A Festival of Community, Creativity & Recovery Creative Recovery Programme
• A six month festival from September 2020 – March 2021 • A collection of activities, events, performances and art works taking place across the whole borough of Rotherham • An opportunity to bring people together, safely and at their own pace, rebuilding Rotherham in the wake of COVID19 What is it?
The programme is a means of enabling us to collectively come together to explore and make sense of our shared experience of COVID19. The festival is intended to: • Celebrate the contribution of key workers and volunteers • Create memorials for those who have lost their lives, both private and public • Support health and wellbeing, enabling people to manage their grief, extending clinical support and building on 5 Ways to Wellbeing • Bring communities back together safely, to reconnect and strengthen community cohesion Why are we doing it?
Your Views
Festival of Rotherham: A Celebration of Community, Creativity & Recovery Rhythms of Rotherham: A Festival of Community, Creativity & Recovery Rotherham Together: A Festival of Community, Creativity & Recovery Or something else? What is it called?
The programme is designed to unite the borough and in doing so express disparate and sometimes conflicting emotions that will be felt by individuals and communities at different times as we collectively recover from COVID- 19. By developing festival themes which focus on the emotional response to the recovery we can explore a broad range of cultures, communities, challenges and opportunities under the banner of one festival. Festival Themes
Joy: The ability to make people smile, to lift our collective spirits, this strand of the programme focuses on rebuilding confidence across our communities. It aims to: reduce isolation encouraging our residents to safely venture out again; stay connected with those who continue to shield; celebrate the diversity and creativity of our every day; reintroduce people to their local community with fresh perspectives.
Gratitude: We owe a debt of thanks to so many who worked behind the scenes to keep Rotherham going. Form our dedicated NHS staff to the tireless community volunteers, key workers from supermarket cashiers and park rangers to refuse collectors, petrol attendants and cleaners who put their world on hold so ours could carry on through lockdown. Not forgetting our outstanding Rotherham Heroes who put themselves at risk to deliver food parcels, medicines and provide a voice many of our most vulnerable communities needed to hear.
Hope: To date Rotherham has lost 305 residents to COVID- 19. Fathers, Mothers, Sisters, Brothers, Aunties, Uncles, Friends, Neighbours and Co-workers who were a part of what makes Rotherham special. Contributing to their own corners of the town, our world is a poorer place without them. In speaking to those living with grief, some wanted a place of contemplation to help manage their pain, whereas others wanted an opportunity to remember and celebrate their loved ones. Some people continue to live with COVID-19 and its after-effects and want a place to rest and recover.
Working with partners from across voluntary and community sector organisations, council departments and creative organisations we have developed a series of ideas, events and performances that could be included in this festival. What do you think of these ideas? Do they fit the festival themes? Can you see yourself in them? Would you take part in them? Is there anything missing? We also want to know if you have ideas of your own that you would like to include in the festival. Festival Ideas
JOY: Sparks of Joy Community locations, streets, parks and venues across Rotherham We know that we have vulnerable communities across the borough who may continue to shield for the next few months. These communities found moments of joy in the ‘Clap for Carers’ which gave a brief moment of interaction and shared purpose with neighbours. As many around them return to daily life these moments could be lost without a little intervention. Shining a spot light on the many wonderful talents from across our town and beyond, every Thursday at 8pm we will bring a little spark of joy to streets, avenues, cul-de-sacs and crescents with pop-up surprises from bhangra beats and brass bands to orchestras, operas, hip hop, jazz and pop!
GRATITUDE: Demonstration of Thanks Clifton Park Museum, Clifton Park & All Saints Square Clifton Park Museum will re-open its doors to the public on the 5 th /6 th September having redesigned its galleries to feature new exhibitions, redisplays and a craft space for the community in the heart of the building. Join the team to create your own demonstration of thanks before taking to the streets and marching your creation into the Town Centre before adding it to an outdoor monument of gratitude which will take shape at All Saints Square over the weekend.
HOPE: Fields of Hope Thrybergh Country Park, with local pocket park versions Nestled among nature in the peaceful surroundings of Thrybergh Country a specially commissioned garden will commemorate this unprecedented time in our community, reminding us of resilience, generosity and unity. The garden will offer plant a wild-flower bulb for every person who lost their lives ensure that they continue to bloom each year, alongside spaces for people to sit, relax and restore their health. Trees will be planted in honour of our key workers incorporating playful nature trails, habitats and hideaways.
JOY: No Leotard Necessary Community locations, streets, parks and venues across Rotherham Marking National Fitness Day with a schedule as fun as it is fit, our parks, squares and centres will be full of easy, entertaining exercise to keep you moving. From High Street HIIT classes to dance offs, and a great big Rotherham Relay we’ve got you covered and there’s no leotard necessary – unless you really want to of course!
GRATITUDE: Feed the Feeders TBC, Magna? Wentworth? Gullivers? Rotherham’s Food Banks and Community Hub delivered thousands food parcels during the period of lockdown helping to support some of the most vulnerable families in our communities – work which continues today with those who are shielding. Taking over an iconic Rotherham venue we will work with leading chefs from across the region to create a feast fit for the feeders from food bank produce, giving back to those who gave so much.
HOPE: Women of Hope x WOW Festival Virtually online and in community locations and venues across Rotherham Rotherham will continue its partnership with WOW Global as it builds towards the now postponed UEFA Women’s Euros in 2022. Inviting black women from across Rotherham to interview the women who give them hope, both virtually and in person, as part of Black History Month, we will hear from black women at home and across the world helping to support, nurture and rebuild their communities in the wake of the pandemic.
HOPE: Rotherham Recovery Kit Virtually online and in community locations and venues across Rotherham With a focus on ‘everyday creativity’ this crowd sourced toolkit which builds a shareable resource for mental health based on the shared experiences of communities across Rotherham. Celebrates the resilience of our residents who found their own unique sometimes funny, sometimes reflective ways of coping through lockdown.
What do you think of these ideas? Do they fit the festival themes? Can you see yourself in them? Would you take part in them? Is there anything missing? Initial Thoughts?
Maybe you already have an idea, event or project that fits with the programme? How can we support each other? Are there elements of the programme that you really like and would want to take a lead on organising and delivering? How could you help?
These are the initial thoughts and ideas of a working group made up of diverse organisations from across different sectors. There is space in the festival to support ideas that come directly from communities. You don’t have to know what they are now there will times throughout the festival for people to add their ideas. What would you like to do?
The programme is time limited from September 2020 to March 2021. We’re working through how to fund it and while we might be bale to support some ideas and suggestions there won’t be a lot of money. Ideas need to be realistic, affordable and achievable. However... But...
Rotherham has secured funding from Arts Council England to create an ambitious four year programme of culture, creativity and community. The programme will be developed directly with communities. It is at the very start and the team will spend the first 6-12 months meeting people, finding our what they love and what they want to see in Rotherham. You might have ideas as part of this festival that are bigger or will take longer to achieve. Flux Capacitor could potentially make these ideas happen beyond the festival. Creative People & Places – Flux Capacitor
Leanne.buchan@rotherham.gov.uk Head of Creative Programming & Engagement Chris.Siddall@rotherham.gov.uk Strategic Projects & Partnerships Manager Get in touch
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