New nature walks offer safe

space for diverse women Creating inclusive outdoor spaces for diverse

women in North Devon

🌱 Being a Seed in New Soil

A community photography project with Sunrise Diversity & National Trust Arlington Court

Overview

“Being a Seed in New Soil” is a community art and photography project about belonging, care, and growth.
It brings together people from diverse cultural backgrounds living in North Devon to explore, through photography and nature, what it means to take root and flourish in a new land.

The project was created in collaboration with Sunrise Diversity and National Trust Arlington Court.
It was inspired by my own experience as a migrant artist — the feeling of being a small seed placed in new soil, needing warmth, care, and time to grow.

About the Workshops

As part of the project, I led a series of creative photography workshops where participants:

• learned to see beauty in small details — leaves, light, texture, and movement;

• reflected on the idea of “new soil” as a metaphor for personal change, adaptation, and acceptance;

• created their own photographic stories combining portrait and nature imagery;

• and together made a collective thank-you artwork for our partners — a large handmade piece with leaves, colours, and the words “Thank you Sunrise Diversity” and “Thank you Arlington Court”, created letter by letter by each participant.

All sessions took place outdoors at Arlington Court, surrounded by nature — allowing participants to connect deeply with the landscape and with one another.

Concept & Symbolism

At the heart of the project lies a simple yet powerful metaphor:

When a seed falls into new soil, it does not know if it will grow — but if the soil is warm and full of care, it always finds its way to the light.

Through this metaphor, we explored how people who have moved to a new country can rediscover their roots through community, creativity, and kindness.
Here, photography becomes not only an art form but also a way to feel connected, grounded, and alive.

Partners

✨ Sunrise Diversity — a North Devon-based organisation supporting inclusion, equality, and multicultural understanding.
🌿 National Trust Arlington Court — a historic estate and natural landscape that became both the home and inspiration for this project.

Outcomes

• A series of portraits and nature photographs created with participants, symbolising connection and belonging.

• A collective art piece made by all participants as a gesture of gratitude.

• A shared space of trust, creativity, and healing — where people from different backgrounds could feel part of one community and one land.

Project Details

Photographer & Workshop Lead: Olga Vynnyk
Partners: Sunrise Diversity, National Trust Arlington Court
Location: North Devon, United Kingdom
Year: 2025

Are you a woman from an diverse community currently living in North Devon? Would you like to spend time in nature? Would you like to be more creative and have fun?

We are looking in particular to connect with women who may be new to the area, or who are unfamiliar with the local coastal landscape. We will visit the amazing Braunton Burrows, learn about the plants and animals that live there, spend time exploring and create a series of photographs together that show how this place delights us.

We are running 3 events on successive Sundays in October and November. Each will explore two out of four habitats in Braunton Burrows: woodland full of twittering birds and fruiting trees; grassland full of rare plants; sand dunes that are astonishingly large; and the seashore that allows us to gaze out towards the southern tip of Ireland and beyond to the Americas.

Join a group of women from diverse communities in a beautiful place & create a series of photographs that express how nature 'calls' to us.