Word on the Street

Our Aims

Word On The Street’s aim is to support communities to deliver cultural activities, performances and events in their local areas. The project empowers residents to forge new connections within their community and work together to use culture to celebrate where they live, nurturing local budding creative talent along the way.

We aim to work at the pace of each community we engage with, supporting them while placing control directly into the hands of local residents to plan activities that reflect their talents, needs, wants and interests.

Working in partnership with BMDC’s Neighbourhood Teams, we strive to build on their Asset-based Community Development Approach (ABCD), which they and local community organisations have been implementing across Keighley. This recognises the many talents, skills and resources that already exist in these communities, and uses the power of culture to celebrate and enhance these.

Word On The Street’s over-arching aim is to embed creativity in each community for the long term, leading to the continuation of creative engagement activities and leaving a cultural legacy long after the initial engagement.

What we do

Each Word On The Street project is as unique as the local community that creates it. We provide support and advice to residents as they plan, co-ordinate and deliver cultural activities in their area, for their area.

Our initial outreach takes the form of door knocking, leaflet dropping, surveys, pop-up engagement stalls, visiting grassroots community groups and spending time in local ‘bumping spaces’ such as shops, popular school run routes to get to know the local community and share how they can take part.

Out of this initial outreach work we support local residents every step of the way as they form residents’ groups or create planning committees, develop ideas for activities, workshops or events and apply for additional funding where needed. We also link them up with local creatives and arts organisations including poets, storytellers, theatre companies and visual artists, developing their cultural influences and aspirations.

Every Word On The Street project is unique. They can be big or small and have so far ranged from street parties to community showcases, collective poems and large street art murals, all led by local residents celebrating their neighbourhood and sharing their communities’ stories.

To date, we have run Word On The Street in the following six hyperlocal areas within Keighley, Bradford:

• Strong Close
• Braithwaite
• Bracken Bank
• Stockbridge
• Lawkholme
• Parkwood

Impact & feedback

• Engages, strengthens and celebrates the creativity of our local communities

“Successful Asset Based Community Development works on the ethos of; ‘why have a meeting when you can have a celebration’. The Word On The Street project is a great opportunity to try out this method in neighbourhoods, uncovering new community connectors and strengthening our communities.”
– Jonathan Hayes, Keighley Area Coordinator, Neighbourhood & Community Services, Bradford Metropolitan District Council

“I found the history performance and workshop really fascinating. It was great to try something new.”
– Local Resident, Strong Close

“It has been a great day and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing everyone having fun. It was fab to see so many turn out for the event too! We’re already looking forward to the next one”
– Local Resident, Strong Close

“I didn’t know the centre was here before now but it’s great to know that things like this are happening right near where we live so I would definitely come back to more things like this”
– Nicola, local volunteer, Braithwaite

“I had a wonderful time. It was actually a lot better than I thought it was going to be. I didn’t expect the performances to be as good as they were but the dancers and the theatre group were all excellent. The young people round here are just wonderful. I hope to be able to do something else […] even if it’s behind the scenes”
– Participant, Bracken Bank

“It goes to show what you can do when you all work together. A lot of people don’t realise all the great stuff that people do who live round here so it’s been nice to show that off for once.”
– Craft group member, Braithwaite

“I’ve really enjoyed being part of it. It was something different and we got to show off what we’ve achieved to people. I hope you can come back and do more soon.”
– Participant, One in a Million, Bracken Bank

The Sue Belcher Centre was nominated for a community award as a result of Word On The Street in Bracken Bank.

• Empowers local residents with the creative knowledge, tools and language to produce their own cultural activities – now and in the future

“This has been a refreshing and pioneering way of working […].  It’s been so great to see new ways of connecting with residents and reaching out to the ‘less connected’.  This has resulted in new ideas and new methods of delivering work with residents, especially those who may not have previously been involved in community projects.  It has put them to the forefront and provided them with a platform to feel valued and able to contribute.”
– Sally Teasdale, Assistant Ward Officer, Bracken Bank

“Taking this approach [and] moving out into street level, allowed the community to lead on the events and activities themselves. They were able to design activity that meant something to them and celebrated their area. The ethos behind this is to establish longevity and skills within the community to decrease dependency on outside influences and agencies. They are empowered to do things for themselves, increasing community confidence and pride of place. It challenged preconceptions of what cultural activity is and where is should and does take place”.
– Dan Palmer, Ward Officer Keighley Central & Heritage Parks Officer, Bradford Metropolitan District Council

“It was great to see a strong sense of community in the planning group. They came up with lots of creative ideas and were happy to support each other to achieve them. They identified each other’s strengths and what they each could contribute and then helped each other to do these. The group acted as a bridge to other people in the community and were able to spread the word of the event through their networks which led to a good turn out. Afterwards, they commented that the event had brought a lot of new faces to the centre which they hope will return for other events… This was a new way of working that proved that taking a step back and letting the community take ownership can create a valuable experience they’re proud of rather than it being us doing something to or for them”
– Anna Olczyk, Neighbourhood Warden, Braithwaite

“Bringing this creative opportunity to the residents of Strong close has really inspired their imagination and empowered them to work together to create something fun and valuable for their street. A couple of residents have been trying to get other people on board to develop ideas for activities with my support for about 8 months but this was proving difficult. The Word On The Street project was the catalyst they needed; by simply encouraging residents to celebrate their area it brought more people together than we have previously managed to do. This also meant they were able to access Big Local money to make the event even bigger. Off the back of this, I am in the process of linking up the group to CABAD so they can become a constituted residents committee as well as a forming a Neighbourhood watch. This is a direct result of the Word on the Street project. It has also helped form a valuable link to the Bus Museum who have offered the space for future resident meetings and activities. We look forward to supporting the residents’ other creative ideas going forward”.
– Shafiq Ahmed, Assistant Ward Officer, Bradford MDC – on Strong Close