All Saints Day and Halloween at Bales Farm

Yesterday it was All Saints Day, and in celebration of this, we have been learning about the different Saints. Did you know that The Patron Saint of Animals is Saint Francis of Assisi ? Traditionally on All Hallows’ Eve, All Saints Day and All Souls Day sweet treats called “Soulmass Cakes” were given out by the rich to paupers. We have been testing out our baking skills and baking our own Soulmass Cakes. The young people have shown incredible decorative skills as each cake must have a cross made out of raisins on the top! Not only this, but they have needed to use their dexterity to place the currants with precision.

Of course, we couldn’t celebrate Halloween without our canine companions joining in the fun! Bale and Arthur have loved dressing up in their costumes and posing for a photo shoot led by the learners at Bale’s Farm. Working with animals can be tricky but the young people demonstrated patience and understanding with their furry friends.

In the workshop, people have been busy finishing off their wooden Viking shields. We are extremely proud of how the young people have persevered with a project that had so many steps and needed to be completed over a number of weeks. We are now getting started on making wooden crosses in preparation for Remembrance Sunday later this month.