SELCRP is pleased to be hosting a new exhibition at Bolton Station’s P5 Gallery – ‘The Clitheroe Line: A Picturesque Journey’. It will be open Saturday 9th August as part of SELCRP’s Summer Fair event, and then every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday (10am-3pm) until the 28th of August.
The exhibition is the culmination of a project by Community Rail Lancashire and Arts 2 Heal, celebrating the beauty and diversity of the Clitheroe Line – the train line running from Manchester to Clitheroe via Bolton – as well as the stations and communities along the way. It also explores the journeys, both creative and personal, of the individuals who took part, working with the charity Arts 2 Heal.
Based in Blackburn, Arts 2 Heal is a community-driven organisation using arts-based interventions to connect with individuals experiencing mental health challenges. ‘The Clitheroe Line: A Picturesque Journey’ has seen users of the charity creatively express their connections to railway and place through work now on show, exploring a sense of belonging and civic pride.
The multi-media approach to the exhibition concept means it is an impactful and varied display – including the likes of local photography with decorated framing, sketches and even place-inspired poetry. It is organised in the gallery space by going from place to place, meaning that visitors can enjoy their own ‘journey’ through the locations and stations along the Clitheroe Line, powerfully represented through community art. Stations featured include Bolton, Hall-i’th’-Wood, Bromley Cross, Entwistle, Darwen, Blackburn, Ramsgreave & Wilpshire, Langho, Whalley, and Clitheroe.
Wednesday 6 August saw an event take place prior to the exhibition’s formal opening, with Arts 2 Heal participants arriving on the train from Blackburn to see their art in the P5 Gallery Space for the first time. It was an opportunity to celebrate the work on display and culminated with some readings and a buffet in the adjacent Community Room.
