Photography Commission: Joanne Coates at Cummersdale Community Woodland
Artist Joanne Coates worked with Raise: Cumbria Community Forest to creatively document and interpret the making of a new woodland in Cummersdale, near Carlisle. Through photography, workshops, and community celebration, Joanne’s work helped centre local voices - including neurodivergent perspectives - in shaping this emerging landscape.
About the Project
In early 2025, Raise commissioned artist Joanne Coates to help capture and celebrate the creation of a community woodland in Cummersdale. This woodland, led by Raise with local partners, is more than just a tree-planting site. It’s a place where people can connect with nature, each other, and their own sense of belonging.
Raise Engagement Associate, John Coburn, was already familiar with Joanne’s background and practice, which frequently provides a lens on shifting landscapes through centring the people who live and work in them. Joanne’s experience as a neurodivergent artist, as well as her personal links to farming culture, closely aligned with Raise’s priorities around inclusive, community-led woodland creation.
In September last year, Joanne contributed her perspectives to a Raise Collective gathering in Cummersdale, helping shape ideas for future engagement. From those conversations, a commission was developed to begin in January 2025.
Joanne’s commission involved creatively documenting the woodland’s development through photography, while also designing and delivering workshops with children from Cummersdale Primary School and autistic adults supported by Team Autism. In total, over 100 people took part in planting and creative activities.
By working with an artist - and especially one whose neurodivergent experiences shape her practice - we were able to explore fresh, sensitive ways to involve the community.
Joanne’s photography did not simply record what happened; it helped include and reveal the feelings, ideas, and hopes of everyone involved.
Among the Trees
Photographic Artwork by Joanne Coates
Click the thumbnails to view the images in full screen.
The mighty Oak, summoning a sense of the past and identity. Ancient guardians and living relics of the past, oaks are needed now more than ever. Trees that will endure long beyond our own lifetimes. From the series Among the Trees. © Joanne Coates, 2025.
The next generation. Raise worked with children from Cummersdale primary to plant trees. From the series Among the Trees. © Joanne Coates, 2025.
Planting. The knowledge of tree planting is passed on and shared at a series of workshops and sessions. From the series Among the Trees. © Joanne Coates, 2025.
Connected. The town and country can feel very different places, trees are needed in both. From the series Among the Trees. © Joanne Coates, 2025.
Winter, Cummersdale. From the series Among the Trees. © Joanne Coates, 2025.
Planting begins, early 2025. From the series Among the Trees. © Joanne Coates, 2025.
Over Carlisle. Around 13% of England is wooded in comparison to its European counterparts at 39%. From the series Among the Trees. © Joanne Coates, 2025.
Planting begins ii, early 2025. From the series Among the Trees. © Joanne Coates, 2025.
Growth. As the seasons change the plants grow, the first leaves appearing. From the series Among the Trees. © Joanne Coates, 2025.
Tree Sequence i. The site in Cummersdale had a history of print works, cotton mills and a modern day history of tyre factories. A through route, the site was a green space, the trees build on this creating a future of food and forest. From the series Among the Trees. © Joanne Coates, 2025.
Surrounding Cummersdale i. Trees bordering the site. From the series Among the Trees. © Joanne Coates, 2025.
Planting begins iii. From the series Among the Trees. © Joanne Coates, 2025.
Surrounding Cummersdale ii. From the series Among the Trees. © Joanne Coates, 2025.
Cummersdale bordering Carlisle is also home to the Pirelli tyre factory. From the series Among the Trees. © Joanne Coates, 2025.
Winter before planting. From the series Among the Trees. © Joanne Coates, 2025.
Winter before planting i. From the series Among the Trees. © Joanne Coates, 2025.
Planting continues. From the series Among the Trees. © Joanne Coates, 2025.
Growth. As the seasons change the plants grow, the first leaves appearing. From the series Among the Trees. © Joanne Coates, 2025.
Winter before planting ii. From the series Among the Trees. © Joanne Coates, 2025.
Winter before planting iii. From the series Among the Trees. © Joanne Coates, 2025.
Growth. The trees will continue to grow, transforming the site. From the series Among the Trees. © Joanne Coates, 2025.
Growth. From the series Among the Trees. © Joanne Coates, 2025.
“Forests show us that difference is vital - every part has a role. Planting trees together may seem small, but it is a quiet rebellion: an act of hope for future communities. As an Autistic artist with ADHD, I find calm in these spaces. Birdsong helps me regulate, light on leaves helps me focus, and I take joy in seeing both nature and people grow side by side.”
Joanne Coates
Planting and Community Workshops
As part of the commission, Joanne ran creative workshops with children at Cummersdale Primary School. These activities supported young people to explore and interpret the land and its future woodland through photography and visual arts. They worked with natural materials foraged from the site, as well as nature-inspired designs drawn from historical printing blocks made by the neighbouring Stead McAlpine printworks. Their work helped spark curiosity and pride in the local environment - encouraging a sense of ownership and care for the woodland as it grows.
Joanne also engaged with autistic adults and other community members to document their experiences and perspectives during the planting process. Together, these activities created a vibrant portrait of how people connect with the land and each other, and how they see its value for future generations.
Click the thumbnails to view the images in fullscreen.
Why We Work with Artists
At Raise, we believe that involving artists in woodland creation is important. Artists bring unique skills in exploring landscapes differently, telling stories, and creating opportunities for a broader range of people to get involved. They can surface hidden perspectives, amplify underrepresented voices, and invite a depth of participation often missing through standard consultation or public engagement.
By working with neurodivergent artists like Joanne, we can design spaces that recognise diverse ways of experiencing the world - and, in doing so, make those spaces more welcoming and accessible for everyone. We don’t only care about neurodivergent people; we care about everyone. But by ensuring our activities are accessible for neurodivergent people, we build a stronger, more inclusive woodland culture for all.
