With keys in hand, artist and creative producer, Talia Giles, and Bedford Creative Arts (BCA) are launching Pride Of Place (POP) Bedford in an empty shop in the heart of the town centre.
Two years in the planning, their aim is to reinvent and invigorate Bedford’s vacant retail space for creative and community use through pop-ups, studios and gallery spaces.
The POP project will use empty shops across Bedford’s town centre for community-led projects produced by local creatives and invites other landlords to offer up vacant retail units so that they can be used for pop-up window art exhibitions, community projects, events and shared studio spaces.
From 12 July 2023, the first creative pop-up space entitled ‘POP Bedford’ will be opened to the public on 5 Midland Road (the old Virgin Media store) until at least 20th August.
“It’s a space for everyone,” said Talia. “Not just creatives, it’s an extension of the public realm and it will be open to everybody. We’re using this as a pilot project; a chance to gather as much information about what people want and what would make people come into the town centre in the long term.”
Throughout the six weeks, the space will be crammed with an exciting programme of events, workshops and co-creating opportunities starting with a High Street Explorations interactive drawing day with the Bedford Urban Sketchers.
The pop-up will culminate in a celebratory exhibition of the work made from 16 August.
POP is currently looking for volunteers and is very interested in hearing from the people of Bedford, so invite you to attend their Community Drop-In mornings, or come and chat in ‘conversation corner.’
“We want to strengthen connections between the community and our town centre through creative use of empty spaces around our diverse town,” explained Talia, who has spent the last two years working with property agents, the council and BCA to secure a vacant property.
Elaine Midgley, Director of BCA said: “Temporary creative uses for empty shops are a great way for landlords to reduce their business rates on units that have been empty for some time whilst brightening up the high street for everyone in a way that attracts footfall, and really importantly, provides a platform for local creative talent to be showcased”.
In addition to the POP Bedford programme inside 5 Midland Road the windows of the unit will also be used for a POP Art exhibition and a licence has also been secured for a unit in the old Arcade for exhibitions running throughout the Summer months.
An open call for artists to apply for exhibition space is on the POP website and negotiations are ongoing with local landlords with more possible units on the horizon.
These first projects have been supported with grant funding from Bedford Borough Council and generous support from landlords and property agents including Kirkby Diamond and Harnan Real Estate.
The team has worked closely with commercial property expert and local resident, Patrick Harnan from Harnan Real Estate to develop the project.
“It’s a win-win situation to have a creative charity occupy an empty retail unit,” said Patrick.
“I can continue to market the unit to tenants whilst the unit is being used in a way that brings new life to the high street and supports other local businesses and artists.”
This is the latest in over a decade of empty shop projects that have taken place in Bedford, beginning with We Are Bedford’s Castle Quay Weekender, coordinated by Kayte Pippett and Erica Roffe in March 2011 and resulting in Bedford being selected as a Portas Pilot Town in 2012.
Dan Thompson, founder of the Empty Shops Network, who worked closely with Kayte and Erica in 2011 said: “Bedford’s pioneering work to fill empty shops was recognised in the Pop Up People report [page 11] more than ten years ago so it’s great to see the work continue.
“Every time the community occupy an empty shop in a creative way, it’s a step towards the kind of town centre we really want – one owned by local people, and one that contributes to community life.’
Information about what’s on in the POP spaces, visiting and opening hours, volunteering opportunities, paid artist opportunities, studio spaces, how to apply to hold or produce an event, and how to offer up a unit if you are a landlord or property agent can be obtained from the POP website here.
