The work

Conceived and created by artist Anna Chapman Parker, Offerings brings together art, plantlife and the experiences of local schoolchildren. Offerings measures nine metres wide, is made from a series of corten steel panels, and was fabricated by specialists Old School Fabrications. The work features four lines of laser-cut text set with a field of small, abstract plant-like motifs and sentences drawn from observations by pupils at Prior Park Primary in a series of workshops for the project. The plant-like motifs draw on a visual vocabulary that Anna has developed through her wider practice as well as details of vegetation recorded during walks around Berwick.​

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The process

Offerings developed from the 2025 summer exhibition of work by The Artist Plantsman, Cedric Morris, at The Granary Gallery. Anna worked with pupils from Prior Park Primary to explore connections between art and nature through workshops in the gallery, Castle Vale Park and at school. The children recorded their recollections of the park visit and the specific sensory details of scent, sound and touch experienced during the workshop. Using the children’s observations, Anna began to develop the work. She says:

   ‘“The simple phrasing of the children’s recollections seemed to have a spacious, open quality that in itself invited reflection. Returned to the park and placed on the low wall, I had the sense of them as a kind of offering to passersby – perhaps also an invitation to sit on a bench yourself and take a moment to experience the park through your own senses.”

The title Offerings also reflects Anna’s interest in ex-voto objects – offerings fastened to walls and given in gratitude, devotion or testimony – a practice with a history stretching back to ancient civilisations.

The completed artwork was installed on 22 September 2026 by Old School Fabrications.

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The story of the project

The scheduled Cedric Morris exhibition, organised by The Maltings (Trust) Berwick, coincided with The Friends of Castle Parks’ search to enhance Castle Vale Park with an artwork which would cover an unsightly wall in the park. Following discussions between the partners and Anna Chapman Parker, funding was secured (see below). The development of this permanent offering to Berwick and to visitors to one of the town’s most historic and tranquil parks began. The completed work reflects the collaborative nature of the project which has brought together local children, an artist, a volunteer parks group and a cultural organisation.

The funders

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The project was funded by a grant of £7,903 from Destination Tweed’s Community Grant Scheme which is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, a £500 grant from Hadrian Trust and sundry costs covered by funds raised by The Friends of Castle Parks.

 
The partners

Anna Chapman Parker is a Berwick-based artist whose work explores observation, place, language and the natural world.

Prior Park Primary is a happy, welcoming school situated on the south side of the historic town of Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Friends of Castle Parks is a volunteer group formed in 2012 following Heritage Lottery funding for the refurbishment of Castle Vale and Coronation Parks. The group supports Northumberland County Council in maintaining Berwick’s parks through gardening, the purchase of plants, tools and equipment, and the organisation of events for local people and visitors. It raises funds through its annual Plant Sale and town-wide Open Gardens event and through grant applications.

The Maltings (Berwick) Trust is a registered charity and a major professional hub for culture and creativity across North Northumberland and the eastern Scottish Borders. Its programme includes live performance, youth theatre, creative learning, festivals, visual arts, artist residencies, commissions, talks, community productions, film and broadcasts. The Maltings is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation and is revenue funded by Northumberland County Council.

Destination Tweed is a multi-partner river revitalisation project centred on the creation of a 113-mile River Tweed Trail. Its Community Grants Scheme supports projects themed around Nature, History and Stories and is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Northumberland County Council

Old School Fabrications is a team of design and build specialists, making objects, interiors and structures for creative and commercial clients.