Inspiring art installation being brought to life with Young Cumbria
Young Cumbria are teaming up with BEC to bring a lively street art installation celebrating Whitehaven’s marine history to the old bus depot site.
A street art installation that celebrates Whitehaven’s maritime history will be developed this week in the first of a series of projects that give local creatives and artists the chance to display work for free around the development sites along the harbour.
Located on the site of the old bus depot, the installation is designed to improve the overall look and feel of the area as it begins a major transition.
The harbour scheme is being brought forward by BEC, with the help of partners including Copeland Borough Council and Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners.
Current plans will see the delivery of hotel, food and beverage, mixed-use office, start-up and innovator space and much needed car-parking.
Further road upgrades are ongoing in partnership with Cumbria County Council. BEC aims for Whitehaven’s harbour front to become a beacon for sustainable development as it strives to be net zero carbon.
The art installation is being steered by BEC’s Energy & Community Officer Adam Philip-Phillips, a keen artist himself who will be happily mucking in with the painting teams: “Developments like this take years to bring to fruition and during the development years we want to make the area a more pleasant place to be.”
Positive street art is not a new thing, but it is seeing a rise in popularity as developers want to bring more life into their structures while creating fun opportunities for local youngsters to volunteer.
“The rise of planned street art offers great opportunities for young people to be actively engaged with their communities,” commented BEC’s CEO Michael Pemberton.
“Organisations like the Colourful North and Art Shape are bringing this into the fore of public consciousness and we were keen to support Young Cumbria in their ambitions to develop something at North Shore.”
The installation will also be supported by Stobbarts, who are donating paint and materials.
Lynsey Crosthwaite, Director of Services at Young Cumbria commented: “Young Cumbria is excited to be leading this project which will enable local young people to make a positive contribution to their community. We have undertaken many street art projects over the past few years, this is however, our largest project to date and we look forward to further projects.
“We have found the appeal of street art to be an excellent way to engage young people which not only helps them to learn new skills but also enables them to invest back into their community. We thank BEC for giving us and the local young people this amazing opportunity to showcase their work and Stobbarts for providing some of our materials. We are excited for the new possibilities the future may hold for local young people,”
“The initiative offers space to local creative organisations or artists to display work for free,” added Adam. “Through our website and hub we have invited applications for this scheme – from poets to photographers – and I am excited to see the first installation coming to life this week. Such initiatives bring the community right into the heart of the development, which is a key aim for BEC.”
Young Cumbria’s primary focus is to provide relevant and timely support to young people who are at risk and live within the most disadvantaged communities in the county. Young Cumbria is also an umbrella organisation that provides guidance, information and development support services to youth clubs, projects and groups.