The Old Bath House and COmmunity Centre WolvertonLocal Artists Transform The Outdoor Space
If you haven’t recently paid a visit to the undercover space between The Old Bath House and Tesco – make this your next destination!
Local artists are transforming ‘The Outdoor Space’. The once unloved urban gateway takes you into Wolverton from the car park of the busy Tesco superstore. Locals who used the entrance and attended The Old Bath House and Community Centre felt it was unwelcoming, dirty and unsafe.
This week, the artists and team from The Old Bath House and Community Centre unveiled the first stage of their ambitious community art project. Seven talented local artists and local families have produced unique and creative pieces of work. I popped along to see how it is taking shape. Rather than the 5 minutes I expected, I simply stood and stared as colours changed and incredible little details popped out.
The Artists
The Old Bath House and Community Centre have shared the works by
- Timothy B Layden
- Luke McDonnell,
- Sara Myers,
- Cathy Ebbels,
- Jill Kitchen,
- Iain Talbot and
- Gavin Grace.
Their work now adorns the walls along with over 40 mosaic birds that the local families made in covid safe workshops during the lockdown.
Helen Innes, Project Co-ordinator:
‘The collective creativity, time and commitment that everyone has contributed to this project is astounding. We hope that people that use this space, enjoy it and it makes them feel good’
I promise you, don’t just look and pass by, stop and take in the details. As I stood and looked, the colours changed according to the light. Get close to the painted images and you’ll see how through tiny strokes of paint the people and the birds come alive. Look at the tails of the birds on the left of the musician. How clever is that? You won’t notice if you just walk past!
Community Reclaiming Forgotten Space
Aviva, Coop Membership Scheme, Tesco, Wolverton and Greenleys Town Council, MK Councillors and individual local donors supported the local crowd funder. This effort ensured the Bath House team could commission the work. This is a real community-driven initiative to reclaim and improve the forgotten space.
Where it All Started
The team planted the seed for this project in early 2019 after the public consultation ‘A Taste of’ event. The overwhelming response prompted the decision to create a more welcoming and safe space. They also recognised that they wanted an outdoor space that more people could and would use.
In June, the team began fundraising and collaborating with Tesco about the regular use of the area. Their hard work and dedication paid off as we can all now see this fabulous art project coming together.
Pandemic Impact
The pandemic forced the community centre to close its doors – just like lots of other community buildings. The team were faced with a potential food waste disaster with no building open to sharing food collections. They refocused their efforts with the aim of warmly welcoming people to meet, chat and share food in the outdoor space. The rest of the team worked on a strategy to create a safer, more inviting, and a more enjoyable experience for visitors.
Beginning to Thrive
Two weekly community fridge sessions, a regular monthly craft market and a weekend pop-up café (soon to be launched) are already using The Outdoor Space. The team now hope the work will inspire more people to put forward ideas for using the Space.
Let’s remember this is just the start of a fantastic project that will benefit all local people and visitors.
Keep Up-to-Date
To find out more: The Outdoor Space
Take a look at the work in progress: The Gallery
Get in touch: administrator@oldbathhouse.org
