Creative initiative to breathe new life into Bedford's empty shops

A new initiative hopes to reinvent and invigorate Bedford’s vacant retail space for creative and community use.

Artist Talia Giles and Bedford Creative Art (BCA) have come together to launch a new initiative which will use empty shops across Bedford’s town centre for community-led projects produced by creatives.

Dubbed Pride Of Place (or POP for short), the project invites landlords to offer up vacant retail units so that they can be used for pop-up window art exhibitions, community projects, events and shared studio spaces.

The first creative pop-up space – called POP Bedford – opens to the public on July 12 on 5 Midland Road (the old Virgin Media store) until at least August 20.

There’ll be an events, workshops and co-creating opportunities starting with a High Street Explorations interactive drawing day with the Bedford Urban Sketchers.

The pop-up will culminate in an exhibition of the work made from August 16.

Talia said: “POP Bedford is a pilot project to trial ideas and find out what the community of Bedford would like to see and use long term.”

Elaine Midgley, BCA director, added: “Temporary creative uses for empty shops are a great way for landlords to reduce their business rates on units that have been empty for some time whilst brightening up the high street for everyone in a way that attracts footfall, and really importantly, provides a platform for local creative talent to be showcased.”

In addition to the POP Bedford programme inside 5 Midland Road, the windows of the unit will also be used for a POP Art exhibition and a licence has also been secured for a unit in the old Arcade for exhibitions running throughout the summer months.

An open call for artist to apply for exhibition space is on the POP website and negotiations are ongoing with landlords with more possible units on the horizon.

For more info about volunteering opportunities, paid artist opportunities and much more, visit here

These first projects have been supported with grant funding from Bedford Borough Council and support from landlords and property agents including Kirkby Diamond and Harnan Real Estate.

Patrick Harnan from Harnan Real Estate said: “It’s a win-win situation to have a creative charity occupy an empty retail unit.”