JanineSeacroft to be twinned with Lille neighbourhoods to support and strengthen “overlooked” communities
By Tony Macaluso Contributing Editor Eva Peros
To many of its residents and beyond, Seacroft is well known as having one of the most picturesque village greens in the North of England. Also known for its folklore tales of Boggart monsters and medieval battles, this once sleepy East Leeds village evolved after the Second World War to become home to a huge council estate, and during the sixties the Queen came to open the Seacroft Green Shopping Centre.
These days, it is best known for its lively arts scene, social change makers and recent re-emergence of its much-loved red kites, which continue to soar over its scenic green spaces. And now, it looks set to introduce an international vibe to its long and rich history, after being twinned with two “sister” neighbourhoods; Moulins and Fives, in the French city of Lille.
Aimed primarily at enabling overseas communities to connect and to share ideas and resources, twinning can bring significant benefits to local neighbourhoods like Seacroft, Moulins and Fives, which are often overlooked when international projects and partnerships are being developed. By working together, such collaborations can open up youth education opportunities, develop diverse economies and tackle emerging social issues.
Paired towns often share common interests and pasts, so one could be forgiven for wondering what commonalities exist between these three neighbourhoods. The short answer, is more than you would think.
For starters, both Leeds and Lille are cities that are surrounded by former coalmining countryside and have strong traditions of DIY, music and other arts. Lille also mirrors Leeds in that it is recognised for its no-nonsense personality types and distinct local dialect – known in France as Ch’ti – which seem to have a Yorkshire-like quality. In addition, both have seen significant global immigration in recent years and are major railway hubs.
Members of the We Are Seacroft network (www.weareseacroft.org) – which is made up of the LS14 Trust, Fall into Place Theatre and Chapel FM Arts Centre – made a recent trip to Lille to explore first-hand how their communities could work together, particularly on grassroots arts and social change projects that could make a positive difference to its residents. There, they took in a number of sights, sounds and culinary delights, including:
⦁ The ⦁ Bal ⦁ à⦁ Fives, an epic dance party that takes place in Lille seven times a year in an enchanting old cinema, with a view to holding similar events in Seacroft
⦁ Visionary grassroots food projects such as ⦁ Cuisine Commune, Attacafa, and ⦁ Oh My Good! where they learned about ways of growing food in challenging urban spaces using various techniques, including one known as aquaponics; a food production system that involves aquatic animals and plants. They also explored the value of shared, online cooking classes in helping to mitigate the ever-rising cost of living
⦁ A joint community media project, where Seacroft guests joined ⦁ Radio Moulins on their velo radio – or radio bike – for an impromptu radio show, during which they interviewed local community members about feminism and teenage life. This broadcast can be heard here https://www.chapelfm.co.uk/elfm-player/archive/2023/06/home-from-home-clare-and-velo-toutes-animations-bike-activities/
Nick Wanklyn from Lille’s Department of International Relations, was part of the delegation who welcomed the Seacroft team. Summing up their visit, whilst reflecting on how communities have evolved during recent times, he said: “They came to Lille through the Chunnel and ended up at the refurbished Fives Cail factory, where the original tunnel excavators were built in the 80s, only to eat sustainably developed, dried mealworm crackers at the on-site urban farm!”
Katy Hayley (Right) from Chapel FM makes a pit stop on the velo radio (radio bike) to speak to young people in Lille about feminism and teenage life
Radio Moulins and the We are Seacroft network air their street radio broadcast about their neighbourhoods’ shared interests (Photo credit: We Are Seacroft)
Whilst the collaboration is still in its early stages, the Seacroft team has since its visit, already been busy planning a series of events and activities over the coming months for local residents to enjoy, including:
⦁ A Bal a Fives-inspired dance party, due to take place this Saturday (17th June) at Seacroft’s Village Green. Part of Leeds 2023 City of Culture, the giant outdoor music festival – entitled the ⦁ Seacroft ⦁ Musicathon – will feature more than 40 bands and 200 musicians performing over 24 hours. An ensemble from Lille will be among those joining the party remotely to announce the new partnership to residents
⦁ Chapel FM Arts Centre’s annual ⦁ Writing on Air Festival of original literature, which will be broadcast later this year and will feature poets from Lille, as well those from Leeds’s other sister cities
⦁ An array of planned projects between local young people, We Are Seacroft and their French counterparts, including food, music and sporting initiatives, a visitor exchange programme and joint radio shows and podcasts
⦁ An exciting opportunity for two people from Leeds to deliver English language and culture workshops to local children in Lille. This unique programme, which takes place during the coming school year over a period of nine months, is open to applicants aged between 18 and 25. Further information on these ⦁ paid positions can be found here.
⦁ A special episode of East Leeds FM Radio’s ⦁ Red Kite⦁ youth podcast and radio show, due to air this summer, featuring teenagers from Lille and Leeds, who will be discussing social change within their communities
⦁ A host of joint projects involving the ⦁ LS14 Trust Food Pantry and Community Kitchen , ⦁ Climate Action Seacroft and community groups in Lille.
This partnership will make Moulins and Fives Leeds’ seventh “sister” neighbourhood. Leeds City Council’s International Relations Manager, Henriette Maharana, who has been involved in the project since its inception last autumn, said: “The idea of trying to pair particular neighbourhoods can be a great way of making them more visible to the world and in making a concrete difference to its residents. Seacroft seemed an obvious choice to us because the third sector and arts organisations there have really come together in a creative way in recent years. So it’s been easy to plan lots of different strands of joint activity with our French counterparts, who share many of the same interests and attributes as ours.”
Jérôme Pianezza, Lille’s elected official for International & European Affairs and Combatting Discrimination, added: “The two French neighbourhoods share some of Seacroft’s history of economic hardship, complicated city-planning and above all, feisty and creative independent spirits! Connecting these neighbourhoods provides excellent opportunities for local residents, particularly for young people. But equally, this is also about bringing people from different neighbourhoods who have shared interests closer together and the immense, long-lasting rewards that this will continue to generate for all.”
Where Seacroft’s sister neighbourhood partnerships go from here is very much in the hands of local residents and We are Seacroft welcomes everyone’s thoughts, ideas and input. To find out more, or to get involved, you can contact us at: hello@weareseacroft.org.uk.
