Annual Report 2010

introduction
Andy Salmon
Chair of CSCA

Welcome to Chapel Street Community Arts first annual report.

Were a new organisation but weve had a very warm welcome from other groups and from the local community. We also have a good tradition of community involvement from the three churches of Sacred Trinity, Chapel Street and Hope United Reformed Church and St Philips. Some of the comments weve received from people have been really lovely. This is a vibrant area, full of very wonderful people. The arts and creative industries are an important part of life in Chapel Street and an important part of our future. CSCA is engaging people in creative ways and hopes to make a real difference to peoples lives, ensuring that the whole community benefits from the regeneration in our area. It takes time for a new organisation to become established but I believe that weve made a good start and hope that together we can build on what weve achieved to really continue making a difference.

What a year!
Were up and running, have successfully delivered a handful of projects, most of which are featured in this booklet, and are developing relationships with organisations and people in the surrounding communities. Im proud of what weve achieved so far but want to do much more during the coming year, including delivering more activities and raising the profile of the organisation so that lots more people know who we are and what were about. We are currently planning to establish delivery of projects in partnership to make the most of the resources available in our communities, to work with discreet groups and bring them together for celebratory activities, and to open and develop an art caf. But thats not all; we want to make sure that we can offer more opportunities for people to get involved, by delivering activities out in our local communities and by making our venues available for drop in sessions, workshops, exhibitions or for any other use people might have.

We are open to new ideas, and want to hear yours, so please get in touch.
Thanks to our steering group and everyone who has supported us so far.

Chris Doyle
CSCA Project Co-ordinator

engagement figures
We counted the following number of visitors and received the additional details from people who responded;

1061
employment status Full Time Part Time Unemployed FT Education Retired

attendances

140 White British 4 Europeans, 2 Hindu 1 Caribbean, 1 Pakistani 1 Chinese & 7 disabled people

85

females

males

65

23 11 10 72 32

49
age

people visited the churches for the first time

50-59

30-39

Word of Mouth From Angel Centre In Church Other 16

+ 60 ed ag
9 -4 40

5-15
9 -1 16 9 20-2
How did you hear about the activity?

CSCA 25

37

42 25

accounts
Chapel Street Community Arts Accounts 1st November 2009 ~ 31st December 2010 Income Parish Mission Fund Church Urban Fund Churches Community Fund Chapel Street & Hope URC Council for Social Aid Sacred Trinity Church St Philips Church Total Expenditure Salary & Pension Phone Match Funding for projects Computer Marketing & Publicity Travel & Subsistence Office Supplies Total Surplus carried forward 35,721.70 321.95 1,103.38 507.65 139.60 69.48 157.76 341.12 38,362.64 7,554.01 10,416.65 15,000 4,500 9,000 5,000 1,000 1,000 45,916.65

projects
The Mighty Tortoise. The Mighty Tortoise project was a program of live acoustic music activities during lunchtimes at Sacred Trinity Church, and involved ten weeks of performances from a variety of artists offered alongside tea, coffee and cakes.

I run the Manchester Heritage Society which involves taking people to visit museums, galleries, exhibitions and concerts. Sometimes I design walks that take an hour and fit nicely into the lunch hour. On one of my regular venues is Sacred Trinity, I was informed that there would be acoustic music sessions on Tuesday lunchtimes, so I put Sacred Trinity on my weekly programme for Tuesdays. Alexis Mclean, singer/ songwriter, and project co-ordinator, played the guitar and harmonica, and introduced different musicians each week, all different in their own way, yet they all presented a quality performance which was enjoyed by the audience. The music sessions continued throughout the summer and left an empty space in our hearts when it ended. I really hope that there will be more to come, as the venue enhanced the performances acoustically. Stan Thompson

Photography Workshops. Our photography sessions started as a short program of weekly workshops focussing on helping people to take better photographs, and were attended by a small group of enthusiastic photographers. After a short break, the sessions are now a weekly occurrence, and the group have recently exhibited some of their work and are currently contributing images for our blog. www.cscarts.wordpress.com

During the autumn of 2009, my husband, sister and I all went along to St Phils church to join a small group of people to learn the art of taking photographs. We went round the Chapel Street area taking pictures of buildings, places of interest, modern buildings and old ones, and other Salford landmarks. For a few Wednesday afternoons we went to the media centre at Bexley Square and learned how to transfer the photos from the camera on to the computer. It has all been a wonderful learning curve, and we have made some new friends. Joyce Daly

projects
Stories of Sacred Trinity Church, Salford. To mark the 375th anniversary of Sacred Trinity Church, we ran a programme of activities during May and June 2010, that resulted in an exhibition to celebrate and share peoples memories of and associations with the church.

For me, the main benefit of taking part in the 375 exhibition for Salfords Sacred Trinity Church was the collaborative aspect of the project. Having completed a law degree and then a Masters in journalism, which mainly require working on an individual basis, I hadnt participated in very many team-based projects so it was personally and professionally beneficial to do so. Clare Wiley

Creative Writing. We ran a short course on Creative Writing at St Phils for people to share their Salford experiences and develop their ideas for poetry and prose. The project was a one off, but thoroughly enjoyed by the people who took part.

I am a part-time student studying English Level 1 and Maths Level 2 City and Guilds, and ECDL in computers. I attend services on a Sunday at Sacred Trinity Church and noticed that there was a creative writing workshop on one of my visits, so I signed up for it. I found the workshops enjoyable. Everyone was very helpful with each other and it was a good insight into creative writing. Id never done poetry before. Martin Greenwood We have now had over a dozen water colour lessons with Frank Sargeant. We usually meet after lunch, and so make the most of the Angel Caf beforehand, and always have a break for a coffee and a chat! The classes last 2-3 hours and have been very informal and friendly with everyone supporting one another. We have painted a range of subjects from church artefacts to landscapes and still life. Some of these were displayed at an exhibition in St Philips Church which was quite amazing when you think what novices we all are. Joan Shaw

Water colour painting. Our painting group meets once a week at St Phils and consists mainly of beginners with an interest in painting, but benefit from the advice and support from one of the artists with a studio space based within the church.

projects
The Big Draw - Street Museum workshops. The Big Draw is an International drawing event, and this year local artists Leslie Holmes and Lawrence Cassidi worked with lots of different communities across Salford to produce work for the Streets Museum project, a digital archive preserving images, films, artifacts and oral histories from lost streets in Salford. St Philips school and CSCA arranged for an activity to take place at the school to ensure the pupils and Chapel Street were involved.

3 classes from St Phils took part in the Street Museum workshop at school and thoroughly enjoyed it. The children found the history of the old street signs fascinating and enjoyed the hands on activity and quick results from the rubbings. The group also worked really well together on producing a large rubbing of all the street signs and really enjoyed getting stuck in and getting their hands dirty. Miss Preston, St Philips Primary School. www.stphilipssalford.org.uk

Chapel Street Open Studios Schools activities, Church workshop. Pupils from St Phils School came to Sacred Trinity to see the work they did for the streets museum project exhibited alongside the sound pieces resurrected from the 375 exhibition. Whilst they were here, the pupils learned about some of the history of the church via the audio stories, and drew some pictures inspired by the stories they listened to. The pictures they drew were so good, we put them on the wall too.

Yr 5 & 6 came to see the interactive exhibition of peoples stories of Sacred Trinity Church, and were able to look at the images and listen to the stories on display. The children then drew pastel and charcoal images of the things theyd seen and heard. Learning about the church while we were stood in the building was great, and the exhibition really sparked the childrens imaginations, especially the young boys who were motivated by the story of the soldier and the images of his regiments uniform and crest. It was a wonderful experience for the children, and the whole day, including the walk to the church was really enjoyable. We look forward to the next opportunity to visit and take part in the activities. Mrs Taylor, St Philips Primary School. www.stphilipssalford.org.uk

summary
Chapel Street Community Arts is a not for profit organisation based in the Chapel Street area of Salford, England, and was developed by the churches on Chapel Street in partnership with local agencies.

Our mission
To develop and deliver a range of creative arts and community projects that engage, empower and improve the quality of life of the local communities living and working in Salford.

Our aims
To increase the confidence, self-esteem and mental health/wellbeing of participants and reduce isolation. To improve peoples skills and employability. To raise the profile of churches locally as community resources and increase the use of church buildings. To increase a sense of pride in the area and enable more people to participate in local community life and decision-making.

contact
Chris Doyle CSCA Project Co-ordinator Mobile: 07814 688 027 Email: chris@salfordchurch.org Blog: cscarts.wordpress.com

Sacred Trinity Church Chapel Street, Salford, M3 5DW Tel: 0161 839 1180

St Philip with St Stephen Wilton Place, Salford, M3 6FR Tel: 0161 834 2041

Chapel Street and Hope United Reformed Church Lamb Court, Salford, M3 6AF Tel: 07929 525 909