Project Information

Find out more about ground-UP and follow the progress of the project on its dedicated website and Facebook page

ground-UP

Old map of South West Burnley

Communities set to get creative to tell the story of South West Burnley

Residents and communities in South West Burnley have embarked on an exciting creative community project called ground-UP to create a unique artistic ‘legacy’ for their community, which will tell the story of the area and the changes it has seen over the years.

The project is organised by Burnley Borough Council's Cultural Development Team and will focus on South West Burnley which is undergoing many changes with regeneration projects transforming the area. New modern homes are springing up, new businesses have moved in, and one of Burnley’s most successful businesses, Moorhouses Brewery, has built a new £3.5 million pound brewery and visitor centre at the heart of the community, and the ground-UP project aims to capture the past, present and future and in particular the pride of residents in the area.

The project has been named ground-UP as all decisions will be made from the ground up with the support of the three lead Creative Collaborators:

  • Burnley artist Iain Broadley;
  • Pennine Lancashire based artist Cath Ford;
  • and MPA's, Burnley born and bred, Creative Learning Programme Manager, Dr Stephanie Hawke, who will bring an academic ethnographic element to the project.

 

The Creative Collaborators will assist the communities to become commissioners of the projects they would like to see to celebrate the uniqueness of their area.

Parts of South West Burnley have changed over recent years due to some site clearances, many families have moved away and new residents have moved in, but still there are a plethora of ‘stories’ and local anecdotes, views and opinions that need to be captured and documented before any more change happens. There has been and continue to be some extremely successful community projects that take place in the area, the project will aim build on their successes and learn from what has proved to be successful in the past.

 

 

Burnley BC's coordinator for the project, Cultural Regeneration Officer, James Moran-Zietek, said:  “There are no pre-determined outcomes so we don’t know what form the ‘art’ will take. Other similar projects have created social enterprise photography projects, online community TV channels and high quality publications. The outcome could take the form of a movie, an online archive of recordings, radio programmes; there are a variety of ways they could choose to tell the story. It’s exciting wondering what way the community will chose to tell the story of South West Burnley and I’m looking forward to their chosen interpretation.”