To attempt to add a little more to the discussion, I found this on the organisers website...
HYNDBURN ACTIVITY | Creativity Works
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"Flash Mobbing Accy
In Phase 3 there will be a Flash Mob Dance, co-ordinated by Cassandra Webster from ReAct Academy. The flash mob will be held at various locations around Accrington town centre on 20th November. Anyone can join in on the day by dancing on the street!
Victorian Swimming Gala on the streets of Accrington
The final event for Accrington is a Victorian Swimming Gala on Broadway on the 27th November. Accrington and Rossendale College are working in partnership with MarkMark Productions to produce a piece of street theatre which will amuse and surprise passers by as they see people 'swimming' up the main street in Victorian costume."
"Inspired by the TO LET signs outside empty shops, Creativity Works wants to provide local Creative industries opportunities locally to develop, explore and celebrate their creativity and innovation
The project will be delivered under three strands across Pennine Lancashire authorities:
* Branding – A joint promotional campaign
* Business Development – using empty shops to promote creative industries
* Engagement – town centre, events activities and installations.
Collectively this project will raise the region’s cultural ambition, a key objective of the Creativity Works executive."
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I have to say, that I fail utterly to see how any of this expensive, vacuous drivel will raise anyone's 'cultural ambitions'. It reeks of that good old Imperial Roman standby; bread and circuses
We all know that the only way Accrington is going to drag itself out of the post industrial wasteland is by work and work focussed education. We need a council that is less dazzled by feasibility studies, consultancies and diversity outreach and more focussed on fostering and attracting manufacturing businesses, you know, companies that actually produce a product that we can sell at home and more importantly abroad.
Until that happens, all this 'community arts' malarky is merely rearanging the deckchairs on the Titanic.
I also think that it is high time that the vast majority of these 'Arts' chancers were denied the public teat to which they have become so firmly attached and forced to go out and find a proper job.