The decline of high streets is a concern for many people in Gwynedd, but Arloesi Gwynedd Wledig are trying to tackle this issue using creative solutions!
The high street was the focal point for communities all over Wales. It offered job opportunity, a place for small businesses to thrive and was the driving force for the local and regional economy.
Today the local high street is challenged by the huge increase in online shopping, shopping centres and large supermarkets. All these factors have had a detrimental effect on our high street which has contributed largely to the decline around town centres across Wales.
Zoe Pritchard, AGW manager explains “Today users are looking for a range of experiences on our high streets, from shopping to leisure to entertainment to health services. Today our high streets should offer a unique experience that people can’t find anywhere else.”
Over the last few months we’ve been working with three communities across Gwynedd, Nefyn, Criccieth and Palace Street in Caernarfon. Each of these communities had creative and exciting ideas to respond to the challenge facing their high street.
If you’ve walked down Palace Street in Caernarfon recently you’ll have noticed colourful umbrellas above your head! Caernarfon’s idea was the have an art installation above the street to add to the image of the street but also to attract people to the street. The art installation has been very popular so far with hundreds of photos of it being shared on social media, and people traveling specially to see it.
We went to the street to ask people’s opinion on it and 99% agreed that the art work gave a good impression of the street, whilst 61% agreed or agreed strongly the art work made them spend more money on the street.
Criccieth had many different ideas they wanted to pilot. Among them was The Creative Incident, which was a day of art activities, performances and workshops. They’re also encouraging local businesses to take part by exhibiting old photos of the shops to show the evolution of the high street, and have also placed pieces of art across the town. During The Creative Incident we asked visitors their opinion on all the different things happening. 80% strongly agreed that the art work and event made them spend more money on the street, and 100% strongly agreed the art work and event gave a good impression of the street.
Nefyn’s idea was to have a great big party on the high street, with live music, food and craft stalls and lots of activities. The Party on the Pavement was held on the 13th of July on the High Street in Nefyn, and they had a fantastic day! There was a wonderful atmosphere with many people turning up to support and enjoy. There were plenty of children’s activities during the day, giving families the chance to socialise, and artists such as Anweledig, Gwilym Bowen Rhys and Bwncath were entertaining the crowds later on!
This project has received funding through the Welsh Government Rural Communities - Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government. It’s also part funded by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and Gwynedd Council.