Minutes of Town Team meeting, 7 February: Arts and Culture Pillar

Harlesden’s 'May event'

Why?

Promote Harlesden and the efforts of the town team, and inform the public of the issues raised from the consultation meetings, and how the funding for the proposed ideas and improvements will be spent.

Bring together the community and get them involved in the regeneration process.


Date of event: Sunday 5 June [decided later].
Title of event: 'Love Harlesden' (any more ideas?)

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Proposed ideas for the event

Lamp post banners

Issues: We need to confirm funding for both banners and prizes before approaching schools for the design competition.
Proposed Actions:
1. Budget: how are we going to pay for them at £300+ each? This will also determine how many banners to create.
A. Sponsorship from local businesses, we could include sponsors logo’s etc on the banners.
B. Funding from associations such as Fortunegate?
2. Funding options and ideas for proposed school pupils design competition incentives/prizes.
Proposed Actions:
A. Sponsorship from local businesses.
B. Prizes could be tokens for schools. (ideas?)
C. Students should get an individual prize too. (what and funded by who?)
3. Approaching schools with the proposed competition.
A. Identify schools using Town Team contacts and links.
B. Create competition guidelines package, including proposed content such as logo’s etc)
4. Placement.
A. Confirm that council will hang them for free.
B. Where – depend on amount of banners.
Help needed:
Compile a list of schools and arrange meetings to propose competition. This may involve visiting schools in person in school time.
Organising Sponsorship and funding from businesses for banners and prizes.

Art in shop windows

Issues: Venue – who/what – size – amount – budget
Proposed Actions:
1. Funding: will determine size and amount: can we confirm this soon? No more than £300 will be needed. Art will reproduced in a poster format and could include sponsor logo’s.
2.Who: Harlesden Gallery artists to provide one high res image which will then be reproduced in A3/A2/A1 format, depending on budget and space in venue.
3. Create map of the days events, including thumbnails of the artwork and the listing of venues, could incorporate sponsor logo’s.
Help needed:
We need to confirm exactly who, on the high street will want to display an artwork.
Does anyone know a local printing company that would do the printing at a reduced cost? Current estimate is £10 for A1 £7.50 for A2.
Investigate whether we can use existing TV screens for slide shows and video work in local businesses and venues such as the library and banks etc and also see whether there is space to install our own TV screens (where do we source these screens from?)

Event activities

Issues: Who/what – where – budget
Proposed Actions:
1. Confirm acts: Singers/Dancers/Workshops
2. Confirm venue: Approach Methodist church as possible venue, permissions need to be granted for public spaces.
Help needed:
Sourcing entertainment and activities
Sourcing possible venues (with permissions) including a possible venue for art exhibition.
Links to anyone who could donate staging/lighting/sound equipment/TV screens and projection equipment

Event stall

Issues: where – resource images – budget
Proposed Actions:
1. Funding for tent/stall
2. Need to source photos for past/present/future theme.
3. Production of flyers and maps
Help needed:
Sourcing photos of Harlesden past and present and all relevant Town Team information and visuals, this could involve research in  local library’s/museums
Volunteers on the day to hand out flyers etc

Promotion of event

Issues: Who – where – budget
Proposed Actions:
1. This will coincide with gaining funding/sponsorship etc and the banners and art posters will advertise the event too. Also with schools being involved in the design of the banners will also promote the event.
2. Local radio and press.
3. The Harlesden Gallery art exhibition at the Tricycle will advertise the event too.
4. Social networking such as the Town Team Facebook page.
Help needed:
Liaise with local radio and press, and with local businesses.

Biographies of local people

Issues: Who to profile – who to interview – Photography and filming
Proposed Actions:
1. Who and how many local people are going to be profiled?
(Ideas so far include Shane Ritchie, Vince Power, Louise Theroux and my next-door neighbour Elsie….)
2. Who’s going to interview and film/photograph the subject?
3. Can we make interview relevant to a particular decade – 50’s/60’s/70’s etc
4. Can we involve local press?
Help needed:
Sourcing interesting and relevant people to Harlesden
We need interviewers and photographers/film makers
Liaise with local press

 

Event Ideas to investigate further

Costumes
Harlesden House
Harlesden’s music heritage
Harlesden Museum?

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Updates

Carol Allen, Brent Council neighbourhood working officer has told us that they have just funded a banners’ project for Neasden temple, so would look positively on our proposal, particularly positive is the element of involving kids (Neasden temple funding was in a region of £5K); Fortunegate contribution is likely to be modest.

Newman Catholic College (formally the Cardinal Hinsley School) is interested in getting involved with the banners and devising a drama piece for the May event (liaise with Louis Theroux who is involved with the school)

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Link to Request for Talent...