Imagine

Two days of West Cumbrian carnival themed fun

In April 2026 an exciting event was happening in Whitehaven’s town centre. Local arts organisation Everyone Here brought the Imagine Festival back to West Cumbria for its second consecutive year. The town was filled with exhibitions, creative activity, and performances. The sun was even shining- always a sign that the weekend was going to be good fun. 

At the centre of the festival was St Nicholas Church and Gardens where FLOAT was based. Here visitors enjoyed an exhibition, made float decorations, and watched a range of performances which celebrated West Cumbrian carnivals. There was something for all the family!

The University of Lancashire’s Natasha Dawson researched the local archives and recorded local people’s carnival stories which contributed to the creation of the exhibition. Local visual artist Janice Murray designed and created a replica float and carnival costumes with local schools and community groups in Frizington, Flimby, and Whitehaven. In addition, movement artist Katy Higgins worked with a Frizington school to create two dance pieces which were performed at the festival.

Performances from the Cowper School of Dance, the Imagine Choir, Whitehaven Brass Band, and local independent artists at intervals throughout the day added an electric atmosphere as the people of West Cumbria turned up to support those performing.

Lynda Buckland is a member of Everyone Here’s Jury for Joy and came up with the idea for a carnival themed project. She said,

‘It's been great being a part of the Jury for Joy, I've been involved in creative projects that I didn't think it was possible to be involved in here in West Cumbria. I've gained new skills, met new people and Everyone Here have brought out knowledge I didn't even know I had. The Everyone Here team are fantastic at listening to the Jury's voices and pull out a thread from this which becomes the focus for creative activity for the next year. I'm so impressed with their process you really feel heard.'

We also chatted to Amy Clark, Everyone Here’s programme developer, who reflected on the Imagine Festival and the Float project. She said,

'We had a really successful weekend, and ended up with an incredibly dynamic and diverse festival. Float was very nostalgic for a lot of the audience. The project brought together arts and research to provide a creative, interactive and educational experience all about West Cumbrian carnivals. Float started as a small seed of an idea and just grew and grew, the growth of the project shows what can happen when people work together successfully.'

We know some people may be unfamiliar with the work of Everyone Here so we asked Amy to tell us a little bit about Everyone Here and how they work with people. She said:

'Everyone Here is a community led arts organisation which aims to bring joy and creativity to West Cumbria. We believe everyone deserves to be creative and should have access to creativity. We work to bring creative activities and events along the Cumbrian coastline from Millom to the Solway Firth. We are led by a citizen’s jury - our Jury for Joy, who decide our creative programming using a citizen's led deliberative process which takes place twice a year. The jury is centres community voices and allows their ideas to guide the creative activity we produce in collaboration with artists, researchers and other partners.'

Amy went on to explain the opportunities she's had working with Everyone Here:

'No two days are the same working with Everyone Here, it's an incredibly varied and dynamic way of working - which is very exciting and speaks to the way we’re trying to approach culture and creativity! My days  can vary from planning an outdoor arts festival to meeting with partners to having cuppas with community groups. I've massively expanded my skill base and enjoy working in a dynamic and creative way that leads to much needed results’.

‘It's so exciting to look at and plan the creative programme for the year with the rest of the team and to see all the ideas then come to life. I moved away from Cumbria because I thought a career in the arts wasn't viable but now I've been able to follow the career I'm passionate about in West Cumbria by working with Everyone Here.'

Find out more about the project and see images and a video here, and read more about the Imagine Festival here.

Exploring

Exploring the (extra)ordinary spaces of West Cumbria

You may think that a walk round Workington's Hall Park is one of those ordinary everyday activities; whether you're walking the dog, relaxing during your dinnertime break, or enjoying a jog.

Today the park hosts a community garden, a pottery shop, a beautiful circular walk through woodlands and open fields with an abundance of wildlife, and the inaccessible ruin of Workington Hall and all the stories (and mysteries) that hide behind its walls.

But if we look at Hall Park through a different lens, we can imagine how different the space may have looked 100 years ago. This is not about historical accuracy but about using our imagination to add another dimension to a space we (as locals) see so often that it becomes ordinary.

We've included some photos sourced from Whitehaven Archive to get you thinking, but why don't you see what your own research could turn up? Or if that doesn't interest you just use your imagination- it's all about engaging with the space in a different way!

So next time you're in Hall Park and whilst you're enjoying the beautiful space it is today, maybe take a moment to imagine what the place may have looked like 100, 200, or 300 years ago and think about some of the stories those walls may hold.

Learning Partner

Since the inception of Everyone Here, West Cumbria’s Arts Council England-funded Creative People and Places programme, the University of Lancashire has assumed the role of Learning Partner, which is split between John Scanlan and Ursula Pool (our colleague in the School of Health, Social Work and Sport).

As an arts programme, Everyone Here can boast two unique features: one is its Citizen’s Jury (known as the Jury for Joy) and the other is its Community Evaluation Group, which is a sub-group of the Jury who undertake to evaluate the work of the programme.

John has been closely observing the workings of the Community Evaluation group since it first met and began to develop its novel methods, which aim to create an environment within which members of the community who are commissioning arts programming can better understand the processes involved. Something else they soon became aware of was that evaluation was something rather different than their preconceptions might have led them to expect …