Stonehouse Action have been building up their activity along the street for five years now and it is starting to pay off!The fourth Union Street Party was bigger than ever, the weather was kind and huge range of organisations, volunteers and businesses got involved. Closing Union Street, celebrating local talent and the local area has established this as a major local event in the area. We are really proud that this event is growing and raising the profile of the street and the local community in the city. Our local Councillors supported the cost of the street closure this time which was fantastic as this is usually our biggest outgoing.

The party is supported by local businesses and lots of in kind support from all sorts of people that love Union Street.

Last year to celebrate 100 years since the Three Towns joined to form Plymouth everything was inspired by 100 things, working together with Glad Rags and Stonehouse Timebank there was…100 hearts flash mob on Valentines Day, 100 seeds with local stories by artist Ann Marie Culhane, 100 lanterns with Take A Part, 100 feasts and 100 hand decorated cupcakes. 100 homes is still continuing with PQA arts and Stonehouse Timebank collecting wonderful stories of local homes, knitting and sewing homes and gathering stories on Facebook that will be presented during History Month this year.

Now we have taken on a lease for 96 Union Street – Union Corner - which was a run-down derelict bit of land and shop. We’ve spent time discussing ideas, finding

out who wants to be involved and how to progress the project. We have now started to transform the space into a garden and a shop space to build up community activity and business ideas for the area. We have already hosted a 100 seeds exhibition, a Lantern Parade, Café Concrete and Light Fantastic projecting on to the Palace. It feels like a really special local space already - we’re really excited to be getting this open and up and running this year.

Last year we rendered the outside wall and did some basic work to the inside – insulation, electrics, doors and clearing out two skips load of rubble and junk. Nick Frood a local builder did the wall with in kind contributions and part funded by Spectrum Housing and Sovereign Housing. Plymouth Community Homes have donated a disabled toilet pack and a boiler and Plymouth College of Art have offered an MA in Creative Entrepreneurship to support activity in the shop and explore more sustainable future working.

All of this is thanks to support from lots of volunteers that are part of the Stonehouse Timebank, the Probation Service, a local architect from Research+Design, the landlord and many others who have been offering advice, time and enthusiasm to the project

We have had funding from Community First to do some basic work and Vital Sparks which will add some really special touches this year. The support and excitement about this opportunity are amazing, and making a real physical difference on the street will get more people involved as well as improving how the area feels for local people.

Everything Stonehouse Action do is about bringing people together. Other local organisations bring the special touch including the Glad Rags, Stonehouse Timebank, Oasis Café, Stonehouse Play Association, Stepping Stones to Stonehouse, Plymouth School of Creative Arts, KARST, George House, Millfields Trust, Take A Part, FotoNow and Flameworks, so it’s amazing when all these people pull together what we can do to create something special.

This year Union Street is 200 years old and it feels like it is going to be a year of exciting change as the local community and businesses pull together to help the street reach its potential in creative, fun and unusual ways that harness local peoples love for the area.

The Union Street Party will be on Sunday 27 September 2015

Stonehouse Action will also be spending this year exploring how to become more sustainable and are looking for new volunteers to join them… just get in touch!

stonehouseaction@yahoo.co.uk

www.stonehouseaction.org.uk

@Stonehouse_Act

Design work for the Street Party is thanks to 51 Studio and photos thanks to Dom Moore