Remembering how working with Granby residents began.
During 2011 I started working with the residents of Granby in Liverpool. I was passionate about doing all I could to help them work out what kinds of things they wanted for their beloved place - and we were already seeing things begin to happen.
So in early May 2011 I began working with all of the people either living in or committed to Granby 4 Streets, one of Liverpool's most distressed neighbourhoods, where the majority of the houses are empty and bricked up. And have been for decades. I thought it was a disgrace to the city of Liverpool. Here's the first film about how our work together began. Taking the anger and frustration of the past, and using that energy to begin exploring creative possibilities for a different kind of future:
The first Granby film
All through summer 2011 we ran a series of public events, and the community ran their monthly street markets, which are about buying and selling but also attracting people into the area and talking to them about possibly coming back to live there. The markets are about to start again, for spring and summer 2012 - on the last Saturday of every month. You can keep up to date with them on their Facebook page. Here's a short film about the street markets:
An early Street Market advert
We’ve had good local press coverage on Radio Merseyside. Been in the Liverpool Echo and Daily Post, also we were all filmed for Channel Four’s series about Empty Homes in the UK, shown in December 2011.
As of April 2012 I am still passionately involved. Working with current residents and people who want to live in a place where 70 of the houses are lived in, but 129 are bricked up and have been for ages. I love working with the people of Granby as they are so tenacious and opinionated.
A 2012 Street Market film, energy visibly gathering.
“Never Give Up.” Like it said on the wall at the end of Cairns Street in those days. We didn’t.