FLAVOURS - Activate

Activate's Role: Partner

Past Event

Partners: Dorset National Landscape, Dorset Race Equality Council, Dorset Food with support from the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme and the National Lottery Heritage Fund
Date: 2023-2025

What is FLAVOURS?

The FLAVOURS project is all about finding ways for people from ethnic minority and refugee backgrounds living in Dorset, to explore and discover a range of farms and open spaces within their local landscapes and share incredible food and drink in all its glorious expressions. It offers new opportunities for people to get a taste of Dorset’s outstanding landscape.

From heritage sites and Sites of Special Scientific Interest to coast and countryside, each visit offers a chance to connect, share, and spark something meaningful. Whether it’s landscape, food, or conversation, FLAVOURS continues to grow with heart and purpose, celebrating community, culture, and the richness of place.

Different events have been organised by different partners since the beginning of the project in 2023. Activate has been key in facilitating several visits including to our Inside Out Dorset festival in 2023 and supporting activities led by Grace the Space (a company developed as part of another Activate partner programme, Women Leaders South West).

The FLAVOURS project has welcomed over 700 people to the countryside, inspiring a new sense of belonging and enjoyment of our local landscape alongside good food.

Group of ethnically diverse people gather in nature

BPC Indian Community visit Durlston Country Park

We had a brilliant day at Durlston Country Park with the BPC Indian Community, led by the ever-inventive animateur Lorna Rees. Families tuned into the earth using geophones, shared stories, and took part in inclusive, hands-on activities. It was a joyful celebration of nature, sound and community, bringing generations together in creativity, curiosity and connection. In the Flavours tradition, we gathered for a shared lunch, bringing dishes, laughter, and stories to the table.

Three women stand in front of a large stone globe. They are holding large colourful ear trumpets.

Nigerian Community visit Durlston Country Park

Back for another sunshine filled day at Durlston Country Park, this time with a group from the Nigerian Community in Dorset, who brought a vibrant energy and uplifted the day with warmth, humour and music during the activities and over lunch. Highlights included music, food, laughter, and heartfelt appreciation for the landscape, atmosphere, and each other. Words like “love,” “fun,” and “relaxing” captured the day’s joy, in an uplifting celebration of connection, culture, and getting closer to nature.

Inside Out Dorset Festival 2023

The South Asian dance company Akademi were part of the Activate’s Inside Out Dorset 2023 programme at Wild Woodbury. The Dorset Wildlife Trust site near Bere Regis formed a peaceful backdrop for stories, performances and installations exploring nature, climate change, landscape and local food.

Indian dancers in black and red costumes hold a wooden structure and lean forwards.

Launceston Farm

Alice and Tash from Grace the Space created a joyful day out for an inspiring group of women at Launceston Farm, near Blandford. Cath, the farmer, led a beautiful walk and showed us pigs, cows, butterflies and blackberries. Then we made bread from the flour they produce. After a vegan lunch came fun and movement outdoors with Tash.

Middlebere Farm

Grace the Space welcomed a group of women with ICN Bournemouth (a charity working with refugees and asylum seekers) to Middlebere Farm on the edge of Poole Harbour. After a trailer ride through the farm to look at how the cows are farmed and to hear about wildlife, there was time for a stretch and a delicious lunch!

Grace the Space visit Durlston Country Park

We stepped into nature at Durlston Country Park which is always a favourite venue – come rain or shine – for a day of connection, calm, and coast. Facilitated by Grace the Space, the walk offered space to breathe, reflect, and share affirming conversations. Food, scenic views, and colourful emergency rain ponchos lifted spirits, and many left inspired to return with family, friends, and children.

Grace the Space visit Upton Country Park

Despite the downpours, the morning at Upton Country Park blossomed with laughter and connection. Between showers, park ranger Jennie led a woodland bug hunt, complete with a surprise newt! Followed by joyful movement sessions with Alice and Tash from Grace the Space, and Sue and Anastasia from the Flavours team. Rain sparked warmth, bringing strangers together through shared journeys, common language, and unexpected moments of nature, fun, and friendship on the bus journey home.

International Care Network visit Upton Country Park

In collaboration with Grace the Space, this Flavours visit offered a joyful escape into nature. Despite language barriers, peer translation supported smooth communication. Lunch was a highlight, shared with warmth and conversation. Children played freely, bringing visible joy to their mums. Creative activities fostered connection and laughter, and group organiser Sarah Joy from the International Care Network noted the women’s happiness and many uplifting moments amidst complex challenges of trauma, immigration, and daily life in the UK.

Brazilian Community visit Upton Country Park

A Brazilian Saturday School from Bournemouth brought curiosity and creativity to Upton Country Park for Flavours’ first child-focused nature outing – a unique experience for the team. Led by Grace the Space, the day began with a bug hunt and lively chats about insects in Brazil. Children explored woodland shapes and colours, crafting nature mandalas and charcoal tree drawings. Their artwork was proudly displayed, capturing a joyful blend of discovery, cultural exchange, and imaginative natural play.

BPC Indian Community to Blue Pool

One of our summer trips saw us hosting a nature-filled day and picnic with the BPC Indian Community at the Blue Pool. A beautiful addition to the Flavours location portfolio – offering a fresh perspective and special experience for many. Scenic walks, playful activities, and heartfelt connection made the day unforgettable. As one participant shared, “We came as strangers, we leave as friends”. A joyful celebration of freedom, friendship, and togetherness.

Flavours at Rang Barse – Colours Over Corfe Castle

Flavours was proud to attend Rang Barse at Corfe Castle in 2024 – the first-ever Holi celebration hosted by BPC Indian Community and the National Trust. This joyful Festival of Colours welcomed spring with vibrant energy, Bollywood music, and shared community spirit. We joined in the colour throwing, explored cultural stalls, danced and enjoyed authentic Indian cuisine. Thank you to all who made it unforgettable. Flavours celebrates multicultural connection, and Rang Barse was a beautiful expression of it.

An Indian woman wearing sunglasses with bright green paint on her face, smiles at the camera. A large crowd of people is behind her.

Joint Flavours gathering at Corfe Castle

Flavours groups were invited to take part in a relaxed and welcoming gathering in the heart of Purbeck, bringing together participants from across Dorset. The visit offered an opportunity to meet with other Flavours groups, share a picnic, and spend time together in one of Dorset’s most iconic and historic locations.

The day included a shared picnic, time to explore Corfe Castle and its surroundings, and space for informal conversation and connection, creating a calm and accessible community experience. The group also had the chance to experience Activate’s biennial festival, Inside Out Dorset.

An audience wearing coasts are sat on a floor outside