Green Light was one of Start Thurrock’s first taster programmes and it gave people in our communities a chance to try something new. Co-designed and shaped by residents, Green Light catered to all ages, from school children and teenagers, to families. Whether they were absolute beginners or seasoned pros, they could express their opinions, explore their ideas and learn new skills in a welcoming and supportive atmosphere.
Creative People and Places encapsulates developing ideas in collaboration with the people who’ll experience them, so our approach involves regular dialogue with those who have an interest in supporting and championing our region. Our delivery team spent almost a year making connections, popping up at community events and encouraging residents to share what’s important to their postcode, putting pebbles into pots to vote on the type of creative activity they’d like to see, and listening to their priorities. We also carried out genuine consultations and hosted Kick-Starter sessions in our priority places where community members could find out more about our work and how they could help. Plus, deeper conversations were had about what might work in their areas with over 70 residents taking part. Quite often the feedback wasn’t specifically about the art forms people wanted to see – sometimes they might tell us what was important to them, for example, ‘Something not too far from us and accessible’, ‘Something to keep my kids entertained’ or ‘A warm place to meet people’ and we designed the programme around that.
This was the first time many residents had attended an event like this and it’s just the beginning, so watch this space.
Over the course of two weeks, Green Light supported 14 artists to deliver 12 different artforms, and 28 events across 12 venues. Workshops included puppetry, sign making, musical theatre shows, drama productions, lantern making, a silk batik session where patterns were painted onto beautiful silk, and zine making where participants could create their own mini publication. There was even a masterclass in smartphone portrait photography and ‘talkaoke’, where residents could join a live, interactive talk show and steer the conversation in an engaging direction. Each discussion was a journey into the unexpected, offering moments that were topical, humorous, profound or surreal. The programme also boasted talented Thurrock-based artists who were given a platform to inspire others and showcase their skills.
We were delighted we had an 80% booking rate with almost 600 people attending. We also had 90 walk-ins and 160 people signed up for our newsletter. Heartwarming indeed considering we’re a new organisation and not many residents had heard of us initially.
The taster sessions were given resounding approval and it was brilliant to see them get the go ahead from residents. One resident said, “I got to know my area more, learn new skills, visit venues I’d never been to, meet members of my community, and experience all of this with my kids.”
