An Open Square with bells on

The delights of Open Squares Weekend: community Tai Chi on Sunday

Arlington Square was once again invited to take part in London’s Open Garden Squares Weekend (June 18–19) along with more than 200 other unique metropolitan squares and green spaces. As always, we endeavoured to offer visitors and locals some unusual activities. (And indeed our efforts were mentioned in Metro’s feature about Open Squares Weekend.)

The delights of Open Squares Weekend: harp and handbells on Saturday.

For pure pleasure it was hard to beat the delicate playing of local harpist Alice Flaye and the joyful performance of the St Vedast Handbell Ringers, using handbells from the late 1800s. Visitors on the Saturday were treated to an arrangement of Greensleeves for harp and handbells specially written for the occasion by handbell ringer and composer Gregory Rose. The ringers also delighted us with the world premier of a challenging new work by composer and arranger Daryl Runswick.

On the Sunday Jane Ward led a free Tai Chi session for all comers and Mary Schnorrenberg took us through the movements of a Flow Yoga session. We were truly blissed out. We are very grateful to Jane, Mary, Alice and the St Vedast ringers for their generous support. Many thanks, too, to our lovely local home bakers who produced enough cakes to raise £331 for our work in the square.