Polesworth’s young people and families shared a glimpse into their day-to-day experiences as part of a unique creative collaboration inspired by the You Belong Here installation at Abbey Green Park.
As part of Warwickshire County Council’s recent Our Spaces project that’s been bringing art into town centres, You Belong Here was designed to inspire people to come into their town to meet, rest and appreciate the location.
Following on from that and drawing on the local pride, two poems, which have been made up of the words of 300 members of the public, gathered in the winter of 2022, has been turned into a piece of poetry and unveiled in a unique installation in two key locations in Polesworth.
The Young Poet Laureate for Warwickshire, Emily Hunt, spent time with local people to work with the community for whom the poems would be written and help them to shape their thoughts and ideas.
The poems gathered a series of words relating to place, family and belonging using a creative pop-up space dressed as a home setting in Polesworth Library and Birchwood Primary School. These poems can now be added to the existing Polesworth Poets Trail.
Mark Ryder, Strategic Director for Communities at Warwickshire County Council said: “The Our Spaces project has demonstrated that people feel a real sense of pride in their local area and projects like this contribute greatly to the positivity that sense of place generates.
“One of the great things about this project is that the memories that have been shared are recent, which has made it available to all generations, at a time when intergenerational collaboration has been reduced.
“It’s been great to see people of all ages contribute and have their thoughts recorded in the form of words and poems.”
Hosted by both Polesworth Library and Birchwood Primary School, using upcycled household furniture items, the project offered a relaxed and creative space which captured the interest of children and families.
The project was designed and curated by the artist Edie Jo Murray and facilitated by Ruby Road who invited members of the public to share a space of comfort and belonging.
Further stages of the project will enable the poems to be shared locally in the library and will continue supporting Birchwood Primary School in their literacy curriculum.
Click here to read the poems: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/spaces/polesworth-belong-additional-information.