Crosby’s Soroptimists marked the Summer Solstice at Lunt Meadows Nature Reserve.
Staff of the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside (LWT) organised a special public event – many volunteers, including Soroptimists, were therefore on hand to help.
A campfire was central to the celebrations. It gave visitors the chance to sample gooey marshmallows, hot sugared apples and roasted hazelnuts. Meanwhile the Soroptimists set up a refreshment stall – 21st-century-style.
There were prehistoric crafts to try – bow-drilling, for example. This involves a wooden spindle that is rotated by a string attached to a flexible bow. It’s very effective – visitors easily drilled holes in seashells.
Willow-woven hoops decorated with common local wild flowers made fine headdresses; and there was the chance to try painting with simple pigments. LWT staff laid out a variety of prehistoric (replica) artefacts, such as fearsome barbed arrows; and these attracted a lot of interest.
Archaeologist Ron Cowell gave a brief talk about the solstice – its astronomical significance and its importance to societies down the millennia. In Neolithic times, people built impressive monuments (such as henges) that aligned with movements of the sun.
At Lunt there are much older traces – from the Mesolithic period – showing that people lived here over 9,000 years ago. But how they marked the solstice, we’ll never know. Soroptimist International Crosby has been in partnership with LWT for several years on the ‘Mesolithic and Modern Life’ lottery-funded project. Members are always on hand to help.
Throughout the event, Soroptimist Jill Boggan played her Celtic harp. This, combined with the natural sights and sounds of Lunt Meadows, created a magical atmosphere.