Heckmondwike Salvation Army makes mark on town’s phone boxes

A Salvation Army community drop-in is making its mark on Heckmondwike by taking part in a project that creates unique art displays in renovated phone boxes. 

As it celebrates its first anniversary, the church and charity’s Friday Friends is a café and community space open to anyone who needs a warm space, friendship, signposting, or an affordable place for children to play.

In recent weeks, the church in Barracks Street has teamed up with Creative Scene, a local arts organisation based in Dewsbury and Keep Hecky Tidy, a community group committed to improving the local environment, to produce an art installation that will be displayed in phone boxes that are no longer in use. 

Janet Devine, Heckmondwike Corps Sergeant Major, said: “When Creative Scene approached us about the project, we jumped at the chance to be involved. Friday Friends is a very relaxed environment where people can just come and sit and enjoy a cup of tea, but we also want to offer activities for people to get involved in and this fitted perfectly. People enjoy fun, interactive sessions and get to contribute to the artwork being displayed in these unique phone box galleries. 

“As we celebrate the one year anniversary of Friday Friends, it’s a reminder that we’re not only a warm space, but a friendship space. Our message is we are here and we can support you. We call it church on a Friday.” 

The aim of the eight-week ‘People Powered Project’ run by Creative Scene, which anyone can take part in, is to make art accessible, as well as improve the appearance of the town. The phone boxes have been used as mini art galleries for two years now with Keep Hecky Tidy working with a number of community groups and schools to create artworks for them. 

Henry Raby, Creative Scene’s Participation and Engagement Lead, said: “Turning phone boxes into art galleries celebrates the visual art in the area and creates something unique that people can enjoy on the high street. 

“It’s community driven and about getting the community to create and have an input into these pieces, which is why we thought Friday Friends at The Salvation Army would be a perfect location. 

“The artwork will be on display throughout the festive period, so we felt peace was a strong theme. It’s generated lots of interesting playful conversations, collages, pictures. We like to think there are lots of routes in for people to give it a go even if they wouldn’t think of themselves as artists.”

With the help of freelance artist Rachael Gorton, the sessions involve discussion, drawing and collaging with a final artistic canvas created and displayed. 

Rachael said: “A lot of the themes have been inner peace, nature, and the peaceful places people find in the local area so the final artwork will represent these ideas.

“Art is really important not only in terms of visual presence in the community, but as a talking point. For some people art is something that happens in galleries and they will never see it, whereas we wanted to put it on the street and get everybody talking about it and engaging with it in their own way.” 

Participant Sam, a Salvation Army volunteer, said the project may inspire people to take up a new hobby. 

She said: “This involves everyone, not just people who would consider themselves ‘artists’. It’s real people that belong to the area and it’s giving them a voice. Whether they think of themselves as artistic or not, they’re part of team doing something to put on show for other people to see and enjoy. 

“Some people might not have picked up a pen or pencil since school, but this helps rekindle something that may have lay dormant for years, it might then give them a new hobby or get them thinking ‘I’ll give that a go’.” 

Lieutenant Abigail Gray, Salvation Army cluster support officer, works across West Yorkshire and has been making time every Friday to support this project. She said: “Art and creativity is how I connect with God. My spiritual formation is through creativity and art so this is my time to be in God’s presence, so I try not to miss these sessions.” 

Pam Lonsdale of Keep Hecky Tidy said: “The phone boxes are listed buildings, but had been badly vandalised so we worked with our local MP and local business PPG to renovate them. For the past two years, we’ve worked with schools, adults with additional needs, scouts and community groups to create these community galleries. They’ve gone from being an eyesore to an asset, so this has worked really well.” 

The sessions are taking place for the next few weeks. If you would like to take part just drop into Heckmondwike Salvation Army in Barracks Street between 10am and 12pm on Fridays. 

For more information on Heckmondwike Salvation Army search for them on Facebook.