The Worm Walk

If you came across a 20 metre long inflatable worm parading through the grounds of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, what would you do?

If you answered: feed it giant carrots and apples, offer it compost and flowers, and accompany it on its promenade with drumming, music, dancing and chanting, then perhaps you were one of the many people who enjoyed the Worm Walk at the beginning of June.

The festival atmosphere of the Worm Walk was the culmination of months of activity that took place during the Spring Fling at the Royal Edinburgh and was a chance for the hospital community to celebrate together.

During Spring Fling, organisations based at the hospital, collaborated to create a programme of events including lunchtime concerts, art workshops, bird identification sessions, and a reading from acclaimed local writer Alexander McCall Smith. The events took place over several weeks and celebrated the optimism and regeneration of Spring, with many events themed around nature.

The worm itself was conceived by Artlink artists Nadia Rossi and Morven Mulgrew and constructed and decorated by patients and volunteers in workshops at the Creative Hub, Glasshouses as well as workshops on the wards.

The design of the pink and blue worm was based on a drawing by a workshop participant, and it was constructed from fabric which was printed in sections, with different groups taking responsibility for each section. Morven Mulgrew visited various wards and groups and led workshops where participants were invited to design any sort of ‘critter’ (bug, insect or minibeast) and make these out of clay. These were then laser cut into block prints, which were used to print the fabric in subsequent workshops. This meant when the worm took its walk, participants in the workshops could identify their own section of the worm.

Artlink Volunteers Joan, Maggie and Fiona were among those who helped craft the worm, as well as some of the ‘critters’ which accompanied it on its tour. Fiona explains, “There was a lot of craft and art went into the project before we actually had the spring fling on the day.”

Joan described the production line of a worm printing session: “We did it all together, we were like a team, so somebody did one row and then somebody else went onto the next row.” Joan also repurposed some bee and ladybird costumes which had been made for a previous event into giant critters which accompanied the worm on its walk.

Maggie, meanwhile, made a giant apple using willow weaving skills which she had honed during previous Artlink workshops. A slit was cut in the netting so that during the Worm Walk participants could climb through the apple, just as if the worm was chomping its way through a juicy piece of fruit!

Artist Laura Lees led workshops where people were encouraged to design and make headdresses to wear on the day, ensuring that the Worm Walk was a real visual spectacle. Fiona wore her headdress as well as carrying a large lollipop stick saying ‘Stop! Worm Approaching’ at the front of the parade, alerting passers by. The Worm Walk was also accompanied by staff in hi vis vests, guiding the walk and ensuring that everyone stayed safe.

During the Worm Walk, the worm toured the outdoor areas of the hospital.

Kathryn Bailey from the Cyrenians, who manages the Royal Edinburgh Community Garden describes the impact of the visit from the worm: “It was just so energetic and joyful! It was wonderful. I loved it. I lost one of our volunteers. He joined the worm walk and started carrying the worm, and I just thought that was great great fun. And he said he had a fabulous time”.

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The Community Garden had been invited to present the Worm with an ‘offering’, and because worms are so valuable to gardeners in the process of composting, Kathryn’s first thought was “Compost!”. The team made up a gift designed to make worms happy: “Anything they would like to eat and or just to bring them joy. So, there were flowers and calendulas, nasturtiums and I think lettuce leaves.”

Chloe Brain and Katie Smith from Volunteer Edinburgh were active participants on the Worm Walk. As well as helping to find volunteers to carry and accompany the worm on the day, they both took part in the parade. For Chloe, “It was the best day at work ever!”, while Katie describes it as “The weirdest thing that’s happened in my decade and a half at the Royal Ed but in a really good way. It was something for everyone to talk about!”

Katie had a bee in a wheelbarrow and Chloe wore a flower headdress and joined in with the impromptu and unchoreographed flower dance which took place on one of the hospital lawns.

In another wheelbarrow was a giant carrot, which was made by one of the participants in a workshop run by Artlink’s Anne Elliot, who is based at the Glass Houses Creative Hub. Anne describes it as “A beautiful piece of artwork”, and is proud of its creator, who also chose to participate on the walk. The carrot was fed to the worm during one of its stops, with the crowd encouraged to chant, “Feed the worm! Feed the worm!”

Maggie, who pushed the carrot in a wheelbarrow, says, “It was really great making all that noise going through Mackinnon House”, and other participants expressed their enjoyment of being encouraged to be ‘loud’ in this environment. Morven Mulgrew took on the role of conductor and led the crowd in chanting and encouraging the worm’s progress, as it circulated the grounds being fed offerings, leaving birds, bees, and flowers in its wake.

The party atmosphere of the walk was greatly helped by the many musicians who took part in the day. Omar and Mo led the Worm Walk procession, while Music in Hospitals provided musicians for the gatherings before and after the walk. Hospital chaplain Anthony Kramers led a group of volunteers in singing Wild Mountainside by the Trashcan Sinatras as their offering to the worm. He explains, “To make it easier to include each person, the invite to sing the folk song was styled as ‘for everyone who’s a member of the Really Terrible Singing Group - and if you feel that doesn’t apply to you for any reason, then it’s fine to opt out...’”

There truly was a place, a task and a role for everyone during the Worm Walk!

Sam, the Activities Co-ordinator on Eden Ward, supported worm printing sessions run by Anne and Laura which took place on the ward, and she also supported patients to attend the Worm Walk festivities. She describes the impact of the event: “On the day they could find the little section that they contributed to. We were able to take a couple of our ladies up to the Glasshouses for the music before it started. And for those that wanted to be a part of the parade we were able to support that. One of our patients helped carry the worm, which was really nice. She had a fab time, and for those that wanted to just stay at the Glasshouses we had a member of staff stay with them and they were there for the return of the worm. And for the refreshments at the end of course! It was great to see the project come together and be able to identify the parts we had made.”

At the end of the Worm Walk, participants gathered at the Glasshouses for tea and cake, and more music in the sunshine. All in all, an ambitious event which was a great success due to everyone’s input, with even the weather co-operating.

The hospital community shared a joyfully surreal experience, with many established hierarchies being irrelevant in the face of a giant inflatable worm accompanied by a chanting crowd pushing enormous vegetables and insects in wheelbarrows. As Sam put it: “You’re the audience, together. And you’re going along, together, in this state of not really knowing what to expect. Maybe a little bit of apprehension, but those feelings are shared and you experience that, together, so it’s a mutual experience. It’s something that you do together.”

And the last word goes to Maggie:

“You weren’t only putting a smile on other people’s faces, you were putting a smile on yours.”