Our Place – transforming Empty Shops into accessible learning venues

Name: Empty Shops Toolkit MLA Final
Kind: PDF 
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Name: Our Place evaluation
Kind: PDF 
Size: 312KB

Empty town centre shops in Taunton and Blackburn were transformed into creative and learning centres, actively involving more diverse local people and encouraging them into informal learning thanks to the Learning Revolution Transformation Fund. Our Place supported the Government’s determination to ensure town centres remain vibrant places for people during the downturn. You can download the evaluation report and the resulting toolkit, developed from learning gathered throughout the project, from the links above.

The projects, funded by a grant to the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) from The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Learning Revolution Transformation Fund encouraged groups of adults, who may have not participated in learning activities previously, to get involved in plans for their community and acquire new skills in a relaxed environment. The MLA was awarded £100,000 from the £20 million fund to open up new informal adult learning opportunities, particularly for people from disadvantaged groups.

Blackburn’s interior design shop opened on 1 February 2010 as a base for POP – ‘Project Our Place: Arts in the Heart of Blackburn’ to celebrate Blackburn and its community. Local artists ran workshops and events for local people – creating opportunities to learn and had a go at something new including drawing, painting, writing poetry, playing a musical instrument or dancing.

A former shoe shop on Taunton’s high street was converted into a base for the ‘Our Place, Your Place: Taunton’ project’. The aim was to bring residents together to share memories, thoughts and pictures of the town as well as learn about how Taunton is changing. The shop opened on 8 February and became a valuable community meeting point, hosting a programme of activities and exhibitions over a six week period which looked at Taunton’s past, present and future.

The project supported adults and families to explore and access learning opportunities and examined whether culture and creativity can tackle barriers and improve community cohesion. Adult learning infrastructure was improved by presenting an accessible entry point for learners and by stimulating interest for further learning in a fun, relaxing, creative and learning environment.

Both projects tested the development of accessible informal learning venues in town centres, and brought together a wide range of partners to present a rich offer of learning opportunities at the venue, and support people to access opportunities in other learning and cultural venues locally and online.