North Pennines AONB team starts pilot arts projects in Cumbria

Six, artist-led, community arts pilot projects have been commissioned for the Fellfoot Forward Landscape Partnership Scheme’s (LPS) Community Arts project. Inspired by a ‘Fellfoot Tapestry’ theme, the six projects will see artists work together with local community audiences, including families, farmers, young people, the women’s institute, walking groups, local historians, and people from across wide age groups, to deliver their activity.

Led by the North Pennines AONB Partnership and funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Fellfoot Forward LPS is a major project to conserve, enhance and celebrate the natural and cultural heritage of a special part of the North West of England, which stretches from the Cumbrian fellside of the North Pennines AONB and UNESCO Global Geopark to the River Eden, and runs north from Melmerby to Hallbankgate.

Fiona Knox, Fellfoot Forward Scheme Manager, said: “We have been blow away by the response of local artists to create such diverse and fantastic opportunities for the community to discover and re-discover their connections with place, landscape, and heritage, and to share their stories and thoughts for the future in creative, immediate and bold ways.”

The pilot projects selected are:

‘Nana Bainbridge’s Pockets – Pull Outs and Hiding Places’ by The Clifford Movement which will centre on Melmerby and the surrounding villages. Involving a series of events that will enable participants to explore heritage that resonates with them, find their inner artist, and share common experiences, the process will begin to build a community archive of written histories and ephemera.

‘Improvising the landscape’ by BlueJam Arts will create opportunities for people of all ages from across the Fellfoot area to perform a musical improvisation in response to a specific location. BlueJam Arts hope that people who don’t normally play instruments or sing will take part as well as local musicians of every hue.

‘Discovering the landscape through drawing’ by Lionel Playford will trial an idea that engages family groups of children, parents, and grandparents from Renwick village to explore and appreciate the beauty of nature in their local riparian landscape using outdoor drawing and indoor art making.

‘Green to gold – aspects of autumn’ by Alex Jakob-Whitworth will involve making some ‘Ogilby’ maps (scroll map images in the style of James Ogilby), using the techniques of drawing, painting, textiles, simple, printmaking and some small crafted pieces. Inspired by autumnal changes, this project will engage with walking and WI groups, schools, and families.

‘Listening as a device’ by John Coburn and Tim Shaw works with sound and the act of listening as a device to build empathy and connectedness. Aimed at underserved young people in the Little Salkeld area, their practice supports the learning of new skills.

‘Fellfoot Tapestry – the people and place’ by Simon Whalley aims to engage local photographers, teenagers, and people from the farming community from across the Fellfoot Forward LPS area to produce both a physical and a virtual photographic and film exhibition. A physical exhibition will be displayed at a venue within the scheme area as well as online.

Sam Tranter, Fellfoot Forward Community Engagement Office, said “This is a great opportunity for people to join in and do something inspiring and fun. I know the artists are itching to put their proposals into practice in the coming months. We plan to share their and the audience’s experiences and final pieces widely through the scheme area and beyond, and the arts projects will be tracked on our website, Facebook group and newsletter.”

ENDS

Notes for editors

About The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Using money raised by the National Lottery, we Inspire, lead and resource the UK’s heritage to create positive and lasting change for people and communities, now and in the future. www.heritagefund.org.uk. Since The National Lottery began in 1994, National Lottery players have raised over £43 billion for projects and more than 635,000 grants have been awarded across the UK. More than £30 million raised each week goes to good causes across the UK.

Fellfoot Forward Landscape Partnership Scheme – Led by the North Pennines AONB Partnership, the Fellfoot Forward LPS is a major project to conserve, enhance and celebrate the natural and cultural heritage of a special part of the North West of England, which stretches from the Cumbrian fellside of the North Pennines AONB and UNESCO Global Geopark to the River Eden, and runs north from Melmerby to Hallbankgate. Fellfoot Forward will bring together management and restoration of habitats, such as woodland, peatland and grasslands, with community archaeology, conservation of historic buildings, community arts and education, and is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. For more information about the Fellfoot Forward Landscape Partnership scheme visit https://northpennines.org.uk/what_we_do/fellfoot-forward/

For media enquiries about the Fellfoot Forward LPS contact Kate Stacey at North Pennines AONB Partnership – katestacey@northpenninesaonb.org.uk, Phone: 07970020648