Lindsey Hebden is programme manager with Great Place Lakes and Dales. She’s photographed here with Manon Keir, who’s GPLD programme officer. Over the past few years, the GPLD team have been supporting young creative people in the south Lakeland and Craven regions: they are championing creativity and connecting people, helping to raise the profile of the cultural sector and aiming to make it more practical for young people to stay in the area. Their work has ranged from one-to-one support for individuals to funded residencies and full-on festivals. It’s great to have them as major supporters of this project. And of course they come with their own ideas about taking part:
“We’ve had a few ideas based on meeting old friends and new ones – creatives, artists, venues and organisations we already work with, and explore new places and meet new people we’re less familiar with. So we’ll be doing this through the summer when we have time.
“As the GPLD team, we’ve made an exciting plan. We are going to walk the route of Aerial, visiting all the venues, places and spaces that were planned for the original festival at the end of March last year (which had to move online because of Lockdown). This will be a full circular route from Heaton Cooper Studio and back (circa 10 miles) including Wordsworth Grasmere/Dove Cottage, Sam Read Bookseller, Rydal Cave, Merz Barn, St Marys, Nab Cottage … we will meet with GPLD creative champions, seedfundees and Creative Board members along the way. This includes artists, musicians, poets, filmmakers, photographers and cultural organisations. And picking up on the intention of Aerial, we will be taking our inspiration from the words and sounds of the area’s natural and cultural landscapes and we’ll be stopping at various points to listen to an Aerial commission (and have a cup of tea!).
“The main aim of the walk is one of contemplation and reflection, to consider as a team where we’ve been, where we are going and what inspires and connects us to this great place. We have some ideas about how we will creatively capture our walk and the connections we make on the way, and will see what emerges on the day.”