. May 2019 - Page 6 of 6 - Wilcop Media

May 2019

Lancashire News

If you’re in the market for handmade jewellery, homewares, one-off items of fashion and affordable art – the National Festival Making is just the place for you. The free two-day event, sponsored by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, is set to return in June and will once again boast its very own Maker’s Market.

Set in King George’s Hall, visitors will be able to snap up everything from custard cream cushions to black pepper candles and ‘rock and roll’ jewellery made from old guitar strings. More than 50 indie traders will be displaying their wares as well as hosting special workshops – including demonstrations on block and screen printing, willow weaving and yupo paper painting.

Lauren Zawadzki, Co-Director of The National Festival of Making, said:
The Maker’s Market is a popular port of call for festival visitors, who come to Blackburn in growing numbers from around the country to search out one-off making experiences as well as something special to take home at the end of the weekend.

There’s an emphasis on bringing specifically handmade products and specialist skills to wider attention, as well as recognising and supporting the spirit and hard work of independent, small businesses and the 2019 line-up is no different. Festival organisers have teamed up with market curators, Hopeful and Glorious to attract many of the UK’s most exciting independent makers to showcase their products over June 15 and 16. Top names include Manchester’s InkFlo Store, Posner and Posner, String Effects, The Mountain and Me, Uzma Padia, Cushii and The Old Man and Magpie.

Heather Chapman-Fox of Hopeful and Glorious, said: The 2019 National Festival of Making Maker’s Market has been one of the most exciting to assemble out of all of the three years to date, with so many high-quality, attention-grabbing artists and designers taking up the opportunity of meeting the festival’s enthusiastic visitors.

It’s a genuine two-way exchange, not only of beautiful, handmade products, but of curiosity, knowledge and conversation between traders and visitors of all ages and backgrounds. More than 40,000 people turned out in 2018 to the Festival with more than 10,000 of those taking part in workshop sessions right across the town centre.

The event, now in its third year, scooped Best Non-Music Festival at the UK Festival Awards as well as Visit Lancashire’s Large Event of the Year.
For more information, visit: FestivalofMaking.co.uk

Lancashire News

Young people from different parts of the borough spent the weekend together on a residential aimed at exploring what they have in common and making plans to work together. Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council’s Young People’s Services organised and delivered the weekend residential which took 18 young men and women to Coldwell Activity Centre near Burnley for a variety of outdoor team-building activities and workshops.

Representing the Council’s Young People’s Service, BRFC Trust, Blackburn Youthzone, IMO and One Voice Blackburn, the young people also took part in youth work curriculum sessions on democracy and workshops exploring identity.

The young people were nominated by their organisations to represent them at the two night residential which had a focus on social integration.
Blackburn with Darwen is one of only five areas nationally that are working closely with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government to explore innovative ways of building stronger communities.
Jayne Ivory, Director of Children’s Services at Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, said:

Blackburn with Darwen has one of the youngest populations in Europe, with one in four people under the age of 15. This presents us with a fantastic opportunity in terms of how we approach the borough’s integration challenges. Coming together as a group and working together, as these young people have begun to do, is a great way to change perceptions and attitudes to people from different backgrounds to our own. It’s heartening to hear these young people say that they started the weekend as strangers, but ended it as friends. I hope they’ll enjoy continuing to work together.

Shannon represented Blackburn Rovers FC Community Trust at the residential weekend. She said: I enjoyed the weekend because it was really good to meet other people that have similar interests, and to also meet people from other organisations and get to know their opinions on what’s going on in Blackburn with Darwen.
Blackburn with Darwen Youth MP Uday Akram took part in the residential.

He said: The weekend really brought us together, different people from different backgrounds, giving their opinions. And we can really see that everyone does want integration to happen. During the residential weekend, young people were tasked with putting forward suggestions for a Great Get Together event for others in their age group. The Great Get Together, a national campaign in memory of murdered Batley & Spen MP Jo Cox, aims to bring people together to celebrate what they have in common. Events this year will be held on the third weekend in June. Working in four groups, the young people came up with a wide variety of ideas. They will now work together to develop their ideas and film a video pitch.

The group with the winning pitch will receive funding from the Our Community, Our Future social integration programme to stage their Great Get Together in the summer.
For more information about Blackburn with Darwen’s Our Community, Our Future social integration programme, watch this short video.
https://vimeo.com/304607951/2cbb52c07b

Lancashire News

The organisers behind the Blackburn Festival of Light are in the running to win £50,000 to launch a brand new project in the town.
They’ve been chosen as part of ‘The People’s Projects’ scheme, a partnership between ITV and the National Lottery, and are competing against groups from across the North West.

The cash would help to fund the new ‘Let it Shine’ The People’s Parade initiative which would run throughout the summer holidays and work with families – ending in a celebratory carnival.

The participants will get to do everything from helping to make costumes to learning performance and musical skills and they even could even feature in the parade itself. Kerris Casey-St.Pierre, who’s helping lead the bid, said: “We have been running the community lantern parade now for seven years.

“In the winter we run workshops making lanterns, teaching dance and performance and we make the costumes – it brings the community together to create something fantastic. “What we really want to do is extend our programme throughout the year.

“A lot of our families struggle, particularly during the summer holidays, and we want to arrange a series of workshops throughout that time.” Kerris added: “We want a big carnival-style procession at the end of August right throughout the town centre. “We want the streets to be full of people and there be dancing, singing and drumming, people on stilts – people generally coming together as a community to have a big celebration.” The group appeared on ITV on Thursday evening with their appeal for votes.

You can watch their video and vote now. https://www.thepeoplesprojects.org.uk/projects/view/let-it-shine-the-peoples-parade?fbclid=IwAR00K-c6MRV6-kXpowywFEpheUuqwkLM_n806aUmleltwF6QzfUVt4q0kzI
Please help spread the message by sharing the Council’s Facebook and Twitter posts supporting the bid.