Artist Jo Wheeler has spent the last few months working in Pinchbeck, Whaplode, Moulton and Cowbit meeting people and hearing about their memories, stories and special locations within their villages. This has led her to create a series of postcards for each village that represent special places as shared by the residents. Copies of these postcards are available for free from the local village shop but with only a limited supply in each village don’t miss out!

Some of the postcard images created were then displayed in A0 frames in the village bus shelters, using an unconventional space to bring art to an everyday activity, waiting for a bus. Thanks to the support from Norfolk Green bus company images were also displayed on buses for people to admire during their journeys. But Jo’s use of bus shelters didn’t stop there.

The second stage of her project, Bus Fayre, involved turning village bus shelters into pop up exhibitions that represented the villages and their histories. These one day exhibitions encapsulated all different elements of the villages from the distinction of the Moulton Windmill to the Cowbit Wash Ice Skating Championship days to name but a few, and most importantly captured the attention of many village residents who were surprised to see such a positive use of a location that often carries a reputation of being a dirty space.

We’d like to thank Jo for all her hard work and dedication to creating a lasting memory for four of the South Holland villages. The project has received a great amount of positive feedback from local people and has hopefully inspired others to bring the arts into their village.

The frames that have been installed in the village bus shelters shall remain a permanent fixture for the villages now with the keys being handed over to the Parish Councils. This spaces can now be used by the community as creative spaces for the villages. What do you think your village can achieve in their frame?