This project is specifically designed to create a ladder of creative participation, creating new, relevant, accessible & inclusive opportunities for local people to develop artistic skills & confidence & access new creative career & professional skills development opportunities. As an outdoor, celebratory arts event, this project will provide free, accessible & inclusive opportunities for local people to engage in creative play & build community connections. The town centre light art programme, including free workshops, a light art trail & large scale illuminated parade, will enable engagement with the arts by people from a wide range of backgrounds - as shown by Audience Agency research, outdoor arts events reach greater numbers of families, diverse audiences & those less likely to engage with the arts compared to other art forms & platforms.

What we'll deliver:

• Community Outreach - electronic music and drumming
• Community Outreach - making and w'shop prep - creating light art
• Family Drop In sessions - creating light art
• Work Experience - for local budding artists
• Explore Weekend - to develop talented local artists in the field of Light Art

Why it's a great idea:

WinterBloom25 will provide multiple ways in which local people can come together to develop & express their creativity, to create connections with others, to develop their wellbeing & feel pride in their community & where they live. We’ll expand the creative opportunities available to local children & young people, delivering 18 schools workshops, in which they will develop creative & digital skills & work with visual artists, sculptors, performers, digital makers & designers. Families & local people will benefit from 26 inclusive, open access, high quality participatory workshops. They’ll have the opportunity to explore the town & experience it in new ways, through the illuminated window trail (created by 12 local schools) & celebratory light art parade. They’ll see their own artworks on public display. We’ll create new creative career pathways for 8 emerging local artists and 608 employment days for established creative practitioners.

Steps to get it done:

• Notify all project partners of confirmed funding
• Meeting with school & college partners to confirm details of workshop programme
• Regular Steering group meetings with LCEP to oversee children & young peoples’ programme
• Appoint evaluation team
• Develop marketing & audience development plan
• Confirm and book artists, band, event manager, project manager, crew and volunteers
• Develop R & D plan for project team
• Liaise with local authority, confirm licensing and road closures. Draft event management plan
• Confirm parade event details, book infrastructure
• Confirm venue locations for workshops
• Promote, recruit & induct talent development cohort 1
• Design & distribute whimsical window workshop packs to project partners & schools
• Explore Weekends
• Masterclass week for cohort 1
• Participatory Workshops programme with schools & community groups
• Finalise & install whimsical windows artworks
• Whimsical Window Trail, Town Centre events & workshops programme delivered
• WinterBloom 24 Parade

At Colne BID, we have high aspirations for our town including as a creative & cultural destination, & we attract visitors from neighbouring towns, including Earby, Nelson and Barnoldswick, & from our close neighbours in North & West Yorkshire. We work collaboratively with communities, businesses, arts organisations & the local authority to deliver projects which develop pride, attract visitors, & support the town centre to survive & thrive, from business development funding to major town centre events. Celebratory & participatory arts events such as WinterBloom24 are central to this goal. We’ll create new creative career pathways for 8 emerging local artists and 608 employment days for established creative practitioners. The festival events will increase footfall & create opportunities for entrepreneurs & food & drink businesses. The items listed are the items that we will deliver using this funding,