Empty Shops Network in Adur & Worthing

Pop Up Play Scheme from Richard Vobes on Vimeo.

Thanks to the support of Worthing Regeneration and Worthing Borough Council, the Empty Shops Network is very active in Adur and Worthing.

Worthing has been recognised as one of the towns worst hit in the recession by the Department of Communities and Local Government, who have given Worthing Borough Council a grant of £52,000 to tackle the problem. In addition, the council have secured a grant from the Coastal West Sussex Board for £35,000 which has been allocated to the Empty Shops Network.

Pop-Up Pack

Part of the funding has been used to set up a Pop-Up Pack which can be borrowed by local groups for projects in empty shops. Equipment available includes:

• Folding tables
• 80 folding chairs
• Easels and flipcharts
• Display mannequins and dummies
• Netbooks and printers
• Pop-up photo studio 
• Playtents and parachutes

To enquire about using the kit, email the Empty Shops Network.

Some of the Adur & Worthing projects:

• Agora, a six-month project in a shop in Shoreham which had been derelict for ten years, transformed at low cost into a hub for creative people to work, exhibit and meet
• a series of window wraps using images by local photographers, designed to make empty shops look better while also allowing the premises to be used for meanwhile projects
• a one-week project in Shoreham by Sea, exploring local history while showing artists in the area how to set up projects in empty shops
• a half-term project in Worthing, creating the Pop-Up Playspace including a go-kart track and other children's activities
• The UpMarket, a giant Christmas market, attracting 12,000 visitors in six weeks and showing them the work of 40+ small, local charities led by Worthing Lions

Visit the Empty Shops Network page for links to projects across the UK

Last Updated Wednesday, July 28 2010 @ 02:26 PM BST|455 Hits