Launch of £76k canal arts project
A ground-breaking £76K arts project to raise awareness about Shrewsbury’s historic canal has been launched.
The Hive arts charity in Belmont has been awarded a grant of £76,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to run the two-year, intergenerational project Hidden Waterways.
The programme aims to creatively interpret the stories behind the Shrewsbury and Newport Canal using people’s memories, photographs, online databases and community history.
The initiative has been created to bring the communities along the canal together. By encouraging participants to work collectively it is hoped that the scheme will also help to tackle issues of loneliness and generate an improvement in general mental and emotional well-being.
The project is open to everyone in Shropshire to raise awareness of the waterway which officially closed in 1944.
There will be opportunities to take part in creative, hands-on workshops to combine the history of the canal with a range of artforms, and ultimately to create an art trail along the route of the currently unused canal.
Experienced artists will lead the workshops that are scheduled to begin this spring, and will include animation and filmmaking, as well as traditional arts and crafts like ceramics, music, textiles and poetry.
The Hive will run the project with partner organisations – Virtual Shropshire, ArtShack in Uffington, the Shrewsbury and Newport Canals Trust and the Flaxmill Maltings in Ditherington, which lies at the end of the canal route.
Katie Jennings, CEO of The Hive, said: “Hidden Waterways is about bringing people together from across the region to raise awareness about the canal, which was once a lifeline for the county, yet has been unused for many years and is now undergoing regeneration.
“We intend to explore the rich industrial and cultural heritage of the waterway, what it meant for the residents living on the eastern side of the town, and the impact its closure has had on the community.
“By bringing people together to share experiences and work collectively we hope to generate a positive impact on the mental and emotional wellbeing of participants. At The Hive we have been using creativity as a tool to improve mental health and wellbeing through our projects for more than 15 years.
“Research has also shown that there is a strong correlation between proximity to water and increased wellbeing. The Hive is keen to encourage the local community and visitors to get active and spend more time outdoors, especially along the canal through the installation of a ceramics trail and accompanying guide.
“Later this year we will be running an exciting series of workshops that are open to everyone – young and old. This is a truly intergenerational initiative for people to learn new skills, increase understanding of the canal and its colourful history, have fun together and ultimately to leave a creative legacy for future generations to enjoy.”
To register interest in taking part in the project as an individual, school or community group, poeple can contact Olivia Hames, events and projects manager, on olivia@hiveonline.org.uk.
