Young people use art to tell story of Rochdale Canal
Eleven young people from youth charity, Fairbridge North Manchester have been working with Waterways Action Squad, British Waterways and Rochdale Council to create a special exhibition of artwork based on the heritage of the Rochdale Canal.
The exhibition at Littleborough Coach House is open to members of the public until Friday 4th June (Monday – Friday 1:30pm-4pm, Saturday 11am-4pm). To create the exhibition, the young people aged 14 to 22 years researched the Rochdale Canal, took a boat trip along the waterway and visited the National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port to learn more about the history and heritage of canals. Working with artists Paul Pickford and Brian Raymond, the group then created a series of artworks based on their experiences of the waterway. The artworks have also been used to influence the design of a permanent piece of artwork that will be installed alongside the Rochdale Canal in Littleborough in June. Lucy Rogers, Development Manager for The Waterways Trust, explained: “We want the local community, especially young people to get more involved with the Rochdale Canal and we are using a diverse range of projects such as this to encourage people to learn about the waterway, develop new skills and interests and improve their community. “The art work created, the exhibition and subsequent permanent installation will help to build awareness of the canal as a valuable piece of local heritage whilst also enhancing the appearance of the canal and encourage more young people to get involved with our waterways.” Shahid, one of the creative young people who’s artwork is on show in the gallery, said, ‘Creating the artwork was hard, especially the pottery, but I really enjoyed the group work throughout the project. Before Building Bridges I had never walked down a canal before and never really seen one. I like canals now and look forward to walking down it to go and see the artwork that will be fixed there permanently.’ Ben Ryan, from Fairbridge said, ‘This project was perfect for young people who come to Fairbridge. They’ve learned about the canals and the significance they had in the past. They were given the opportunity to really learn in an interactive and enjoyable way, developing not only their knowledge of the canal but also their communication, teamwork and creativity. Fairbridge is all about developing personal and social skills to equip young people to make positive life decisions and Building Bridges fitted perfectly with the essence of the work we do.’ The project was funded through the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Young Roots Fund.
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