Botcherby residents join forces with celebrated textile artist Ameena Khatun to celebrate Cumberland’s coastline through community‑led art.
Solway Coast National Landscape, part of Cumberland Council, has launched Connecting Carlisle to the Coast, an exciting art‑in‑the‑making that will link the city with the shoreline as part of the National Landscapes Association’s nationwide Nature Calling programme.
The project partners with Botcherby Community Centre to give local people hands‑on creative control. After two exploratory trips to the Solway; taking in the vast sands of Allonby Bay and the hidden wetlands of Crosscanonby Carr; participants were, in their own words, “blown away” by the wildlife, vistas and sense of space.
Back on the coast at Blue Dial Farm, the group met painters, poets and multimedia creators before voting unanimously for textiles as the medium that best captured their experience. As a result, celebrated Carlisle‑based textile artist Ameena Khatun has been commissioned to transform their sketches, words and photographs into a vibrant artwork—or series of works—that tells the story of their coastal encounters.
“This is not just an artwork; it’s a conversation between city and sea,” said Ameena Khatun. “I’m thrilled to stitch together the colours, textures and memories the group discovered on the Solway.”
Ameena has started her commission by running a series of creative workshops at Botcherby Community Centre. Every decision, from colour palette to final layout, will be made jointly with the participants, ensuring the finished piece truly speaks in the community’s voice. Once complete, the artwork will tour venues from Carlisle to the coast, inviting wider audiences to explore the National Landscape through fresh eyes.
Funded by Arts Council England and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), Nature Calling commissions bold new works in collaboration with communities surrounding England’s National Landscapes. The creations will be showcased in a national season of events running May–October 2025.
