Last August, Colour in Romford reached its crowdfunding target of £24,667 – including £11k from the Mayor through Crowdfund London. We chatted to Managing Director Sarah Walters to learn more…
Can you tell us about your idea?
Romford is a great town, a town that we are very passionate about, but it is also quite a grey one. We set out on a crusade to brighten up Romford with some colour so we developed our ‘Colour in Romford’ idea to bring art to the streets.
The ethos behind Colour in Romford is simple – we believe that art is for everyone. We want the community to see art as soon as they walk out their front door. Having art on your doorstep is far more accessible to most people than having to visit an intimidating white cube space in London. We want Colour in Romford to brighten up our community and touch people’s everyday lives.
How has Crowdfund London helped you?
It’s allowed us to pursue a project that may not have been possible without all the support both from Crowdfund London and the community. We applied for Crowdfund London because it’s an absolutely fantastic way for us to include our community in the fundraising process and it means we can ensure our projects are supported (and loved) by them, as well as us. Crowdfund London lets the community take ownership and really feel that they are a part of the artwork.
We’ve met some amazing people through Crowdfund London who’ve inspired us no end. From the moment we pitched at City Hall, through to seeing the murals installed, the process has been full of learning and has given us so many ideas for the future.
What would you tell people thinking of applying?
I’d say just go for it. The only way you can make your community the place you want to live is if you get involved. Be part of that change. It’s surprising what you can achieve as a resident and as a member of the community, just by putting some energy into it and this is the perfect chance to make your plans come to life.
What have you been up to since you hit your funding target?
We’ve put up two new pieces of street art so far and there’s more on the way. We’re really excited to have the internationally renowned Ben Eine create those murals for us. For one of these pieces, we contacted the band Underworld, who have had a long association with Romford. They allowed us to use some of their lyrics from cult classic ‘Born Slippy’ and Ben chose ‘shimmering and dirty’ from the song, which sums up Romford very well.
What are your plans for the future?
Our original plan was to transform Romford into a painted town and we are still reaching for that goal. We’re gathering momentum and support, but we have a lot more to paint until then!