Portland Memory Stones Weekend

Gatekeeper butterfly alights at Portland Quarry

A weekend of celebration is being planned to mark the adoption by the Gatekeeper Trust of a very special stone in Tout Quarry, besides the Memory Stones, Isle of Portland.

On the Saturday, this event will include talks by Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust artists, Hannah Sofaer and Paul Crabtree, and by Gary Biltcliffe and Roma Harding, followed in the afternoon by adoption of the stone, and interaction with the Memory Stones through dance and sound.

There is the opportunity to experience carving Portland limestone, or walking through deep ecological time on the Sunday for those staying over for the weekend.

Early Bird - £50

Isle of Portland, Dorset SATURDAY & SUNDAY, 17-18 AUGUST 2024

GATEKEEPER STONE ADOPTION

The Gatekeeper Trust, in collaboration with Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust (PSQT https://learningstone.org), announce the adoption of a unique megalith stone adjacent to the Memory Stones on Portland by the Gatekeeper Trust.

You are invited to a special day of informative talks about this liminal island and its related history, dedication of the stone and celebration with dance and sound.

Saturday 17 August

Venue: The Drill Hall, Easton Lane, Portland, DT5 1BW

PROGRAMME

09.30 :   Registration
10.00 :   Welcome by Hannah Sofaer and Paul Crabtree introducing the work of the Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust and the purpose of this inter-disciplinary collaboration
10.45 :   Talk by Gary Biltcliffe: Mysterious Portland
11.45 :   Refreshments
12.15 :   Talk by Roma Harding: Cygnus in the South Dorset Landscape
13.00 :   Lunch Break
14.00 :   Walk from the Drill Hall through Tout Quarry to the Gatekeeper Stone and short ceremony of adoption by the Gatekeeper Trust
15.15 :   Enter the Memory Stones where Paul Crabtree will explain this stone circle’s creation and the significance of its alignments
16.00 :   Celebrate the landscape temple with Paneurythmy dance led by Sarah Dawkins and song by Andrew Clark
17.00 :   Sharing and Closing Circle

Cost of day:

• • £50 early bird booking until 5 May 2024 thereafter £55
  • Early Bird - £50
  • Vegetarian soup lunch provided
  • Accommodation list available.
  • More details supplied on booking Early booking advised by contacting secretary@gatekeeper.org.uk

Sunday 18 August

Morning: A unique opportunity courtesy of PSQT to experience the qualities of Portland limestone, either through a practical session in the stone carving workshop (suggested donation £25), or walk through time in Tout Quarry, where sculpture, geology and ecology coexist in this World Heritage Nature site.

Afternoon: join Gary Biltcliffe for a walk round Portland (donations welcomed)

Monday 19 August

For those staying over, Roma will offer an optional day to Abbotsbury and St. Catherine’s Chapel. Level of walking fitness required (donations welcomed)