Stop, Look & Listen to Communities in Peterborough

Peterborough Culture Forum, Session 9

This forum has always been a good mix of artists and community groups, reflecting how the two sectors already work together.  In this 9th session the mike was handed to community leaders to reflect on their experiences over the past 5 months, and to look forward.  The aim was to capture these thoughts to feed into the creative sectors’ planning, design and delivery of projects.

Many thanks to Mohammed Saeed, for Community First, Andrew Palmer, from Cambridge Deaf Associationand Michelle King from Little Miracles, who, as regular partners of Jumped Up, kicked off the session by responding to the questions:

-       How has the pandemic been for you and your organisation?

-       What strengths have you seen in your community?

-       Can you share any moments of joy?

-       What “gifts” does the community need going forward? 

A rich and generous session followed, with additional contributions from a very positive set of participants, and is, as ever, summarised below in what we hope is a digestible way for everyone to use to inform their work and create best practise.

Themes:

-       Partnerships and networks: New working relationships, with taxi firms and corner shops, had their own resources (like DBS checks and supply chains) and the capacity to respond quickly and flexibly, alongside established networks like housing associations and Age Concern. 

Rapid multi-agency working is / was evident across the city, finding solutions to problems – big and small, and across sectors, and breaking down niche behaviour creating fluid, adaptive responses that fitted the needs of the community first (rather than the needs of the organisations.)

People have created some great and unusual relationships, built in crisis but with agendas’ set aside. Explore more thoughts on “Beautiful things happen when different worlds meet.” Culture Reset Podcast

 Always a “Yes” – is a mindset which achieves great things. Slunglow in Holbeck, Leeds would back up this philosopy.

PCVS now has a wide range of forums they are supporting: Digital Inclusion; Mental Health; Food Network; Domestic Abuse & Violence; Financial Inclusion: Women’s Forum. All are welcome to join.

-       Resilience: Individuals often had their own solutions (i.e. they are the experts in their own lives), which came from their life experience, but they would accept support (which could be necessary to keep them safe) if offered – just because people are managing doesn’t mean that they don’t need help.

-       Time, and places, to listen: “People just wanted someone to talk to” – was a universal theme.  If people could talk to the person who dropped off food parcels, or an online network to chat with (at any time of the day or night), or in the social networks that had to go online, they greatly benefited, and pulled together – creating their own solutions.  These conversations don’t happen by accident – they need people or infrastructure to support them.

-       Justice: Organisations were very effective at moving their own programmes online and keeping people engaged with their regular social networks, but would be frustrated when trying to access national provision.  This ranged from inconsistent BSL interpretation of national announcements (see Where Is The Interpreter); communication re the impact of masks in public spaces prolonging isolation post-lockdown for some, especially the D/deaf community; difficulty of accessing delivery slots. It is vital that EVERYONE’S needs are considered in whatever the “new normal” is – and not everyone’s needs are the same, and will need to be addressed differently.

-       Just ask: Big shout out to Joe Wicks for working with CDA to add BSL to his classes!!)

-       Fun: People are hungry to be engaged – to be physically active, to be occupied, to sustain them through shielding.  Arts and culture, in all it’s forms, is a framework which can create a space for much needed fun to be had, whilst also helping with mental and phsycia; health.

Edible London was cited as an inspiring food project which it would be great to recreate in the city.

Don’t Be Hungry This Summer is a food and finance initiative that PCVS is running.

Thanks to everyone who attended, it felt like a really good session and positive feedback from participants included, which we are very grateful for: 

“Just wanted to say how wonderful I thought the session yesterday was. It was so insightful and such fruitful conversations where had! I also appreciated the informality which meant that conversations could be had, exploring topics without such a strict objective.”


There will no session on Bank Holiday Monday, so our next Peterborough Culture Forum will be on Monday 14 September (subject to be confirmed).  If you want some stimulating thoughts I can more than recommend the Postcard From The Future podcasts, particularly this one from Bryony Kimmings where she, 20 minutes in, outlines a cultural vision for Peterborough (love her!!)

Save The Date: Monday 28 September, 4-5pm we will be joined by Pat Carrington, CEO of Peterborough City College Foundation, who are taking over the running of the city’s arts and heritage assets, and will be there to introduce her organisation and connect with the city’s culture sector.

The Zoom link is the same for every forum so if you would like to attend, and everyone is welcome please sign up to to the mailing list HERE or contact Kate via email, including with your suggestions for future sessions.


Attendees for Session 9 included:

Akua Obeng-Frimpong, Arts Development Officer at Cambridge City Council: akua.obeng-frimpong@cambridge.gov.uk

Andrew Palmer - Cambs Deaf Association:   Andrew@cambsdeaf.org 07879 402981

Andy, BugBee Beats: I'm just starting to look into being a support worker and would like to see how I can be a part of the wider community possibly using music production as a tool.

Charley Genever - poet and producer, work for Peterborough Presents and Syntax Poetry Festival also = charleygenever.wordpress.com

Charley Robinson, Programme Manager YMCA Trinity.  Oversight of several of our community projects and I am very keen to work in partnerships with organisations like yourselves to develop provision in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire. charley.robinson@ymcatrinity.org.uk or 07757333356

Di Goldsmith - Director PHACE Local Cultural Education Partnership - UROCK Youth Theatre diane.goldsmith@hotmail.com

Emily Bradfield - Director Arts & Minds and Freelance Arts Consultant emily@artsandminds.org.uk

Femi Olasoko, Near Neighbours, Church of England charity that supports community groups in the city

Fiona Adley: Craft4Smiles C.I.C. -  a crafting community which specialises in paper crafting and mixed media work. We are passionate about sharing our experience of the benefits of crafting for helping to improve and maintain mental wellbeing and are working hard to ensure that more people have the opportunity to share in these activities. fionaadley0419@gmail.com

Helena Del Pino from the Church of the Holy Spirit in Bretton, poet and trustee of Jumped Up.

Jessica Kennedy from Peterborough City Council. Community Connector.

Lauren Kendrick - Communities Development and the Peterborough Food Partnership PCVS, Grower - The Green Backyard, Pop Up Projects, and freelance tutor and artist Kendrick.lauren@gmail.com

Marya Ali, Youth Voice Worker, Peterborough City Council please follow @peterboroughyouthcouncil on Instagram.

Michelle King - Little Miracles michelle@littlemiraclescharity.org.uk

Mohammed Saeed, Vice-Chair of Community First Peterborough, help@communityfirstpeterborough.org.uk or tel: 0798957359

Richie Ross - Theatre Director New Theatre ... Richie.ross@selladoorvenues.com

Ruth Campbell, Metal, Project Manager  - Ruth@metalculture.com

Sarah Haythornthwaite, Metal here: sarah@metalculture.com / www.metalculture.com

Sarah Woodbine - PCVS Communities, Training and Forums Coordinator sarah.woodbine@pcvs.co.uk - 

Steph Peachey, NNF Bridge

Tom Fox - Artistic Director at Lamphouse Theatre - www.lamphousetheatre.co.uk