Lucy Asbridge is Heritage Consultant at Haley Sharpe, https://haleysharpe.com/ a multidisciplinary studio developing museums and visitor experiences in the UK and globally.
We asked Lucy a few questions about her time spent with Bourne Town Hall Trust:
How are you helping Bourne Town Hall Trust with their regeneration project?
Together with the Bourne Town Hall Trustees, Haley Sharpe is creating an Activity Plan which will set down all the events, activities, and programmes the Town Hall will deliver through this project. Working with communities, partners, and visitors, the aim of the Activity Plan is to engage as many people as possible in the Town Hall, its history, heritage, and the arts. We are creating a programme of exciting and unique activities to really showcase the incredible building and its past, and transform it into a welcoming arts centre at the heart of the community.
Which is your favourite part of the Old Town Hall building?
I am fascinated by the small stories behind great historic places. When I first visited Bourne Town Hall I was shown something really incredible - in the centre of one of the bricks at the back of the building is a perfect cat pawprint. It really sparked my imagination thinking about why that cat was there, and imagining the builders seeing the pawprint in the brick and including it in the building anyway!
What have you discovered which is surprising/interesting/unexpected while working on this project?
That every person behind Bourne Town Hall is a volunteer! Since the Town Hall was taken over by the community, they have put on many inspirational and exciting events and activities which have been incredibly well attended and loved by visitors. You can really see the passion that all trustees and volunteers have for this building come through in everything they do, and it has given the Town Hall a real feeling of community spirit.
Thank you very much for these very interesting updates 👍❤️