Coins and Crosses: Heritage Open Day at Winfarthing Church

Heritage Open Days is an annual, free to access, event organised across England to celebrate our heritage and history.

This year, we were delighted to be part of Coins and Crosses at Winfarthing Church and share the beautiful work created by residents at De Lucy House Care Home in Diss and Oak Lodge, Attleborough.

On display were the magnificent gold bowls and coins, inspired by the Anglo-Saxon treasure found in Winfarthing, and more personalised postcards and poems in which participants illustrated and wrote about some of the experiences that make them who they are.

Around 200 visitors attended, among them a group of residents from both De Lucy House and Oak Lodge.

It was lovely to get them together in the same space; during the five-week project they had connected through their work and messages, but this was the first time they had ever come face-to-face with one another.

It was a fabulous day, with over 200 visitors. As well as admiring the exhibition, many of them joined in our activities, printing leaves, painting landscapes and writing poems.

This was our final session for Coins and Crosses; it’s been a wonderful project to work on and I’d like to offer a personal thank you to everyone – staff, residents, the WASP team, artists and others – who made it such a joy.

We’ll leave you with the words of one of young adults from Oak Lodge, Myles, and his I Am From poem.

I am from the fields and open spaces of Wymondham
And the sound of the Abbey bells, reaching every part of the town.
I am from the smell of the Stiffkey mud flats, when I camped with my dad
And his amazing Sunday roast – with extra gravy.
I’m home: this is where I belong.

Coins and Crosses: Seeking the Anglo-Saxons in Winfarthing and Waveney is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we will be able to connect local communities with our Anglo-Saxon history.