Creating a Sense of Place for Barry

March 2019: Barry-making waves, Place Manager and Place Board

The Barry – making waves project is now under way with the appointment of a Place Manager for Barry. Mererid Velios has a background in public art and regeneration and is already familiar with Barry having worked on several projects here over the past 10 years.

The Place Manager has been working with consultants ThinkingPlace to establish a Place Board for Barry. On March 8th the inaugural meeting of the Barry Place Board took place and the Board will be meeting bi-monthly to drive forward the Work streams outlined below.

• mvelios@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk

March 2018: Heritage Lottery Fund, Great Place Scheme (Wales) pilot: Barry-making waves

Barry-making waves is one of five projects in Wales which has been awarded funding by the Heritage Lottery Fund to take part in a pilot scheme for the period 2018-2021:

Barry-making waves is lead by the Vale of Glamorgan Council in partnership with Barry Town Council and Memo Arts Centre.  Three work streams will provide the focus for the delivery of the Barry - making waves programme of activities.

Work stream 1: Partnerships and good governance - this will feature the appointment of a Place Manager for Barry to lead the development and implementation of the project; and, the establishment of a Place Board (drawn from a broad spectrum of the place community) to support and champion the changes necessary during this process and ensure that the work of continually managing and developing the place is driven forwards.

Work stream 2: Embedding Heritage and Culture in long term plans and activities for Barry - this will include the development, design and publication of two strategic documents; the Barry Story book, an informative and inspiring document that relates to the new story of Barry intended for stakeholders; and, the Barry Design Toolkit to enable partners and stakeholders to use the brand proposition in their activities.

Work stream 3: Building Social Capital - will concentrate on three activities, the establishment of a Community Volunteers Bank; the delivery of a Digital Place Making project; and, a Marketing and Outreach programme. All of the above actions are mutually reinforcing and align positively with the Activities and Outcomes described in the Heritage Lottery Fund Great Place Scheme guidance. 

January 2017: Community Engagement workshops and stakeholder interviews

From the information and insights gleaned from both the community sessions and the stakeholder interviews, the report (Towards a New Idea and Brand for Barry (February 2017) goes on to clarify Barry’s story and propose a new set of concepts and ideas (Barry-making waves) that form the basis for a fresh set of brand values for the town, and ways of representing those brand values visually.

May 2016: Regeneration Forum 25 May: Creating a Sense of Place for Barry

Sense of Place led regeneration involves engaging with and re-inspiring community and tourism groups about their locality to harness their knowledge in order to provide improved and enriched interpretation of that place, and an increased sense of pride and ownership. Sense of Place was a workshop topic which generated considerable interest and discussion at the Inaugural Forum held in 2014.  Attendance for the 2016 Forum was encouraged from across a broad range of organisations, residents and local interest groups and 100 delegates registered to attend.

Here are a selection of useful documents associated with the Forum and video contributions from Professor Dai Smith (broadcaster, historian and writer on the arts and cultural issues) and a voxpop with contributions by individuals from across the community:

The report Regeneration Through Sense of Place (June 2016) provides a commentary on potential ways forward for the town with regards to development of Sense of Place as a tool for regeneration.

November 2014: Inaugural Regeneration Forum 25 November: Shaping the Future of Barry

The Regeneration Forum serves to bring together people from different parts of the Barry community, giving them an opportunity to interact and discuss the issues affecting the fabric of the town and surrounding area. Acting as a platform for engagement and a springboard for collaboration, the purpose is to trigger conversations and extract ideas from people who are passionate about the area and the future prosperity and well-being of its residents.

The aim of the event was to consider the next steps for Barry following the close of the Regeneration Area programme earlier in 2014; and, to examine the emerging challenges and opportunities for Barry and its communities.  The event was attended by more than 80 delegates from the public, private and third sector along with local residents and representatives from community groups in Barry.

Here are a selection of useful documents associated with the Forum and video contributions: