Hundreds of young people came together with professional street artists in
a young person-led community project to revamp the previously
graffiti-ridden skate park in Penrith.
Within hours of it reopening the skate park has already become much busier with people skating, biking and scooting, and neighbours are already reporting an increase in positive behaviour.
Previously the area had become an anti-social behaviour hotspot, with obscene graffiti, arson and fires, litter and fly-tipping, assaults, drug and alcohol use and poor behaviour.
The Penrith Street Art Project set out to directly involve local young people in the design and painting of this street art project to give skatepark users a sense of pride and ownership of the facility, whilst also vastly improving its appearance and appeal.
The £8,000 project was entirely funded from grant applications and donations. An engagement week was held in the spring with around 400 young people getting involved with street art workshops, providing lessons on Street Art, encouraging the sharing of ideas and allowed the opportunity for young people to decorate an empty spray can with their own street art.
The Street Artists, Dave and Lily of DVision Art, also provided lessons on spray painting, which was supported by youth work practitioners The Outside Club.
Using the designs produced by the young people within the engagement week, the project’s Street Artists and the group stakeholders then developed draft designs for the main community painting event which took place over the first three days of the school summer holidays.
Starting with the youngest children, aged 7-10 on Saturday 16th July, they painted the bigger shapes, background filling and simpler designs. On the Sunday, 10-13 year olds came in to tackle more complex designs and build on the previous day’s work. Finally on Monday 20th, it was the turn of the 13+ young people – plus some of the more able younger children – to continue to layer up the designs with the most complex artwork and detailed painting. Finally, there were three days for the professional street artists, Dave and Lily of DVision Art, working with invited young people who’d attended the earlier days, to complete the project.
Rich Scoffham, the Eden Local Focus Hub Manager at Westmorland and Furness Council who created and led the project said: “The idea for this project originated from the previous pop-up pump track events I had run in Penrith, during which I was inundated by positive messages about Penrith’s young people, including how they had displayed a real sense of pride of the pop-up track, whilst being very supportive and inclusive. I wanted to look for something similar that could be done with Penrith Skate Park, somewhere which has previously been an Anti-Social Behaviour hotspot. From discussions with Eden Valley Artistic Network, the idea of Penrith Street Art Project was born.
“Whilst my own painting is “very mediocre” when compared to the talent shown by some of the young peoples involved, it has been an absolutely pleasure to have brought this project from a simple idea, though the process of funding, running the community engagement and design week and then participating and completing in the painting of the park.
”A heartfelt thank you to our funders, David Allen and the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Westmorland and Furness Council, Penrith Place Action Group and a donation from Cumbria Police Cadets (who also participated in every stage of the project).
“Additional thanks to JT Aktinson Builders Merchant, who, having visited the painting event, donated exterior boards and paint. These have now been erected at the skate park so young people who feel inspired by this project can have a go at street art, without damaging the artwork on the actual skate park, or on other nearby buildings.
“Lastly, a thank you to the hundreds of young people & adults who took part in the community engagement and design week in May, and the community painting days, I hope you enjoy riding the newly decorated skate park.”
Councillor Judith Derbyshire, the Cabinet Member for Community Safety, added: “This amazing project set out to reduce persistent anti-social behaviour in Penrith Town centre. It has provided a real opportunity for young people to get a real sense of ownership of the skatepark, and what an amazing job they have done! The whole area now looks so much better, and already we can see the way this previously somewhat unloved corner of Penrith is drawing young people in a far more positive way, with has a
whole new level of energy and attractiveness to the whole area.” ENDS
The £8,000 project has been entirely funding using grant applications and donations.
£5350 has been gained from an application to the Home Office, from the OFPCC’s Operation Enhance.
£1900 has been gained from the Penrith Place Action Group
£500 gained from Local Elected Member donations
£250 gained from the police cadets from their own fund raising.
The project was led by Richard Scoffham the Westmorland and Furness Eden Local Focus hub manager along with partners including
Westmorland and Furness Council
Ullswater Community College, Penrith
Queen Elizabeth Grammer School, Penrith
Eden Valley Artistic Network
Cumbria Constabulary
The Outside Club CIO
Cumbria police Cadets.
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