Once again we have very special plans this year to come together as a community with something we can all enjoy; we will hold the BIG SING at the Sunday closing ceremony, which has made such a big emotional impact for the previous two years, as well as the running (or walking or hopping or skipping) over 24 hours.
The theme for this year is Play and Education: this will be the focus for Saturday in the Palestinian Voices Tent (PVT) this has been a successful place for raising and amplifying the voice of Palestinian people and we are so pleased to be able to do this again. In another repeat, we will follow the Saturday Palestinian Voices Tent programme with a solidarity supper – the feedback last year was wonderful.
We are also looking forward to welcoming back Families for Gaza who helped make the 2024 event such a wonderful place for children. In addition, we will have a Tatreez tent for you try your hand at the magnificent art of Palestinian embroidery. This will be run by Palestinian women.
Programme for small park BIG RUN 2025
| Date / time | Activity |
|---|---|
| Saturday 21st June, from 11.30 | Registration tent will be open! Outside Meersbrook Hall. |
| Saturday 21st June, midday. | small park BIG RUN 2025 starts. |
| Saturday 21st June, midday. | Walled Garden cafe opens for refreshments and cake. |
| Saturday 21st June 12.45pm – 5.30pm | Palestinian voices: join us in the Palestinian Voices Tent outside Meersbrook Hall to hear from educators from Palestine and England talking about the scholasticide and the silencing of Palestinian voices and advocacy in English education. The programme in the tent is here |
| Saturday 21st June, 1pm-2.30pm. | We are really excited to announce a special Tatreez Revival worshop led by Muna El-Zeet in the Walled Garden. This is a ticketed session and tickets are available here Check out a write up of Muna’s work here |
| Saturday 21st June, 3pm-5.30pm. | Also in the Walled Garden: Tatreez drop-in. If you can’t make it to the expert led workshop, please drop-in and try your hand where experienced Tatreez makers will guide your learning. |
| Saturday 21st June, 1pm-5pm. | Lantern workshop Come and make a lantern to light up the the woods overnight. Little and big folk welcome. Outside Meersbrook Hall. |
| Saturday 21st June 2pm-5pm | Join the writing team for games to inspire poetry. Outside Meersbrook Hall. |
| Saturday 21st June 2pm-5pm | Families for Gaza craft workshop Make a Palestine Poppy Start a square for our second Quilt For Palestine Browse the kids’ ‘Palestine Library’ Face painting, bubbles and colouring Outside Meersbrook Hall. |
| Saturday 21st June 5pm | Walled garden cafe closes |
| Saturday 21st June 6pm to 7.30pm | Solidarity Supper: join us for a solidarity Palestinian meal Outside Meersbrook Hall. The meal last year was a huge and delicious success. |
| Saturday 21st June, about 7.30pm till about 8pm | Lantern walk Assembling outside the hall, we’ll walk the park circuit and woods, hanging lanterns made earlier to create a magical atmosphere for evening and nightime runners and walkers. |
| Saturday 21st June, about 8.15pm till about 8.45pm | Torch of remembrance We’ll hold a solemn procession around the park with a torch to honour all killed in the genocide, with a focus on scholasticide. LED candles will light the way and be placed at the solidarity tree afterward. |
| Saturday 21st June 8.45pm | Sheffield Writers for Palestine will read poems |
| Saturday 21st June 9.15pm | Dalya, a student supported by the Sheffield Palestine Women’s Scholarship Fund, will share some Palestinian rap after speaking earlier about her educational journey. |
| Sunday 22nd June, 10 am | Palestine Voices Tent breakfast talk on Sumud (steadfastness) with spBR organiser Jawad, additional speakers and a light breakfast snack. |
| Sunday 22nd June, 11 | Walled Garden cafe opens |
| Sunday 22nd June, 11 am | Buskers hour Wonderful musicians will line the course in the final hour, energising and entertaining participants! |
| Sunday 22nd June, midday | Run ends. |
| Sunday 22nd June, midday-ish UK time | The BIG SING (in association with Migration Matters Festival ) featuring a live link up with Palestine if possible. Join in our mass solidarity sing led by six Sheffield based choirs. The more the merrier. Bring a hanky! |
| Sunday 22nd June, 12.30pm | Fun run Free lap dash around the park with ice pops. Lord Mayor will be handing over a signed certificate to all the children who participate. |
| Sunday 22nd June, 12.45pm | Fun run finishes. |
| Sunday 22nd June, 2.30pm | Walled garden cafe closes |
Palestine Voices tent programme
| Time | Title | Session lead | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| SATURDAY 21 JUNE | |||
| 1.30pm | Education and Palestinian Culture | Dalya Ramadan | Dalya will talk to us about education and its meaning in her life specifically and Palestinian people more widely. |
| 2.30pm | Silence and scholasticide | Sundos Hamad Director Right to Education, Birzeit University | Sundos will be leading a discussion with her students via Zoom about their fight for education in Palestine |
| 3.30pm | Silencing Palestine in Secondary Education | NEU reps and teachers from Sheffield | Teachers will give testimony of the silencing of Palestinian advocates in secondary education. |
| 4.30pm | Play in Gaza | Suzanne and Usman from Never Stop Dreaming | Suzanne and Usman will describe how they have initiated structured play in Gaza during the genocide. |
| SUNDAY 22 JUNE | |||
| 10am | Steadfastness (Sumud) | Jawad spBR organiser | A Palestinian guest speaker and spBR organiser Jonny will join Jawad for an informal discussion on Palestinian resilience amid daily repression and injustice. Including a light Palestinian breakfast! |
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