This Is Us!

We’re shaping Castle Point through creativity!

Art is a powerful force for change, building pride and community. ‘This is Us’ is pioneering 18-month arts programme supporting residents to reimagine their future, commissioned by Castle Point Borough Council and delivered by Estuary Festival in partnership with Metal.

Through dynamic workshops, exhibitions and creative experiences led by local artists, ‘This is Us’ is sparking conversations about life in Canvey Island, Benfleet, Hadleigh, Thundersley and Daws Heath. From storytelling to mural design, photograph to music, people are sharing stories and shaping the future of their community.

Our mission? It's simple! To celebrate Castle Point’s creativity whilst welcoming new voices and perspectives. Insights gathered will help shape the Castle Point Local Plan, ensuring the borough’s future reflects the dreams of its people.

An Anthology of Castle Point

Artists collaborating with schools and community groups leading to a public exhibition at HOFS 30 Jan – 2 Feb 2025.

Open Arts and artist Sally Chinea Supporting mental wellbeing through creativity, artist Sally Chinea worked with 13 participants to explore Castle Point from fresh perspectives, creating journals that capture their hopes, dreams and reflections on the places they call home.

Little Lions Family Hub Sculpture by artist Erene Dellaporta & Mural by artist Charlie Stafford Little Lions Family Hub supports children, young people and families across Castle Point. Through creative workshops, artists Erene Dellaporta and Charlie Stafford worked with children and parents to explore their sense of place, resulting in tactile sculptures and a collaborative mural inspired by life in Castle Point.

Yellow Door Youth Centre and artist Kelly Buckley Yellow Door is youth service for young people aged 11 to 25. Artist Kelly Ann Buckley and singer-songwriter Lois Leon collaborated with local young people to create an audio-visual work using field recordings, music, film and spoken word, celebrating their experiences of living on Canvey Island.

Artistic Adventures Working with artist Pearl, a group of girls from Canvey Island's Jewish community explored ideas for a positive future for Castle Point. Inspired by values such as kindness, respect and caring for others, they created collages, paintings and poetry reflecting their hopes for the area.

Cornelius Vermuyden School and artist Simon Keenleyside GCSE Art & Design students at Cornelius Vermuyden School took part in workshops led by artist Simon Keenleyside. Exploring themes of landscape, place and belonging, students created artwork ranging from photography and painting to sculpture using found materials from the Thames Estuary.

Picture This: A Year in My Life

Picture this is a culmination of a year of work by 8 local photographers: Selena Chandler, Liam Heatherson, Rachel Welch, Florence Geary, Lynda Manning and Tim Eagle with professional support from Tessa Hallmann and Jack Delmonte. Meeting regularly to share work, discuss ideas, and gain professional support. Each photographer revealed their own unique perspective, creating a rich tapestry of life in Castle Point today.

Dreams of the Present / Dreams of the Future

Level 3 Extended Diploma in Illustration & Graphic Design and Level 4 Foundation Diploma in Art & Design students from USP College created work in response to a live brief to creatively imagine how where they live could be different now or in the future. 

The students created a range of imaginative and inspiring responses that include paintings, prints, illustrations, zines, posters, character designs and game designs. The creative responses were shared with the local council to inform future plans for Castle Point, giving students an opportunity to build their CVs by having their work showcased in an important project that outlines how an area should develop in the future. 

Video Stories

The project was documented throughout by photographer Tessa Hallmann and film maker George Morgan. Both George and Tessa have a strong interest in the importance of documenting local people and places, uncovering untold stories and recording and celebrating communities and their experiences.

Desire Paths

What is the social fabric? The relationships and connections people have with each other, or perhaps the degree to which people share visions and imaginings of the world?

‘Desire Paths’ is a project led by artists Laura Whiting, Kate Monson and Liam Heatherson exploring these questions through a series of walks in Hadleigh, Canvey and Thundersley. The walks incorporated creative activities along the way to explore neighbourhoods, collecting diverse creative responses including poetry, architectural observations and photography.

The set of three hanging panels act as a display for some of the creative responses gathered through these walks.

Timescapes

Led by artist Liam Heatherson, Timescapes connected local community groups through heritage in their surroundings. The exhibition tells the story of how Castle Point has been shaped by individuals and developments over the past century to make it what it is today, with the hope of encouraging the viewer to consider how the area has changed or been preserved, and how it might evolve over the next few decades.