Blog Statement - Mark Small

Name: Mark Small

Why do you want to be involved in the project?  I have always had an interest in historic buildings – specifically churches and castles - and during university I discovered a passion for regeneration projects, so when the opportunity to be part of a regeneration project focussing on a church building came along, I jumped at the chance.

I also very firmly believe in the ability of young people to work better, if not as well, as the ‘old people’ community, and this project is an opportunity to prove young peoples’ worth and justify their voice in a community.

What kind of new opportunities are you looking forward to?  The project has already brought along lots of new opportunities for me – before New Saints I’d never chaired a meeting, or arranged site visits for groups of heritage professionals, or written funding applications.  One of the new opportunities that I’m looking forward to is creating a heritage project that uses social media like blogging, twitter, facebook, linkedIn and digital photos to enhance and extend the project.  I think if we do this right, we could create a model of practice for future heritage and regeneration projects.

How will working with the project help your future?  Being part of the New Saints group has given me a lot of confidence in my abilities, more than one person that I’ve met at distinct parts of the project has commented on how much I’ve grown through this work.  Working with the project has already put me in contact with a whole range of influential people, which could potentially have a huge impact on my future.  Having the project under my belt will also be great for using as examples during job interviews.

Where would you like to take lead in the project?  I’m looking forward to the next few phases of the project where we’ve made a decision on what the new use will be and start comparing designs for the actual physical regeneration work.  I’m also interested to see the results of our community consultation initiatives.  One area that I would like to take the lead on is the social media side of the project as it is a passion of mine.

How would you like to celebrate achievements?  I think the biggest celebration of our achievements, for me, will be when I see the church packed full of people – of all backgrounds, ages, and genders.  Seeing the church used and valued is the ultimate endgame. 

Newsletter number 1

Ladies and gentleman, I can now cut the ribbon and raise the curtain on New Saints very first and totally electronic newsletter! *Fanfare*

You can see a copy of the newsletter here

...and if you're really interested you can join our rapidly increasing mailing list to receive newsletter #2 hot off the press!  Exciting stuff!

(In the interest of getting the highest exposure and not missing out anyone who might not have got to grips with emails yet, we're also working on a hard copy that we will distribute around public Langport)

Presentation time!

Last week, myself, Alice and Tadgh gave a presentation about our project to the South West Association of Preservation Trusts at Great Bow Wharf in Langport.

This was good fun - we were given the 'graveyard slot' just after lunch, so I had made sure our powerpoint presentation was a bit off-the-wall to keep everyone's attention, it included slides like this:

and this:

... just to keep people on their toes.  It seemed to work!

The purpose of the presentation was to give members of local Preservation Trusts a bit of background on the project that they might have heard about from our newspaper articles and radio appearance, but also to enlist their help (hence the 'HELP!').  These guys are the representatives for a lot of the exemplar sites that we want to make our Go&Sees, so making a good, enthusiastic impression was very important!

From the meeting, we learnt more about the Walronds project, and the Dawes Twine Works Building in West Coker, as seen on the BBC's 'Restoration Village' show in 2006 (something to aspire to, eh?)

On top of all this, it was a great opportunity for our young people to get some experience in presenting in front of people, and talking to people about the church.  It was also really nice to meet a whole room full of people who were wholly behind the idea of giving a significant gr1 building to young people to create its' future! Hooray!

Getting letters!

Following our articles in the Western Gazette and the Langport Leveller, we've had some letters concerned about our project at the church.  Whilst getting letters worrying about something you're working hard on is never fun, we can see this as a very positive thing, it shows that the people still recognise the importances of the building and are moved to make their voices heard when they are concerned about it's future.

Peter mentioned a while ago that this might happen.  Some see this sort of work as controversial - regenerating a building that once had a strong religious significance and developing a new use which may not have such a religious focus.  On top of this, our project has an added layer of breaking with tradition by being managed by 'young people'. 

All of the regeneration projects that the CCT undertake remain consecrated spaces - we don't want to alienate any particular part of a community by not allowing them to use the space that we're creating, especially when the space we're creating is for the benefit of the whole community. 

One of the aims of this project is to show that if you give young people responsibility they will rise to it - if you take responsibility away from them and tell them that its a job for grown-ups then they will lose the opportunity to learn about the building, its history, and its value to the community they're living in. As Peter once said
'As Noel Clarke once said:
"Young people ... feel that they are not spoken to but spoken at. I know that when I was a teenager, I felt totally unrepresented ... But if you do speak to them, and give them a positive choice, they take it." ' (from here)

We can also use this as an opportunity to develop a new skill - receiving and responding to letters asking you to explain yourself is difficult, but it's a transferable skill that will be useful in just about any job a young person might go on to do.

New Saints and the Churches Conservation Trust welcome feedback on the project, because it is a new venture and we want to hear what people think about it

... I wouldn't mind a few letters saying 'well done, what a great idea' though ...

New Saints Blog Statment - Paige

Name- Paige Blackwell

Why do you want to be involved in the project?- I think the project is a good opportunity for me to do something more for our community, and develop some new skills for my future. It also gives me something to focus on whilst I'm out of work.

What kind of new opportunities are you looking forward to?- I'm mostly looking forward to learning about the business development, as I would like to hold my own business some day. Also hopefully see the public enjoy our progress for the church!

How will working with the project help your future?- The project will give me vital experience that I will need for my CV. Working for a project this big, and different, will also show me other opportunities in my career. Hopefully it will give me a boost to get myself into a job.

Where would you like to take lead in the project?- I would like to always have it part as a team, but my interests are of course making the money, the arts side of things, and help organise activities for our project.

How would you like to celebrate achievements?- to celebrate I would probably want to go for a drink or get Joe to put his boat on the river!!

New Saints Blog Statement - Joe F

Joe Fosters Blog Statement for the New Saints Church Project


Why do you want to be involved in the project?

I have made myself a part of this project, as I'm fed up of having nothing to do around my local town and its the same everywhere here... All the youth dont know what to do with themselves.  I also think it would be nice to look back in the future and think I helped add something to the community despite all the people telling me it couldnt be done!!

What kind of new opportunities are you looking forward to?

At this point in time I'm not a hundred percent sure; but I am a person who likes to learn new skills and have them under my belt.  The idea of setting up a business is appealing to me, as its something I would like to do myself in the future; I'm hoping that this project will give me some ideas and skills to help me later on in life.


Do you think the project is fun and interesting? Any suggestions?

The team we have built on this project is brilliant. We are all from different backgrounds and have many different interests, its nice the way this project is already bringing people together.


How would you like to celebrate achievements?

I'd like to have a massive open day at the church. A day where me and the group could just go around and show off what we have managed to achieve.

New Saints Blog Statement - Alice

Why do I want to be involved?

I really wanted to get involved because it is a different and exciting project. Langport in previous years had many events, so now by the use of the church we can bring them back to life again. Being a young person in society I'm used to the stereotype of being a 'nuisance'.  I think its unfair that we are stuck with that. So, by the fact that we are all young and working together, we can prove to everyone else that we are still capable of doing amazing things for the community. The first time I heard of the project I was wary as I automatically thought it was religious. But the more I found out the more intrigued and keen I was to get involved. This is an amazing opportunity for us!

How will it affect my future?

This project will give me a great insight into the business I'm about to start studying at Bridgwater College - Event planning. Therefore, from the managing, accountancy and planning training i will receive will really enhance my skills. I am currently studying to be a MakeUp Artist, which is a very different route, but event planning has always been a passion. Since starting work on this project it has pursuaded me to do it alongside. I will have many opportunities to attend conferences and speak to many people I wouldnt normally be able to, in which I am grateful for. It will also look very good on my CV, the fact that I am a founder and trustee of a charity. So, the harder I work, the more beneficial for my future and the future of the project.

Do I think it is interesting?

Definitely! I've never heard of a group of young people having responsibility of regenerating a church into something completely different . The heritage organisation who are backing our project have followed out many of these fantastic projects and havbe shown that the posibilities are endless. For example St. Paul's church in Bristol, which was renovated into a Circus School. I think that the fact a Church is such an important part of English heritage and religion for many people, and we have been trusted to renovate it into something completely different is very lucky. We have so many people on board to help us, with a wide range of skills to inspire us - this really gives us so many routes we can go down.

Where would I like to take it?

It is still very early days to say exactly where I would like to take it. But, there has been many nearby music venues closing down due to funding. Langport is a very central place and we wouldn't need to worry about funding (if we work hard enough!). It would be great to regenerate the church into a music venue for all types of genres. We have already been asked if a classical concert could take place, which i feel is just the start. Somerset is a very creative part of the country and I feel that we could work alongside many local, creative organisations to make something big. But we wouldn't just have to stop with music, we could breach out to Drama performances, hiring it out for various performances, art exhibitions etc, it really is endless. I would like to see the Church having many different uses for all ages in society.

I would also like the church to be used to give other young people the same opportunities that we have.