On Wednesday 17th July, the latest Ruthin Arts Network (RAN) social evening took place at the Feathers Inn.
The highlight of the evening was listening to singer and guitarist Penni Neale, who performed a variety of songs including an original song of her own. Penni’s main influences are folk, country and jazz, and she can be found singing at the Feathers Inn on Thursday evenings at the regular Folk Club there. Everyone really enjoyed her performance.
The evening was also an opportunity for creative people to chat and network. As Mark Ratcliffe, an award-winning craftsperson who makes bespoke furniture, said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for people from different disciplines to talk to each other. When people of an artistic inclination come together, they can uplift and inspire each other in different ways.” For example, a single conversation could spark a new line of thought and creativity, with wonderful outcomes. (If you’d like to know more about Mark’s work, this is his website: https://www.markratcliffe.co.uk/)
During the social evening, the committee members asked the attendees what they’d like to see from RAN in the future. Some of the answers included having a chance to find out more about each other’s disciplines, having readings during the socials to spark discussion and debate, and trying to promote some kind of larger online collaboration to spread the word about what RAN are doing.
RAN hope to have a public meeting in September to gather more views and to outline the Network’s developments so far.If you’re a creative person of any kind, you can sign up to the RAN website here: https://ruthinartsnetwork.wales/ You will then be able to read the latest blogs, find out about local events, and receive invitations to socials.