Penryn T-shirt workshop gives Falmouth children a voice

A blank T-shirt and a box of paints will do something a council chamber rarely manages tomorrow. Give a seven-year-old exactly the same say as everyone else in the room.

A space to talk, not to tell

Local creative platform DARN, founded by Amelia Pemberton, is holding a ‘Stop the Dredge’ T-shirt design workshop at Gray’s Wharf in Penryn tomorrow, Tuesday 8 September, from 3.30pm to 6.30pm. It has been put together in response to the growing conversation around the proposed dredging of Falmouth Harbour, and the concerns and questions that plan has raised in the local community.

The workshop is not there to tell anyone what to think. Amelia wants it to be a kind, open and inclusive space where people can learn, ask questions, share ideas and talk through an issue that could shape the area for years to come. It follows DARN’s usual ethos of play, create and talk, using the act of making something together as a gentle, accessible way into a conversation that can otherwise feel heavy or one sided.

📷'Stop the Dredge' T-shirt competition poster. Illustration: @jesselawood

Making room for children’s voices

A particular focus of the workshop is making sure children get heard.

“Children often see things from perspectives that adults can overlook,” said Amelia. “Whatever the future holds for Falmouth Harbour, it is something that will affect the community they are growing up in. I wanted to create a space where they can be curious, ask questions, make things and feel that their thoughts are just as important as anyone else’s.”

From sketch to T-shirt

Participants are invited to design around their relationship with the sea, local wildlife, the harbour and Falmouth’s fishing community. Bring your own plain T-shirt. Materials are provided for anyone who turns up without one.

A small panel of creatives will judge the entries, and the winning design will be produced as a T-shirt and cap and sold online, with the proceeds going towards legal fees and other costs tied to the ongoing harbour debate. Anyone who wants to can also donate their finished artwork or T-shirt towards a future fundraising auction. The winning design will be announced on Thursday 10 September, judged by Amelia and her creative panel.

Speakers on hand, and a way in if you can’t make it

Speakers connected with the Stop the Dredge campaign will be at the workshop to answer questions and give people more background on the issues around the proposed dredging.

Anyone who can’t get to Gray’s Wharf tomorrow can still take part. A drawing sent to [email protected] will be considered alongside everything made on the day.

“I hope the workshop will be about more than creating a T-shirt,” said Amelia. “It is an opportunity for the community to come together, particularly across generations, and make space for curiosity, creativity and conversation around an important local issue.”

📷'Stop the Dredge' T-shirt competition poster. Illustration: @jesselawood