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In-Situ Art. Ideas. Connections. Rooted in Pendle. Also at
This is Nelson.

Artists Rob St John and Diane Muldowney have gathered 100 stories about nightlife in Nelson, from the 1950s to the prese...
24/09/2026

Artists Rob St John and Diane Muldowney have gathered 100 stories about nightlife in Nelson, from the 1950s to the present day, and housed them in a jukebox, alongside an exhibition of photography and films, which will be on display for everyone to listen to from Wednesday 14th October in Nelson Library.

The recordings were gathered across 2025 and 2026 by Rob St John, with Diane Muldowney and Michael Powell. Fourteen were never collected at all: people had taped themselves, or left a VHS camera running on a last night of a club, and their recordings had sat in a drawer for years.

"Taken together they are about more than nightlife. They are a record of what people here have built for themselves when nothing was built for them, and how often those places were lost again: to fire, to closure, to the price of the ground they stood on. They are also about this valley. The canal that carried coal and cotton, the moor that had to be fought for, the dark sky above a lit town." - Rob St John.

The exhibition launches on Wednesday 14th October 5-7 at Nelson Library and will be open during library opening hours until 16th January.

The project was commissioned by In-Situ as part of This is Nelson, and made by artists Rob St John, Tommy Perman, Michael Shorter and Diane Muldowney.

Funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery players The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Supported by Lancashire Archives. The National Lottery

17/09/2026

This is a huge milestone for Hillo Hub and we hope to see you there

PLACE-BASED LIVED REALITIES : THE HILLO HUB PROJECT
Creativity, Health & Spirituality

A film screening and conversation exploring women, wellbeing, culture, spirituality and the realities of everyday life— challenging generational stigmas and creating space for change.

For the women we are, and the ones we’re raising.

Hillo Hub is a women’s programme — but this conversation is for everyone. Women are warmly invited, and we encourage men to join us too.

A film By Alina Akbar
Produced by Zoya Bhatti

Followed by an in-conversation:

Alina Akbar -Artist In-residence
Zoya Bhatti - Co-founder HH
Ruby Anwar - Co-founder HH
Victoria McCoy - Pendle Leisure Trust

This is a huge milestone for Hillo Hub and we really hope to see you all there.

If you cannot make the lunch time one, please try to join us for the evening screening at 6pm -7:30pm - same venue.

Hillo Hub
Pendle Leisure Trust
Together an Active Pendle
Pendle Council
Harwes Farm CIC
Breaking Cycles CIC
Sport England

We publicly launched Climate Lab Pendle at Festival of Culture this year and had great discussions with local people. Re...
09/09/2026

We publicly launched Climate Lab Pendle at Festival of Culture this year and had great discussions with local people.

Resident Artist Temujen Gunawardena created a window splash at Building Bridges with a focus on Pendle, People's democracy, sharing power, conversations and listening.

We asked:
For you is Climate Change.... a hoax / a minor issue / a moderate issue/ a serious issue
Where does power lie?
If anything, what gives you hope?
Where do you get your information from?

We thought it was interesting that this is the 3rd year we've discussed the Climate crisis with people at this same festival, and we felt that far more people were ready to talk about it, and state that they thought it was a 'serious issue'

Alongside the talking, we hosted The People's Speak's performance on the main stage. Based on the idea of an incoming deluge, audience members were invited to wear animal masks and join a panel of 'animal experts' to discuss the topics from various different social positions, and decide who or what we would let onto the ark.

Talkaoke, a mainstay of the festival and a familiar pop up sight in Nelson, was a place more listening and talking - all of which we'll feed into our programme.

Through these activities we were able to test the temperature in Nelson, and see where people are at with their relationship to the Climate Crisis; how they are describing what's happening, how they are being informed, plus sources of hope, beliefs about power and what they are able to imagine for the future.

We gathered so much information about local thought, and our film-maker in residence Graham captured lots of these conversations, which will be collectively edited as a film about the public engagement what we're doing in Nelson.

Do get in touch if you'd like to get involved.

We’ve been exploring how embedding intergenerational mentorship within a project supports the empowerment, confidence an...
13/07/2026

We’ve been exploring how embedding intergenerational mentorship within a project supports the empowerment, confidence and agency of young people.

The This Is Nelson Young People’s Group worked with RESOLVE Collective over several months, transforming the upstairs of 3B systems into a “dream space” for creativity, socialising, and skill-building.

This was followed by collaborating with musician collective Agony Massive in learning new skills and hosting events in 3B systems.

In-Situ are looking at how 3B can be used over the next few years, with a view to exploring how to use the space to support community-led projects and ideas including local artists spaces, hires and place for ground-up ideas to flourish.

Led by artist Dana Olărescu and her Taste of Transformation work, together with Super Slow Way, Food Nelson explores foo...
08/07/2026

Led by artist Dana Olărescu and her Taste of Transformation work, together with Super Slow Way, Food Nelson explores food politics and community wellbeing and explores what a sustainable food system would look like for the people in Nelson.

Through workshops, shared meals, and experimental festivals, participants turn food politics into lived experiences and collective action and created Nelson’s Food Manifesto.

“We began to centre the This Is Nelson Collective gatherings around food. It starts to share the leadership out - rather than information sharing being ‘top down’, sharing food at the same time makes everything less formal and it becomes more of a conversation” (Michael Powell, In-Situ).

We’ll continue to explore this way of holding conversations alongside enjoying food, working with Youth Works, a group of young cooks from Marsden Heights who have been hosting community meals locally, and Super Slow Way, alongside Dana.

📸 Jack Bolton & Diane Muldowney

Zoya Bhatti, In-Situ staff member and Nelson resident, saw her own understanding and practice as an artist-practitioner ...
06/07/2026

Zoya Bhatti, In-Situ staff member and Nelson resident, saw her own understanding and practice as an artist-practitioner progress as her work with young people and This Is Nelson developed around her.

"When I grew up, youth culture meant meeting mates in a certain location at a certain time - hanging out in quarries, cool derelict areas. Now when we ask young people what youth culture looks like, many are don't know, because the digital world has changed the landscape."

“The time they are having with In-Situ is probably the only IRL time these young people are getting - conversing, exchanging and challenging. These sorts of third spaces which are not home/ school/ mosque; are so important.”

"The methodologies developed and tested through TIN - place-based, trust-led, genuinely collaborative- has naturally rippled into other areas of my work including Hillo Hub, around place-based practice, partnership work and space activation."

"Having the personal connection to place, strengthens my ability to create inclusive and welcoming spaces where participants feel confident sharing ideas and contributing creatively. All our sessions hold elements of playfulness, imagination, challenge, which are key to opening up new possibilities and skills."

"I’m finding that in Nelson, what's classed as arts and culture is being challenged through the work these young people are creating - there's a real confidence in these young people to bring these ideas forward and a real new found confidence in myself and my practice to be able to support these ideas further as pieces of art works connected to a place."

"Something big I am noting is the change from people asking: What’s the point of the work? to "how can my child be involved?" This has given me more confidence in my own work."

"Moving forward into future work with In-Situ and young people, I will carry forward a stronger understanding of youth-led practice, the importance of listening and building trust over time, and the value of creating inclusive spaces where young people feel ownership over both the process and outcomes of creative work."

Transforming Nelson’s disused spaces into creative and conversational hubs has been central to This Is Nelson.This is Ne...
02/07/2026

Transforming Nelson’s disused spaces into creative and conversational hubs has been central to This Is Nelson.

This is Nelson has been described as "a vehicle of civic pride" - a reimagining of what Nelson can be.

Spaces included Althams (old travel agents), 3B Systems (computer shop), Pendle Rise (former shopping centre), and outdoor public areas. Artists collaborated with local residents, embedding creative practices as tools for conversation, storytelling, and community building. We focused on participation, agency, and long-term relationships rather than just the final artwork.

3B Systems hosted exhibitions including British Textile Biennial artists Eva Sajovic and Alexis Maxwell who responded to today’s Nelson in collaboration with residents. The Young People’s Group transformed the space into a chill hub with support from artist collective RESOLVE. Over at Pendle Rise, we’ve hosted meetings, gigs, meals and crazy golf!

The This Is Nelson Collective have a shared vision for creating more welcoming public spaces in the coming months and years. We will continue to support this collective willingness to collaborate, create and care for our town.

01/07/2026

This is Nelson and Agony Massive invite you to:

Unlocking Nelson

Date: Tuesday 14th July
Time: 6pm-10pm
Location: Upstairs at 3B systems, Carr Road, Nelson, BB9 7JS

An immersive art exhibition inspired by youth culture in Nelson. Through sound and multimedia installations, this exhibition invites you to see Nelson through the eyes of its youth. Come unlock their stories and explore how young people’s experiences redefine this town.

Everyone welcome!
We hope to see you all there!



This Is Nelson's People’s Assemblies were open-to-all, with food and childcare provided. They began as fact-sharing sess...
01/07/2026

This Is Nelson's People’s Assemblies were open-to-all, with food and childcare provided. They began as fact-sharing sessions and evolved into joyous celebrations and community banquets with people discussing plans.

"knowing that we have a voice in building and shaping the community’s future not only empowers me but also inspires me to strive to create changes that benefit all."

"The sprit of community is only felt when you join, when you feel the enjoyment, be part of the noise and let your voice go in spaces where it never been."

"It takes time to build and maintain strong relationships. And sometimes you have to go small for these connections to be strong, when big is more visible, and often more valued".

Learning from This Is Nelson, we will continue to listen deeply to others, to value everyone's contribution and during Climate Lab Pendle. Testing a kind of participatory democracy model, we will hear what people think, before sharing this with decision makers, then returning to the same people for reflection.

This_is_Nelson and Agony Massive invite you to:Unlocking NelsonDate: Tuesday 14th JulyTime: 6pm-10pmLocation: Upstairs a...
01/07/2026

This_is_Nelson and Agony Massive invite you to:

Unlocking Nelson

Date: Tuesday 14th July
Time: 6pm-10pm
Location: Upstairs at 3B systems, Carr Road, Nelson, BB9 7JS

An immersive art exhibition inspired by youth culture in Nelson. Through sound and multimedia instillations, this exhibition invites you to see Nelson through the eyes of its youth. Come unlock their stories and explore how young people's experiences redefine this town!

Everyone welcome.
We hope to see you all there!

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The Garage, Northlight, Glen Way
Brierfield
BB95HW

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