Reimagining High Streets Conference
A 1-day event exploring regeneration through community-led culture and heritage.
Reimagining High Streets is an exciting 1-day event for those working in the arts, heritage and local authorities to explore how community-led culture and heritage activities can support place-shaping and regeneration.
- When: Tuesday 20 February 2024, 10 am – 4.30 pm
- Where: Birmingham Hippodrome
- Price: Free of charge. Booking in advance is essential
Book now
Conference theme
The event will draw on the learning from the High Street Heritage Action Zones cultural programme, Historic England's four-year programme to revitalise more than 60 high streets. There will also be speakers from other organisations working with communities to shape local places.
Hear from a wide variety of individual projects as they present the successes and challenges of delivering community-led engagement with culture and heritage and the impact this work has on local regeneration.
The day will be made up of panel discussions, interactive workshops and market-place style presentations with speakers from across arts and heritage. Participants will have the opportunity to:
- Network with others working in similar fields
- Reflect on your own work
- Seek practical hints and tips
- Contribute ideas to help projects develop the work further
Programme highlights and timings
Morning
- 9.30 - 10.00
Registration and performances from cultural programme activities - 10.00 – 10.30
Welcome and opening speech
Ellen Harrison, Head of Creative Programmes and Campaigns, Historic England
Lord Mendoza, Chair of Historic England - 10.30 – 11.30
The impact of cultural programmes on our high streets and the people who use them
Hear from three projects as they describe different elements of cultural programming that contribute to creating a positive impact for our high streets. This chaired session will then be open to questions from the audience.
Speakers:
Daniel Bernstein, CEO, Emergency Exit Arts
Sabrina Candido, Culture Development Officer, Plymouth Culture
Hannah Harris, CEO, Plymouth Culture
Simon Boase, High Streets Cultural Programme Manager, Historic England - 11.30 – 11.45
Morning break - 11.45 – 12.30
Three breakout parallel curated conversations. Each present 2 case studies, followed by group discussion. Places are limited due to room size.- Creative spaces on the high street – how to bring them to life
This session will explore how spaces on high streets can be used for community engagement, and what outcomes this has for place-shaping and regeneration.
Speakers:
Mel Taylor, Head of Learning and Deputy CEO, Greenwich Community Development Association
Abi Wheeler, Shademakers, Ryde - How heritage and culture unlock wellbeing and pride in place
This session will look at how cultural and heritage activities have a positive impact on wellbeing. The session includes participants of programmes who will share their own experiences of these projects.
Speakers:
Tony Mallon, Prescot Photographer in Residence, Picturing High Streets
Rehan Jamil, Tower Hamlets, Photographer in Residence, Picturing High Streets
Janet Fischer, Live Music Now - The potential of culture and heritage to benefit local economies
This session will explore how culture and heritage activities can support further job creation, skills development, local businesses and strengthen local networks for further partnership working.
Speakers:
Ben Head, Lowestoft Hi! Street Fest community producer
Jonathan Guest, Associate Director, Amion
- Creative spaces on the high street – how to bring them to life
- 12.30 – 1.30
Lunch
There will be an informal marketplace during lunch where you can find out more about individual cultural programme activities and speak with teams from Historic England and other heritage organisations.
Afternoon
- 1.30 – 2.00
Keynote speaker - 2.00 – 2.45
Workshops exploring practicalities of working across culture, heritage and regeneration
Three workshops the themes of which to be decided closer to the time. You will be asked for your suggestions before the event and themes will be confirmed when you arrive at the event. - 2.45 – 3.00
Afternoon break - 3.00 – 4.00
What’s next? How to grow the culture and heritage offer where you are
Hear from three projects as they share how they’ve taken activities and developed them further, with a particular focus on sharing practical learning and top tips on how to do this. This chaired session will then be open to questions from the audience.
Chair: Cathy Parker, Institute of Place Management.
Speakers:
Vicky Holbrough, Co-founder and Director, Navigator North
Gaye Kirby, Creative Programmes and Partnership Manager, Middlesbrough Council
Lucy Norton, Well-Placed Project Manager, The Art House
Imogen Robertson, Strategic Programmes Manager, Medway Council - 4.00 – 4.30
Closing remarks and performance
Important information
Refreshments and lunch will be provided. Please let us know of any dietary requirements when booking.
Filming and flash photography will be taking place during the event. Please let a member of staff know when you arrive at the event if you do not want to be featured.
Travel
Birmingham Hippodrome is within walking distance of New Street Station and Moor Street Station. Getting to Bimingham Hippodrome
We have some resources available for need-based travel support so please let us know of your requirements when you book your place.
Any queries, please contact our team using the email address below.
Speaker biographies
- Name and role
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- Name
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Daniel Bernstein
- Title and organisation
- Chief Executive Officer at Emergency Exit Arts
- Details
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- Description
- Daniel Bernstein is the CEO of Emergency Exit Arts (EEA) who “enhance places, enable people and astonish audiences”. He was Executive Producer of Historic England’s largest commission, Hi! Street Fest. Daniel is a professional producer working in the arts, and has been co-creating work with communities for over 25 years. In previous lives, he has played, performed and managed carnival troupe Carnival Collective; developed numerous carnival events; and worked for Arts Council England. Before his journey in the arts, he worked for The Body Shop, setting up new franchises and shops. Hi! Street Fest perfectly combined his previous career in high street retail and franchising, with creating spectacular participatory events that have social impact, and lasting legacy.
- Name and role
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- Name
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Simon Boase
- Title and organisation
- High Streets Cultural Programme Manager at Historic England
- Details
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- Description
- Simon Boase is Cultural Programme Manager at Historic England. In this role he has been leading on the delivery of the High Street Heritage Action Zones Cultural Programme. This is a £7.5 million national grants and commissioning scheme running across 4 years, one of the largest ever community-led arts and heritage programmes in England. He has a background in curating and arts production, including developing meanwhile space programmes for artists and creatives in the north of England.
- Name and role
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- Name
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Sabrina Candido
- Title and organisation
- Culture Development Officer at Plymouth Culture
- Details
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- Description
- Sabrina Candido is an arts and cultural professional with specialism in project management with over 20 years' experience working across significant and diverse international projects in Brazil and the UK, strategic partnerships, executive production and curatorship. Since joining Plymouth Culture in 2020, Sabrina's focus has been on supporting the growth and sustainability of Plymouth’s arts and culture sector. She is mostly interested in contributing to projects that promote the exchange of knowledge, social transformation, and in working towards the construction of a collaborative network of creative professionals around the world.
- Name and role
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- Name
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Hannah Harris
- Title and organisation
- Chief Executive Officer at Plymouth Culture
- Details
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- Description
- Hannah Harris has a background in cultural development and management, with a strong focus on partnership working within the cultural sector. Hannah joined Plymouth Culture from the Arts University Plymouth in 2019, where she was the Director of Development specialising in strategic planning, partnership development and externally funded projects. Since 2019 Hannah has authored the 10-year Culture Plan for Plymouth and championed work to make the creative and cultural sector in Plymouth vibrant, visible and accessible.
- Name and role
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- Name
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Ellen Harrison
- Title and organisation
- Head of Creative Programmes and Campaigns at Historic England
- Details
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- Description
- Ellen Harrison has worked for Historic England since 2010. Her work focuses on public programming, exhibitions and artist commissions to help a broad range of people positively connect with community and place, improving their wellbeing, contributing to regeneration and quality of life in the process. She directs a series of high profile programmes, including the largest ever publicly funded community-led arts and heritage programme, the High Street Cultural Programme; History in the Making, a national youth-led heritage programme that invites young people to celebrate local history in meaningful ways; and the National Blue Plaques scheme which is expanding the famous London programme across England. Ellen’s background is in campaigns, communications and public engagement. She is a trustee at Arnolfini, Bristol. She is an alumni of the prestigious Oxford Cultural Leaders programme and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
- Name and role
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- Name
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Vicky Holbrough
- Title and organisation
- Co-founder and Director at Navigator North
- Details
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- Description
- Vicky Holbrough is a co-founder and director of artist-led visual arts organisation Navigator North which has been developing and supporting visual artists and creative communities in the Tees Valley region since 2011. This is done through a focus on the development of publicly accessible creative spaces, artist studios, cultural and professional development programmes, placemaking work and public art commissioning. Navigator North has led on Middlesbrough’s High Street Heritage Action Zone cultural programme and delivered its community engagement programme working with the local authority. As an artist, Vicky has a visual arts practice spanning over 20 years, including participatory projects, commissions and residencies. These have included several public art commissions in Tees Valley and County Durham. She is one of four artists who make up blimey! - a female led Darlington based artist collective.
- Name and role
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- Name
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Gaye Kirby
- Title and organisation
- Creative Programmes and Partnership Manager at Middlesbrough Council
- Details
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- Description
- Gaye Kirby leads the Culture Service at Middlesbrough Council including oversight of several venues (town hall, theatre, museums and archives) plus an Events and Festivals team. She works closely with the Middlesbrough Cultural Partnership to support the growth of the sector in Middlesbrough and embed culture into different service areas such as regeneration, public health and adult social care. In September 2023, the Cultural Partnership launched its 10-year Creative Vision for Middlesbrough with an ambition of making Middlesbrough the most creative town in the UK. Prior to joining the council, Gaye was Head of Development at Durham Cathedral where she led several strategic developments including a major National Lottery Heritage Fund-funded project to transform access to the cathedral’s buildings and collections, including the creation of a new museum. Gaye is currently the Chair of Trustees at Rural Arts; an Arts Council NPO that delivers inspiring and inclusive creative opportunities that enrich lives and connect communities across North Yorkshire.
- Name and role
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- Name
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Tony Mallon
- Title and organisation
- Photographic Artist
- Details
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- Description
- Tony Mallon is a Merseyside-based photographic artist who has nearly 30 year’s experience of delivering socially-engaged art projects. His work has been exhibited in galleries, public spaces and photography festivals including the Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool and Unseen Amsterdam. He has a passion and a desire to connect and collaborate with people who are usually excluded from participating in and producing art. His work also focuses on people and place, and how communities define themselves. He recently completed a 2-year art residency for Historic England’s Picturing High Streets.
- Links and contact details
- Name and role
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- Name
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Lucy Norton
- Title and organisation
- Well-Placed Project Manager at The Art House
- Details
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- Description
- Lucy Norton is an arts producer based in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. Her work is focused on space management, youth engagement, supporting emerging artists and working with communities. Since returning to Wakefield after university in 2013, Lucy has been passionate about making her city a vibrant place for young creatives to live and work. She now works at The Art House managing off-site spaces, this includes working closely with artists and community groups to provide them with support and space as well as producing exhibitions and events. The Art House's off-site space project, Well Placed, is now expanding to new sites across the country, connecting like-minded property owners and creatives, bringing vacant high street spaces back into use and regenerating them through meaningful community partnerships.
- Name and role
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- Name
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Professor Cathy Parker
- Title and organisation
- Chair at Institute of Place Management
- Details
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- Description
- Cathy Parker is Professor of Retail and Marketing Enterprise at Manchester Metropolitan University and Chair of the Institute of Place Management, the professional institute for all those involved in making better places. Cathy is regarded as an international expert and leader in place management and is the research lead for the government’s High Streets Task Force. She is frequently asked to commentate on place and retail related topics and has appeared on BBC Newsnight, BBC Breakfast, BBC Sunday Politics (NW), BBC Radio 5 live and ITV Tonight. Cathy was the Principal Researcher and Director for two £3.5 million+ EU part-funded projects. AGORA, which aimed to bring the principles of social enterprise to town and other place management partnerships and REN, which aimed to promote and protect diversity in the independent retail sector. Cathy has been an academic advisor and contributor to the All Party Parliamentary Small Shops Group and the All Party Parliamentary Group for Town Centre Management.
- Name and role
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- Name
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Mel Taylor
- Title and organisation
- Head of Learning and Deputy CEO at Greenwich Community Development Association
- Details
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- Description
- Mel Taylor, a devoted community advocate, has spent 15 years at the Greenwich Community Development Association (GCDA), a charitable organization dedicated to reducing inequality and supporting communities to thrive. Serving as the Head of Learning and Deputy CEO, Mel has overseen numerous projects, impacting diverse communities. Managing the adult learning contract, they deliver educational programs to over 1,700 learners annually. Mel played a pivotal role in shaping the inclusive and welcoming environment of the Woolwich Front Room, fostering community engagement since its inception. She fosters empathy and a genuine commitment to community well-being.
Supported by
Cultural Programme
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Email
[email protected]
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Address
EC4R 2YA
