkshire

In 1998 another community textile project was launched, the making of 14 Church Banners.

If you would like to contact Rural Arts North Yorkshire they can be found at Ruralarts@compuserve.com, or at 15A Kirkgate, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, UK.