September 09, 2026 - 203 views
Hundreds of colourful butterflies created by care home residents in North Wales have transformed St Asaph Cathedral into a spectacular celebration of music, nature and conservation.
Nearly 500 handmade butterflies produced by arts-loving residents at Pendine Park’s care homes in Wrexham and Caernarfon will feature alongside vibrant mosaic-style artworks during the North Wales International Music Festival.
The rainbow display will line the window recesses on both sides of the cathedral throughout the festival, which runs from 10 to 19 September.
The artwork has been created around this year’s festival theme, Macrocosm, Music and Conservation, exploring the connections between people, wildlife and the natural world through music and art.
The project was supported by Pendine, headline sponsors of the festival through the Pendine Arts and Community Trust (PACT), established by owners Mario Kreft MBE and his wife Gill.
The art sessions were led by Pendine Park consultant artist in residence Sarah Edwards, with support from creative arts consultant Jason Bennion and Pendine’s enrichment activities coordinators.
Sarah said residents had embraced the challenge through a series of creative workshops exploring how everything from insects and seeds to birds, butterflies, flowers, forests and rivers is connected.
The resulting collection, called “Our Circle of Life: Music, Nature, and Connection”, features circular centrepieces surrounded by butterflies and other nature-inspired designs.
There are 440 butterflies – one for every resident across Pendine’s care homes in Wrexham and Caernarfon – with every resident invited to make a contribution.
Sarah said the finished artworks were intended to demonstrate that, just like the natural world, every individual contribution plays an important role in the bigger picture.
One of the centrepieces features a gorilla, linking the artwork to a talk by Pendine owner Mario Kreft called “Mario in the Mist”, taking place at St Asaph Cathedral at 1pm on 18 September.
Mario’s trips to Africa with his wife Gill also inspired Pendine gardening team member and chainsaw artist Paul Morris to create a one-tonne gorilla sculpture from a dead maple tree in the gardens at Pendine Park in Wrexham.
He also created an eight-foot-tall grizzly bear from the trunk of a sycamore tree blown down at the site.
The gorilla will be displayed at St Asaph Parish Church, while the bear will feature in the transept at St Asaph Cathedral.
Another of the circular artworks created by residents features characters from Peter and the Wolf.
Sarah said the artworks provided a snapshot of the festival, with the central scenes surrounded by leaves and butterflies as though visitors were looking through an exotic forest.
Resident Carole Ball, from Bryn Bella care home in Wrexham, said the project had taken time but was something residents could be proud of.
She said: “I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. It’s an achievement we can all be very proud of.”
The festival programme includes concerts, workshops and fringe events, with one of the highlights being the Pendine Young Musician of the Year grand final on 16 September at 7pm.
The competition offers a £2,000 first prize, £1,000 for second place and two £500 runner-up prizes to young musicians born or living in Wales.
Tickets and further information about the North Wales International Music Festival are available from the festival website, as well as Cathedral Frames in St Asaph and Theatr Clwyd.
