Swindon: creativity reigniting the civic heart
Shahina Johnson with Create Co-Directors Marilyn Fitzgerald and Gurchetan Singh and the Create team © Elmar Rubio for Create Studios
Listening to unheard voices
Shahina Johnson MBE is a member of the Swindon Cultural Quarter Steering Group, and Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Create Studios. A thriving film production company, Create Studios supports and trains new talent into the industry and has a history in Swindon that spans over 35 years. Shahina is one of the people leading change in Swindon and is part of a diverse community that is passionate about renewing Swindon’s cultural heritage while also making the town centre an inclusive welcoming place to be.
“Swindon is benefiting from the Towns Deal investment and that's fantastic. It's building on an established track record of expertise and ambition from our cultural organisations, heritage partners and the development teams.” explains Shahina.
Shahina, who trained in Swindon, reflects on what inspires her to play a leadership role in the cultural sector: “I am an Asian woman, and there was no one who looked or sounded like me working in the arts and certainly not in the media when I was growing up. So when I look at our programming and model of working - which is centered on diverse talent development, it completely motivates me.”
Talent development, training and opportunity are at the heart of the Create Studios model. “I know that if you give a young person an opportunity to train, particularly a person whose voice may not ordinarily be heard, it actually makes a difference, because I've seen the difference in my life,” says Shahina.
Create Studio is a social enterprise model that generates income and offers employment opportunities by delivering media production for partners as diverse as Chelsea FC and English Heritage. Shahina is proud of the hundreds of young people who have come through Create Studios over the years and of the work the organisation does to support the cultural ecosystem in Swindon.
“We're recognised nationally for the work we're doing here in Swindon, as one of four National Portfolio Organisations in the town, recognised and funded by Arts council England,” says Shahina.
“We're really committed to supporting Swindon's ambition for the regeneration of the town centre and its cultural offer. There's excellent work happening, which is being acknowledged both locally and nationally. We’re focused on building the fabric and the infrastructure to really support that work.”
Reigniting the Town Centre
Swindon is a well-connected town in southwest England with a rich heritage of innovation, technology and railway infrastructure. It is home to the National Trust headquarters and the National Archives and is characterised by committed, resourceful and creative people. Yet in recent years there has been a hollowing out of the town centre, with investment drawn to its outskirts. Across the borough there’s also been a drop in residents aged 25 - 30, with many taking the short journey to cities close by such as London and Bristol.
Create Studios aims to change that trend.
“We want to see more young people that are aspirational and have civic pride, using the digital creative industries to explore a career for themselves so they don't feel they have to move away to London or Bristol to develop that career,” explains Shahina.
A new heritage home for the creative digital industries
A strategic intent of the Swindon Town Investment Plan (TIP) is to focus on reigniting the town centre, and bringing people back to what was historically the beating heart of Swindon. “The civic focus of a town should be where everything is thriving. Ultimately, people's perceptions of a town are wrapped up in the centre of a place and I think that's why we want to focus our investment in the centre of Swindon,“ explains Sam Rackham, who is Town Centre Development Project Manager at Swindon Borough Council. The Swindon Town Deal provides an opportunity to develop a permanent home for Create Studios in the Carriage Works in the centre of town, while also improving the transport and connectivity into the centre.
Built in the late 1800s as part of the GWR railway infrastructure, once the largest industrial site in Europe, the Carriage Works is an important asset within Swindon’s Heritage Action Zone (HAZ). The HAZ initiative from Historic England is seeking to revitalise Swindon’s historic Railway Village, originally built to provide housing for GWR employees. The Carriage Works buildings are being steadily transformed for life in the 21st century. With funding from the Swindon Town Deal, a previously vacant unit is set to house a purpose-built facility for Create Studios.
The town centre location will welcome people from all backgrounds to participate in creative activities, right in the centre of Swindon. With Town Deal backing the project aims to double participation and engagements within five years, and double the audiences for digital media exhibitions, with the development of new exhibition and screening spaces in the town.
“Now we’re able to make a fit for purpose, accessible, funky premises for people like me, who didn't see themselves in places like that when they were growing up, to train and enter the high-growth digital creative industries. When people come in, they’ll see diversity and they'll see role models that they can relate to,” says Shahina.
The scheme will see Shahina and her team bring innovative digital technologies to a historic location.
Create has continued to forge connections and highlight Swindon’s cultural heritage, making the Carriage Works a fitting home. “For us to be in a heritage building feels really natural,” explains Shahina. “One of our projects is working with 12 young people to make a documentary about the history of the Health Hydro and the refurbishment to bring it back into use, as part of our Town Deal. We're kind of pioneers for the digital creative industries here in Swindon, so it’s exciting to be bringing that innovation to the Carriage Works.”
Also located within the Railway Village, the Health Hydro in Swindon was built in the 1890s by a generation of industrious pioneers, who worked on the railways and built many significant heritage sites in the town. The Health Hydro was one of the first public health and wellbeing centres in the country, and will be refurbished with funds from the Swindon Town Deal, creating a unique leisure and visitor attraction. As a centrepiece for the wider regeneration of the HAZ, it is hoped that the experiences on offer will help change perceptions of Swindon town centre.
Swindon is a treasure trove of heritage and new creative culture. By valuing and supporting young people, and with support from organisations and passionate individuals, the Town is on a journey to reignite that pioneering, forward- thinking Swindon spirit.
This story was written from conversations with Shahina Johnson MBE, member of the Swindon Cultural Quarter Steering Group, and Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Create Studios; Sam Rackham, Town Centre Development Project Manager at Swindon Borough Council; and Karen Phimister, Heritage Action Zone Project Officer, Swindon Borough Council.
Swindon is one of 101 places invited by the Government to develop Town Deal proposals to deliver long-term economic recovery, clean growth, jobs and prosperity as part of the £3.6 billion Towns Fund. Swindon has submitted a successful Town Investment Plan and secured a Town Deal of up to £19.5 million. Swindon is currently developing business cases to take forward their Town Deal proposals.