A GROUP of poets, painters and performers has taken over the village hall at Garrigill for the artistic equivalent of a ‘sit in’.

All closely associated with the South Tyne Valley, they are calling their occupation – boasting a rich programme of events – Earthkin , as they draw attention to the benefits of the natural world to humankind.

On a local level, nature plays a crucial role in the health and well-being of the communities right across the North Pennines, they say.

The group, christened Earth Companions, comprises painter Jules Cadie, poets Josephine Dickinson and Deborah Hobbs and video producer Simon Danby.

The art exhibition at the heart of the event has been further augmented by folk musician Andrew Cadie, who produced the music for Simon’s video, and by the work of painter Lionel Playford and author-poet-naturalist Colin Simms.

The Earthkin programme is affiliated to the international arts project ArtCOP21, which grew out of artists’ response to the recent Paris climate change conference, COP21.

The North Pennines response comprises, among other things, three excursions (a circular walk, a dawn vigil and a trip down a lead mine), the video, the exhibition of prints, poems and paintings, an installation that reflects the local environment and a series of workshops.

Jules Cadie said: “Ever since I was a student in the late 1960s, I have been celebrating humanity’s close connection with nature.

“But I have despaired at the slow progress on the major Rio agreements and conventions. It seems that every step has been blocked by a collusion of multi-national corporate lobbyists, climate change deniers and supine governments.

“As individuals, we have been left disempowered by conflicting science, by the global scale of the issues and by an increasing disconnect with our natural life-support systems.

“To counter this, I focus closely on the natural world to experience the bond that we have with Earth, and attempt to share this with my audience.”

The Paris accord represented the Last Chance Saloon, so those in power had to be pressed to take action.

“That’s why I’ve initiated this collaborative project, Earthkin ,” he said, “to raise awareness of our local, diverse and wonderful natural environment, and to find and promote ways to savour, love and nurture it.”

The exhibition is running in the village hall now, but on the evening of Sunday, February 14, it will be the musicians’ turn.

They will lead an acoustic session offering songs everyone can join in for a Valentine’s Day tribute to Planet Earth.

The grand finale of Earthkin will be a poetry reading in the hall on Sunday, February 21, beginning at 7.30pm.

Voluntary contributions from people attending the performance events would be a welcome means of covering the costs of the hall, and there will also be an ongoing collection in aid of the Cumbria Flood Recovery Appeal.

Visitors wanting to check if and when the exhibition is open can contact Jules Cadie on (01434) 381941.