The 3.5m high puppet of a 10-year-old refugee girl will enter Sheffield by water. Arriving by barge on the Sheffield & Tinsley Canal (at 4.25pm), Stand & Be Counted Theatre will be joining us in leading waterfront celebrations with supporters as she enters Victoria Quays.
The Walk
Sheffield will be the penultimate stop for Little Amal on her extraordinary 8,000km journey from the Syria-Turkey border to Manchester as part of international project, entitled ‘The Walk' to raise awareness of the plight of refugee children.
We're helping with the welcome as well as hosting a special event as part of a city-wide series of events to help communities come together to unite and celebrate Little Amal's arrival.
The Festival
Sheffield Waterfront Mini Festival takes place at Victoria Quays, Friday 29 October, 1pm-5pm and is a free event, with activities suitable for all ages including live music, canoeing sessions, art and craft workshops and more.
Jade Wilkes, community roots engagement coordinator at Canal & River Trust has been working on projects along the Sheffield & Tinsley Canal over the past two years and has been supporting Sheffield Theatres with the project. She said: “We're really looking forward to giving Little Amal a warm waterfront welcome at Victoria Quays and help people enjoy being by water in this part of the city. It's great to be part of Sheffield's celebrations – and what better way to arrive, than by boat on the canal!”
Activities include:
- make a clay head of Little Amal which will be fired and used in a bigger art installation
- make a flag to welcome Little Amal which you can take away with you
- watch live street art and contribute to the piece
- make your own canal ecosystem out of a plastic bottle
- enjoy live music and entertainment
- join a canoe taster session (pre-bookable only via Eventbrite)
Food is available from the Victoria Junction Cafe in Victoria Quays (1pm-3pm) and True Loves Restaurant on the waterfront.
Resonating with the community
John Tomlinson, Producer at Sheffield Theatres said: “We're incredibly honoured to welcome Little Amal to the city we're all so proud of: her visit to Sheffield amplifies the welcome our proud City of Sanctuary offers, and extends open arms to anyone who resonates with what The Walk represents, through the shared language of visual art. Her presence in our communities will resonate with the feeling of togetherness which thrives in Sheffield and we're working hard to ensure Amal will receive a true Yorkshire welcome!”
For full details of other activities taking place on Friday 29 October as part of the city-wide celebrations please visit Sheffield Theatres event page.
To see Little Amal on her journey, follow her on social media @WalkWithAmal
