The Witham Central and Carlton Road Neighbourhood Action Group, a resident-led community group helping to tackle anti-social behaviour and undertaking environmental projects in the centre of Boston, has been awarded £15,000 by the Arts Council and a further £1,500 from the Royal Voluntary Service’s Local People’s Project to undertake the project along the Haven Bank.
The “From the Stump to the Sluice” project will involve the group, working in partnership with Transported, to commission a professional artist to create a series of themed, cast metal finials made from melted down aluminium cans.
The Haven Bank area from St Botolph’s Church.
The project will run for the next nine months with the group giving residents in the area a chance to help by collecting aluminium cans as well as being involved in the design of the artwork through creative workshops.
Mr Jody Raggo, Chairman of the Witham Central and Carlton Road Neighbourhood Action Group, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been awarded this money.
“As the group has already proven, with the transformation of the B&M Walkway and the previous From the Station to the Stump project we were involved in, artwork can help renovate an area enormously. We have a number of residents who live along the Haven Bank on our group and they suggested that we could repeat this success along the bank, helping to transform the environment for the better and subsequently deterring anti-social behaviour.
“We hope by combining both a recycling and an arts project, we can encourage people to not drop litter and recycle their aluminium cans as well as engaging local residents within the arts in a friendly and relaxed environment.”
The group is asking for budding artists between the ages of 13 to 18, to design a logo for the project. The only criteria is that the logo must reflect the key themes of recycling, art and the riverbank. The closing date for entries is Friday, November 4. The winning entry will be decided by a panel comprising members of the Neighbourhood Action Group and Transported and will receive a £50 cash award alongside the winning logo being featured on all the project’s publicity material as well as social media.
Entries can be either posted to Witham Central & Carlton Road Neighbourhood Action Group, 22 Paddock Grove, Boston, Lincolnshire, PE21 8QL or via email to withamandcarlton@gmail.com putting From Stump to the Sluice Logo Competition in the subject line. Please put your name, address, telephone number, email and date of birth with your entry.
To follow the project please go to Facebook page @fromstumptosluice or the Instagram page fromstumptosluice.
