Today the group returned to Persistence Works to complete making their spoons. Having done most of the forming work on day 1 there was a bit less less hammering in the workshop today and more of an emphasis on how to get the 2 components to come together. The group put some finishing touches to their spoons and did some final hammering and filing to neaten the edges and make sure the spoon was useable. They also made sure that the 2 surfaces joined well so that they could be soldered together.
While we were there we got the chance to visit the guerrilla garden, or huerta, at the Persistence Works. The garden is based on principles employed in parts of Cuba, creating an example garden to inspire and educate people about growing, allowing for the distribution of seeds and knowledge and providing fruit, veg and herbs for people to share.
Mikk who runs the huerta met us and told us about the organic garden, its history, how it runs, what they grow and why they grow it. The growers have a number of sites around Sheffield which are run for free using shared seeds and the generous time of volunteers. The Persistence Works garden is used as an example and experiment for growing slightly more exotic and unusual produce. This is because the site is in the middle of the city with warm buildings around it and warm utility pipes running underneath it, giving it a slightly warmer climate. We were amazed to see peaches and apricots growing in the city centre! Most of the fruit and veg are not harvested but instead left to go to seed in order to collect the seeds for use next year.
The garden itself is a little haven right in between the Perstistence Works, the BBC building, the A61 and a huge Kid Acne graffiti wall. It was really inspiring to see what is possible to grow in the city centre.
Soldering the two halves together was a tricky job but with some help the group saw their spoons come together and started to get a real feel for how the finished piece would look. After cleaning the surface thoroughly we could begin polishing the spoon to get a shiny finish! It was now that the group really got a sense of what they had achieved and despite being exhausted everyone went home smiling!!
However the spoons didn’t get to go home with the group today as they needed to be hallmarked to say that they were made from sterling silver and what year they were made. They could become future antiques for the group and their families but until then they can be used for yoghurt!