To give you an idea of what we can deliver, we’ve provided a few examples of previous projects. The images bring back some great memories of the people we worked with and the successful projects delivered.
Each journey has not been without its challenges, but we overcame them by working out solutions together, making the success all the sweeter.
We hope you too can feel some of the warmth, enthusiasm and positivity from the images provided. There’s a special kind of magic that happens when people work together to make positive change happen.
I don’t think I can sum it up any better, than Susan who was a participants involved in the Kirkham with Love, cultural programme, who said,
“You think you’re ordinary, but when you share your memories, your stories, when you put them all together, they stop being ordinary they become something else, something extraordinary and something special.”
The connections and the friendships made, the lives enriched and the aspirations developed, are just as important as the physical outcomes realised that improve the places we inhabit.
We didn’t achieve all of this alone, so we’d like to acknowledge and give thanks to all the people, communities, partner organisations, fantastic volunteers, amazing artists and creative professionals who were involved.
We couldn’t have done any of it without you!
Enjoy!
Helen, Mike and Ruth
Kirkham Heritage Inspired Street & Lantern Festival
A spectacular festival of lanterns for the whole town of Kirkham to enjoy.
Specialist workshops provided opportunities for individuals to explore and celebrate local heritage, whilst designing and creating amazing lanterns. The engagement programme took place across a year, with targeted activities to promote inclusion, along with open workshops, including holiday activities for families to enjoy.
K For Kirkham Mural
The creation of a long term legacy in the form of the K for Kirkham mural.
The mural was co-designed through a high-quality community engagement programme, that resulted in a creative brief. The procurement process included representation from local businesses, the community and key partners to secure creative professionals who would deliver a high-quality contemporary artwork that would animate the high street.
Once Upon A Town – Ormskirk
The Development of a Virtual Museum for Ormskirk.
This project was facilitated during the pandemic and included the development of a Virtual Museum for Ormskirk- a place where individuals could access the towns unique history by visiting different rooms and exploring their content. Exhibitions Included Ormskirk’s Community Partnership Town Centre Trail. Content provided by Ormskirk and District Family Heritage Society. Exhibitions by Skelmersdale College students and Ormskirk school children, focusing on their unique experience of covid.
Peep Into The Past
Positive Placemakers CIC were commissioned to to deliver the Kirkham Pilot High Street Heritage Action Zone Project.
The aim was to raise awareness and deliver a high-quality cultural programme that would celebrate local heritage, build capacity and connect a community, while also animating the high street. The overarching aim was to create a better sense of place and ownership of the public realm, while delivering health and wellbeing opportunities.
Medieval Illuminated K For Kirkham
This project was planned to raise awareness of local heritage and promote pride of place, as well as attracting visitors to the high street.
The K was inspired by medieval illuminated letters, which are highly decorative. The wider community and pupils from local schools were invited to illustrate Kirkham’s heritage using a letter K during a programme of workshops facilitated by artist Maxine Lee Mackie. The K was then incorporated into a project celebrating the high street at Christmas.
Kirkham With Love
A programme co-designed and created with the local community, resulting in the delivery of high-quality engagement activities,.
Activities included pop up events in local cafes, supporting the collection of memories and stories. Personal accounts were woven together with aspects of local heritage to create Kirkham’s Lancashire Folk Tale, “ The Bride of Kirkham,
This was supported by the creation of 12 bite size animations celebrating important aspects of Kirkham’s unique heritage. They were created by pupils from local school children, working with artists Izzie Major and Craig Sinclair.
Voices – Oral Histories & Nostalgia
Positive Placemakers CIC were commssioned by Helen Shearn to deliver this project as part of Kirkham and Historic England’s Heritage Action Zone project, Kirkham Futures.
Positive Placemakers worked with Kirkham Local Library and a number of volunteers to deliver a series of high quality nostalgic events and to collect oral histories across a range of themes. The project brought alive the characters, the places and ways of life, long since past.
The Romans Are Back In Kirkham Community Archaeology
The programme focused on the previous existence of Kirkham’s Roman Fort and built on previous archaeological work, offering the community an opportunity to participate in archaeological digs on the area once thought to be a Roman Fort.
IThe project included the development of an existing local archive, a Kirkham focused Roman themed exhibition with interactive activities for both schools and the wider community, a heritage focussed social prescribing programme and a schools education programme.
Additionally the project delivered high street heritage inspired activity trails and the creation of health and wellbeing and cultural volunteering opportunities.
Kirkham Thriller – A Heritage Inspired Spooky Programme
This project formed part of Kirkham’s Historic England HAZ Cultural Programme and focused on raising awareness of Kirkham’s rich heritage through the creation of a performance. Focusing on the idea that Kirkham’s ghosts, would include Roman Soldiers, Mill Workers, Weavers, Mill owners, Maids and WW2 Soldiers, RAF officers. Positive Placemakers CIC worked in partnership with Kirkham Euphoria Dance and Wellbeing Studio, and members of the community and Kirkham Cultural Consortium.