18/06/2026
Collect Your Holiday Memories Now: New Art of Travel Course Comes to Halton Mill
Holidaymakers, day-trippers and dreamers are asked to start collecting raw materials for a new creative travel project at Halton Mill, Lancaster, this autumn.
Photographs, postcards, maps, shells, sketches, tickets, diary notes, fabric, sound recordings and found objects could all become part of The Art of Travel, a six-week course led by cultural traveller Fiona Frank and Lancaster artist Wendy Moore.
The sessions will run from Thursday 1 October 2026, giving participants the summer to gather ideas, images and mementoes from their trips.
“The Art of Travel is open to travellers of all ages and abilities – anyone who loves, dreams of, or wants to revisit journeys through creativity. Participants will explore their experiences through artforms including drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, photography and sound, creating work inspired by places they’ve been and places they may go next,” said Fiona, now 71, who began travelling, mostly solo, six years ago.
She added: “This will be a relaxed space where people can revisit journeys, imagine new ones and work on creative projects. I want to bring people together to create art about their travel experiences and dreams.”
Fiona, who worked for many years in educational research at Lancaster University, has a long-standing interest in travel, culture and community participation. She has also drawn inspiration from her artistic family background: her aunt was the Scottish Art Nouveau artist Hannah Frank, whose work Fiona has championed since 2003, helping bring it to wider audiences in the UK, North America and South America.
She organised the ‘For Dom, Bruno and the Amazon’ exhibition at Halton Mill in 2022 after extensive travels in South America, raising awareness of environmental and indigenous causes in Brazil.
With her melodeon and concertina Fiona has travelled across North and South America, playing music and dancing with performers - on street corners, public transport, on stages, in community venues and in people’s homes.
She also organised the Musical Journeys concert series, which raised £1,500 for local charities.
Wendy Moore, a multimedia artist, based in Lancaster, works under the name Fairy God Mum. She is known for her vibrant and culturally inspired work and will bring practical creative skills to the sessions. Her work spans murals, jewellery, mosaics and upcycled art, and she has extensive experience of leading workshops in schools and a wide range of community settings, encouraging people to explore their own ideas and creativity.
“Wendy, one of my favourite artists and teachers, is the ideal person to collaborate with on this project. She has such a gift for encouraging creativity, connection and wellbeing and has years of art teaching experience,” said Fiona.
The six-week course costs £48, with one free place left (out of two) for people who would like to attend but cannot currently afford it.
Booking: more info and register at trybooking.co.uk/GCVW
