This is Nelson is about the people who live and work in Nelson.
It is about finding and showing common ground and reflecting lived experiences of being part of the town. It presents individual hopes and a collective imagination for the future.
During and between COVID-19 lockdowns, we brought artists, Nelson residents and businesses into conversation around the future of the town* as part of the development of Nelson’s Town Deal bid.
Working alongside Building Bridges Pendle, artists and local practitioners found collaborative ways to bring the community into a dialogue to ensure residents were fairly heard and represented in the proposal development, encouraging awareness and participation to support the transparency and visibility of the process.
This is Nelson Hub
We opened a drop-in community hub in the empty shop space beneath the Building Bridges Pendle offices, in the main shopping precinct in Nelson. Artist Emma Colbert created the designs for the space to open up some of the proposal themes to passers-by. It was a place for residents to gather information and contribute thinking and ideas. With the imposition of the November lockdown, the space was temporarily closed but remains ready for future stages in the process.
Talkaoke with The People Speak
We hosted two Digital Talking Society events on the Nelson Town Deal themes. Around the online Talkaoke table were Nelson residents, young people and business owners who exchanged and explored views together on the future of the town.
Craig Easton // A Week in Nelson
We commissioned photographer Craig Easton to create a series of portraits that reflected daily town centre life in Nelson. Due to Covid-19 restrictions and limited indoor access, this became a series of portraits of shop owners and local workplaces. Click here to see 'A Week in Nelson'.
Nelson Bingo!
Artist Sophie Mahon and community practitioner Zoya Bhatti devised a game of Bingo! to play with students at Nelson and Colne College. Through five online bingo sessions, 60 students shared their views and priorities for the town, how they would develop it and how they feel about their current environments and facilities.
Nelson Town Deal
Nelson has been chosen by the Government to bid for up to £25 million to invest in the town. This money must be used to make lasting changes that will help to make Nelson a better and more prosperous place to live, to work, to study and to visit over the next 15-20 years.
Nelson Town Deal Board, which has been established to develop a plan for how this funding could be spent.The Board want to make sure that the plan is shaped and supported by local residents, businesses and other key stakeholders. In-Situ is involved to deliver this part of the process.
In-Situ is receiving funding to facilitate community engagement in the proposal writing stage, and to ensure community engagement and ownership throughout the process. In the role on the Board, In-Situ will also help shape the community and cultural offer for the town by acting on the views collected in the consultation. As part of this process, we have already engaged in three projects with artists and communities. This work has taken place under COVID-19 restrictions throughout 2020 and early 2021. This is Nelson will continue to develop in 2021.
