Museum launches community project for people in lockdown

Warrington Museum & Art Gallery has launched a community project that calls people to get creative during lockdown.

Warrington Together is a new initiative from Warrington Museum & Art Gallery designed to while away the hours in isolation and celebrate everything residents love about their town. 

The aim is to create a commemorative patchwork quilt to mark the Covid-19 pandemic and to offer a sense of hope and togetherness while encouraging people to try something new. 

Philip Jeffs, archives officer for Culture Warrington – the charity that runs Warrington Museum & Art Gallery, said: “As a charity, we’re working hard to find new ways of engaging with our visitors during the lockdown period and we thought this was a fantastic way to stimulate people’s creativity whilst documenting this remarkable moment in history.”

“Creative activity is widely-known to be a great way to boost mental well-being and we hope that the positive thinking required in this particular project will be a powerful addition to that.”

To get involved in the project, people across Warrington are being asked to think about what they love most about the borough; be it a landmark that signifies home, a landscape they cherish, a hobby or class they’re missing or simply the people they see everyday. 

Mr Jeffs is also eager to encourage people to recycle by sourcing materials from items they already have at home. 

He explained:”We always try to be as resourceful and sustainable as possible so we’re asking volunteers to have a look at home and see what they can create from unwanted belongings.

“This is the perfect opportunity to clear out the attic or the garage and create something new from that stuff you keep meaning to throw away.”

To discourage people from leaving the house, Warrington Museum & Art Gallery are asking contributors to drop off their squares at the Museum & Art Gallery, Central Library or Pyramid Arts Centre once the buildings reopen. 

With no rules or requirements other than the size – all squares must measure six inches by six inches – this is the perfect opportunity to get creative, try a new skill and contribute to a lasting community legacy from this historic time. 

Mr Jeffs added: “These are unprecedented times for us all but we’ve noticed that it’s brought out the very best in our community with people doing what they can to help family, friends, neighbours and even complete strangers. 

“We wanted to capture this amazing spirit in some way and we felt that the Warrington Together project encapsulates that perfectly.”

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