Exhibition reveals the power of Dartmoor to transform lives

One of the most poignant stories I ever heard came from a man with whom I shared a conversation some years ago. He worked as a cook in a high-security prison preparing food for 600 men every day. The cook treated these men as equals and never asked about their crimes, but sometimes the prisoners shared their stories whilst helping to prepare food.

One of the inmates revealed that the first time he’d ever seen the English countryside was when he was being transported from London to the prison where he was to begin a life sentence. “I had never seen anything so green and beautiful,” he confided to the cook. “If I had known that the countryside was so beautiful, I would not have gone down the path which took me to prison.”

The tragedy of this man’s experience echoes findings published by Natural England: ethnically diverse communities and people struggling on low incomes invariably live in areas with no access to the wild places which could play a large part in healing lives shattered by poverty and trauma.

The consequences of this deprivation impacts our wider society, and I was therefore heartened to hear about an exhibition currently running at the Princetown Dartmoor Visitor Centre which explores the healing power of the Dartmoor landscape. The range of works on display includes collaborations with professional filmmakers, artists, photographers, musicians, composers, poets and writers.

The raison d’être of the exhibition is threefold:

Firstly, it pays tribute to the work produced through an award-winning former charity - Rite to Freedom - which for sixteen years supported hundreds of people through the criminal justice system as well as those in long-term addiction recovery. Much of the charity’s success came from championing the creativity of vulnerable individuals, immersing them in the Dartmoor landscape and thereby helping them break down patterns of isolation and fear to pave the way for more peaceful and creative lives.

Secondly, the exhibition marks the creation of the Rite to Freedom Open Access Legacy Archive, which will preserve a permanent record of the charity’s impactful work and act as a compelling testament to the reparative potential within the Dartmoor landscape.

Thirdly, the exhibition celebrates the launch of a new venture by the team behind Rite to Freedom which aims to build on the charity’s hard-earned wisdom, and expand its reach to serve the wider community of Dartmoor.

I shared a fascinating conversation with Caspar Walsh, the founder of Rite to Freedom.

Caspar’s passion for helping others stems from his personal experience. “I grew up around crime and drugs,” he told me. “My father did time. It was all I knew. I got on the wrong side of the tracks and ended up in prison myself. I cleaned myself up when I was still young, and for fifteen years I focused on helping other young men who’d ended up in prison.

“At school, the only thing I was good at was creative writing. I started writing. I had a column in the Guardian and also wrote a memoir about my early life which was published by quite a big publisher.”

Caspar went on to write dramas for BBC Radio 4, including the acclaimed feature-length docudrama ‘The Prison Father’, which was based on his own experience of prison life.

He continues: “In response to years of work with young offenders, I set up ‘Rite to Freedom’ in 2010. I’d told my story, and I wanted to work with others, focusing on the quality and authenticity of their stories, celebrating their humanity, seeing people as individuals, not just as a junkie with a needle in their arm. Over time, the focus shifted naturally from young people to adults. We did a lot of work at Grimspound [the atmospheric Bronze Age settlement] where the landscape and sense of place evokes stories.

“We are beyond proud of the many achievements and milestones of Rite to Freedom. My own work as an artist finally found its true place among the many talented participants and professionals we’ve worked with over the years. The exhibition presents a fraction of what we've created, charting the powerful healing journeys of everyone involved.”

As part of the exhibition, Caspar is working with Dartmoor encaustic artist, Eleanor Tallowin. [Encaustics is an ancient painting technique that uses heated wax and pigment to create images.] Caspar and Eleanor will be in residence every other Wednesday to answer questions about their innovative ideas to animate elements of her work, incorporating interactive elements within one of her paintings of Grimspound. This work will allow the viewer to uncover the incredible stories by Rite to Freedom participants inspired by Grimspound.

Eleanor Tallowin says: “Grimspound for me is elemental. The sheer tempestuous might of the Moors bears down on anyone who ventures into the ruins of Grimspound. Masked in mist and rolling clouds, the mysterious majesty transports one to a different time. Navigating through the impressive entranceway, the site is framed by sloping heather-lined hills turreted by granite tors with a trickling stream meandering down at the edge of the site, with silver pockets of light being reflected back from eddies and pools. There is a beautiful rawness yet intimacy which can be found at Grimspound, which is what draws me to the site.”

I was deeply inspired by my conversation with Caspar Walsh, and his personal journey from brutal childhood to successful writer, respected speaker and compassionate leader whose work has transformed hundreds of lives.

In conclusion, Caspar shares his enthusiasm about his new venture: “I’m now keen to expand our work to support health and wellbeing across the entire Dartmoor community. We’re launching a social enterprise with charitable aims called ‘Creative Pathways. Nature. Arts. Wellbeing’. Its name reflects the three key elements of our recovery ethos - nature connection, creative expression and the mindful life. Everyone should have equal access to supportive communities and opportunities to learn healthy ways of expressing and untangling confusing life stories.”

Inspired by Dartmoor

A free exhibition highlighting how Dartmoor’s wild places have inspired former prisoners and people going through addiction recovery. Presented in collaboration with Dartmoor National Park Authority, English Heritage and a number of arts organisations and communities including High Heathercombe Centre and Positive Light Projects.

• Runs until Sunday 30th March
• Dartmoor National Park Visitor Centre, Princetown
• Open Wednesday - Sunday, 10:00am - 3.00pm
• www.ritetofreedom.org.uk

Events happening during the ‘Inspired by Dartmoor’ Exhibition

Residency Days, 10.00am - 3.00pm

On certain days during the run of ‘Inspired by Dartmoor’, Eleanor and Caspar will be in residence to answer questions and talk about their work. These residency days will also include two 45 minute presentations (at 11.00am and 2.00pm) about Rite to Freedom and how its Legacy Archive is being created.

• Wednesday 29th January
  Wednesday 12th February
  Wednesday 26th February
  Wednesday 12th March
  Wednesday 26th March

End of Exhibition Workshop Day

Saturday, 29th March, 10.30am - 2.45pm

A free end of exhibition workshop day focusing on three areas: Nature, Arts and Wellbeing, and offering insight into Rite to Freedom's work on Dartmoor along with creative tools to live more balanced lives.

The day will be separated into three parts with a break for lunch. Participants can attend one, two or all three parts of the day.

10.30am: a one hour gentle nature connection ramble

12.15pm: a presentation with Q&A (45 mins)

1.45pm: a one hour workshop offering practical wellbeing tools to take away.

Please telephone the Visitor Centre 01822 890414 or email ali@ritetofreedom.org.uk to register for these events. The workshops are limited to twelve participants.

Readers who would like to make a donation to ‘Creative Pathways. Nature. Arts. Wellbeing’ are invited to contact ali@ritetofreedom.org.uk