Streets in Action highlights!

I was kindly invited by Graham Wilson, Chief Executive of the National Authority of British Market Authorities (NABMA for short) to speak at their conference in Birmingham last week on 27th Jan. The theme was Streets in Action, and I was able to present a case study of Talking Shop in Lancaster, where we’ve been putting artwork into empty shop windows around the city.

It was a great opportunity to show market and town centre managers what can be achieved when you work in a creative way in town centres, and I spoke alongside Alice Angus, the artist who worked on the project. See the website for more info: http://www.midpenninearts.org.uk/talking-shop-lancaster

I also got to hear from some speakers that I would never otherwise have come across, working as I do in the arts sector. Here are my conference highlights:


Chuggers Watch Out!

Did you know that a ‘chugger’ (short for charity mugger!) can only take three paces towards you, three alongside you, and three following you in their bid to get your attention? Any more than these nine steps and they are contravening the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association ‘Code of Conduct’ that the charities employing them are usually signed up to. So email any complaints about contravening of this rule to nick@pfra.org.uk – apparently he loves a good complaint, as Head of Standards it means he can make sure he is doing his job!


Character Zones

Apparently this is the buzzword taking over from Cultural Quarters, which are close to my heart as many moons ago I wrote my dissertation about them. I like the idea that an area is celebrated for its ‘character’, which can apply to a wider range of contexts.


Ambush Marketing

Staff from the Olympic 2012 team told us about this and their attempts to control it for the games next year. Ambush marketing is basically when people don’t get permission for advertising in public spaces and hijack a building or public space – so for example projecting images on the Houses of Parliament or parking an empty bus covered in advertising behind news reporters at the scene of an event. Sounds like fun, but I can only imagine the mayhem if they didn’t try to control it.


So some very different perspectives for me gained from the day, and I met several useful contacts too. Also got to meet the lovely Nick Owen of ‘Anne and Nick’ breakfast TV fame who was presenting awards, so a minor celeb-spot too, which always makes my day!

Lucy Green,

Talking Shop Project Coordinator

Mid Pennine Arts launches “As it Comes: Talking Shop Lancaster”

Sketch by artist Alice Angus
MID Pennine Arts and the Lancaster District Chamber of Commerce have announced the launch of As It Comes, a new commission by artist Alice Angus working with local independent traders, shopkeepers and marketstall owners to celebrate and highlight the overlooked skills, unseen knowledge and rich history of traders in the community.

As it Comes is part of the Lancaster Talking Shop project, which celebrates independent shops and shopkeepers, through artists, designers, photographers and musicians working with local businesses to document, celebrate and highlight their role in the community. The project will highlight some of the unique aspects of Lancaster’s traders and residents, allowing shoppers and visitors to see the area in a new light. Organisers have undertaken the project as part of broader initiatives to raise the profile of traders and increase visitors to areas of Lancaster that have been adversely affected by the economic climate.

As It Comes continues Alice’s work on markets and shops exploring the communities and community bonds they support. Alice was inspired by the skills, crafts and care of traders she got to know in Lancaster, the history of cotton production and the combination of old and new technologies in the area. The resulting work combines traditional embroidery with drawing and cutting edge digital printing on fabric to produce a new series of large scale works to be shown in New Street in November and December.

Lucy Green, Talking Shop Project Coordinator from Mid Pennine Arts, said: “Working closely with our partners, we’ve developed a project with local roots that brings a fresh perspective to what makes Lancaster such a unique place. Having worked closely with retailers, Alice’s work will fill the shop windows of what is now the last empty retail unit on New Street, encouraging shoppers to look at Lancaster in a new light.”

Alice Angus, said: “At first I was amazed to find that within a five minute walk I could have a wedding dress made by a local designer, pick up some home cured ham, local cheese and vegetables, have a suit made and then go to have my chainsaw sharpened. The range of independent traders and their skills is impressive. I've been overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness of all the people and traders I’ve met in Lancaster. They’ve shared memories and allowed me to see 'behind the scenes' – and draw and photograph them at work! I’ve found a rich heritage of independent trade that people are rightly proud of, something vitally important to support, preserve and build on in the future.”

Mid Pennine Arts is delivering the project in partnership with Lancaster District Chamber of Commerce, Storey Gallery and the History Department of Lancaster University.

Talking Shop in Lancaster

By Lucy Green

Talking Shop engages creative practitioners to work with independent businesses to document, celebrate and highlight their importance as hubs of the local community.


Artist Alice Angus (http://www.proboscis.org.uk/) has been commissioned by Mid Pennine Arts to deliver the next project in the Talking Shop series celebrating independent shops and shopkeepers, this time in Lancaster city centre. The project is being delivered in partnership with Lancaster District Chamber of Commerce, Storey Gallery and the History Department, Lancaster University.


Talking Shop in Lancaster will highlight what makes the area unique in terms of its independent retail offer. It will also encourage shopkeepers, shoppers and city visitors to see the area in a new light, and bring footfall in areas of Lancaster that have been adversely affected by the recent economic problems.


Alice is planning various activities to involve shopkeepers, stallholders and individuals and will spend time in some of the shops and market stalls, talking with traders, observing and recording life in those places. She will also be working with local people, in groups and individually to understand their experience of shopping in the city.

The final artwork will be a series of large scale drawings and illustrations on show in empty shops in the city centre during the autumn, a website with audio recordings and images, and a publication. We’ll be launching the exhibition of artworks in Lancaster with a celebratory community event, so keep an eye out for further details as the project develops.