The Next Big Thing Group

The Next Big Thing are a Barnsley Museums youth group, which welcomes participants with lived experience of mental health, LGBTQ plus young people, young carers and other young people with barriers to education and engagement with the arts and culture.  

The group were invited to explore and interpret Wentworth Castle Gardens (WCG) through their own lens to highlight the relevance of WCG for young people.   

The weekly sessions explored local wildlife, nature restoration and climate change within the context of WCG site and the HERDS project.  

The group were able to build knowledge, skills and confidence through working creatively in nature and in a cultural venue. They worked with new artists and in different media,  and the opportunity for healthy outdoor activity was fully embraced by the young people.  

“None of the group had visited [WCG] before and they were intrigued to do so…. Some group members don’t often enjoy going to new places and working with new people…it was hard to encourage them to come along however once they were there, they embraced it fully… the welcome and access support… the relationship forged early with Janette and Matt… soothed some of their anxiety. It can be tricky reminding people how much they will enjoy the process and trust that there are things for them to learn in new places with new people so this was a great moment to reinforce that learning.”  Gemma and Becky, Lead Artists 

There are two fabulous legacies of the work carried out by the group: 

  

• A beautiful and poignant film, ‘In Time’ available on the Barnsley Museums YouTube channel  ‘In Time’ by Next Big Thing 

• The Kaleidoscope art installation, a 3D butterfly sculptures as part of a summer long artwork at Wentworth Castle Gardens. 

This project was delivered in partnership with Barnsley Museums and National Trust, supported by the Art Fund.