On 1 –2 March 2025, Yarm Wellness Centre opened their doors to our first mini film festival themed around our connection to the natural world, Tread Softly. 

This year’s festival featured a brilliant line-up documenting everything from slow crafts to cutting edge agricultural techniques including: 

• Fungi Web of Life 
• The Nettle Dress 
• Six Inches of Soil 
• Wilding 

“All the creatives behind these documentaries aren’t just sharing facts – they’re telling stories that spark real conversations” Domnic Somers Co Creative Director of Festival of Thrift 

Tread Softly began with a screening of Fungi Web of Life, a beautiful globe-spanning introduction to some of the strangest organisms ever discovered, narrated by Bjork and presented by biologist Dr Merlin Sheldrake.  

Next, we were delighted to be joined by Catherine Gillie from the North East Fungus Study Group for a fascinating talk and foray into the beautiful world of Fungi, what Fungi are, how they live, reproduce and why they are vitally important to life in and on Earth. Her knowledge and enthusiasm were infectious and really brought to life many of the ideas introduced in the film. 

We also welcomed guests from the Durham Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers who demonstrated with their wooden spinners with different materials. They spoke in depth about their craft, and wore items made from wool they had spun themselves. 

It was the ideal segway into the evening’s screening of The Nettle Dress, a moving documentary following textile artist Allan Brown over years of his life as he painstakingly creates a dress made from woven and dried nettles. The poignancy of turning something natural yet painful into an armour like garment is intensely felt, because he begins this making process as his father and then his wife passes away. A wonderfully gentle end to day one of the festival. 

Day two began with a more scientific feel with Six Inches of Soil, a call to action led by farmers who are radically reimagining their practices in growing food to protect that thin layer of earth that is so important to the health of the planet. A galvanizing film, with the activists behind it continuing their vital work even now. 

“I found the film to be inspirational, emotional and very informative” An attendee of the Six Inches of Soil screening 

Tread Softly ended with a connected screening Wilding, which depicts a couple revitalising their dying farm by reintroducing animals to better support the ecosystem. This finale double bill showed the importance of borrowing from the past and looking to the future when it comes to more sustainable farming practices. 

Thank you to everyone who came along and chatted to us, we hope all our events are the starting point of conversation and connection and we certainly felt that with Tread Softly. 

If you would like to come along to future film screenings or other Festival of Thrift events, please sign up to our newsletter, where you’ll hear about them first.