Place Archives - Blackpool Social Club

12 Aug

Seaside Shuffle: local writers pen Blackpool anthology

Linda Hampton0 CommentsLiterature & Spoken Wordauthors, Blackpool, blackpool art scene, books, community, heritage, literature, memoir, Place, poetry, publication, Stories, tea amantes, writers

Local author Linda Hampton (Sailing To The Moon), hosted the launch of a unique collection of writings last week – Seaside Shuffle. As a contributing writer to the collection, she tells Blackpool Social Club readers how work from local writers manifested into a new publication It was a packed house at Tea Amantes Community Arts on Albert Road in Blackpool, as many of the 37 Blackpool-based-or-connected writers, and friends, piled into to celebrate the culmination of nearly a year’s work, the publication of the anthology Seaside Shuffle - an eclectic mix of writing styles, and points of view all summoning…

24 Jul

Story Trails Made us See Blackpool Differently

Linda Hampton0 CommentsFilm, Heritage, Visual Arts & Exhibitionsart exhibition, artist, Augmented Reality, Blackpool, community, entertainment, Exhibition, Film, heritage, history, library, local history, photography, Place, Virtual Reality

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] When you visit Central Library in Blackpool you expect to step into different worlds through the medium of books. Last weekend it was more ‘if you go into the library today, you’re sure of a big surprise!’ as audiences entered the worlds of Virtual Reality (VR) and interactive Augmented Reality (AR). Story Trails is the UK’s largest immersive storytelling project and brings together the past, present and future using the latest technology. Through immersive cinema experience, 3D maps of Blackpool or a VR headset bringing to life BFI & BBC archives, there was much to choose from. Throughout the…

31 Oct

BSC Halloween: a grisly tale from Layton Cemetery

Stephanie Cottle0 CommentsColumns & Opinion, HeritageBlackpool, heritage, history, local history, photography, Place

Content warning - this article contains graphic details relating to murder & suicide. Image credit - Stephanie Cottle Halloween 2021 is upon us. I know, you’re probably thinking, how on earth is it the end of October already? It really is scary how fast the months have gone by. For the past 18 months the earth has played host to a new spectre. One that shrouded our globe with a veil of uncertainty and chaos. There is however, no shadow without light. Throughout the pandemic we have seen enormous acts of selflessness. Latest government reports state that 47% of…

07 Aug

In Her Place: Our Electric Princess

Stephanie Cottle0 CommentsColumns & Opinion, HeritageBlackpool, community, community theatre, entertainment, heritage, performance, Place, Theatre

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Electric slide back in time with Stephanie Cottle and take a look at one of Blackpool’s historic buildings. Since the government announced further easing of COVID restrictions you may have noticed some curious creatures emerging from hibernation. No, I’m not talking about the return of the stag and hen parties, but rather a merry band of local thespians. Stretching out their long-rested legs, the colourful cohort have been taking to the streets of Blackpool and providing visitors to the town centre with some much needed fun and theatrics. But where are these captivating characters coming from? If you’ll allow…

30 Jun

All Locked Down and Nowhere to Go – part 1

Linda Hampton1 CommentVisual Arts & ExhibitionsBlackpool, cafe, lockdown, photographer, photography, Place

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Linda Hampton talks to Jill Reidy, one of Blackpool’s talented and prolific photographers and a member of Blackpool Social Club’s team, as she prepares to launch her latest exhibition ‘When the chairs went up’ this week. In PART 1 they discuss Jill’s personal experiences of lockdown and her inspiration for the work on show. Q: How has the last 15 months been for you both personally and professionally during the pandemic? Personally, like many others, I’ve found the pandemic a bit of a roller coaster. I had times when I despaired of ever seeing my grandchildren again; feared that…

07 Mar

In Her Place: Urban Skateboarding

Stephanie Cottle0 CommentsColumns & Opinion, Sports & WellbeingBlackpool, community, Place, skate, skate culture, Skateboard, women

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] In another instalment of In Her Place Stephanie Cottle looks back before skating into the future. If I was asked as a kid to imagine what the year 2020 would look like, I can guarantee that I would have envisioned the fun, futuristic depictions from my favourite childhood films. I’m talking teenagers on hoverboards and self-lacing trainers – the really important stuff. We all know the rather less exciting reality of 2020 was that instead of jetting off to have silver suit adventures in flying cars, we’ve faced extraordinarily tight restrictions on our movements. No planes, no trains, no automobiles. Back in March…

19 Jan

Call from the sea: Blackpool to gain new sculpture in Spring 2021

Stephanie Cottle0 CommentsLocal News, Visual Arts & ExhibitionsArt, artist, Blackpool, Covid-19, Place

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] As we reach the third week of 2021, aside from the governments promises to quickly deliver vaccinations across the UK, the good news stories remain as elusive as they were throughout 2020. In these testing times it’s difficult to visualise the positive changes that are occurring within the murky waters of this pandemic. This is especially apparent as we plunge ever deeper into winter. Despite the seasons astounding beauty, cold weather has gripped tightly, restricting our movement further still. Now, the dense morning sea fogs often hide the coast from us completely. They veil what glistened, free from litter…

18 Nov

In Her Place: The Wyre Light

Stephanie Cottle0 CommentsColumns & Opinion, Heritageheritage, history, local history, Place, wyre

In this instalment of In Her Place Stephanie Cottle takes us to the lighthouse. When we were first told to ‘stay home’ isolation was, for the most part, a pretty daunting concept. Since March the ‘out every weekend’ types haven’t had chance to see the wee hours in munching kebabs, as night-time entertainment venues doors still remain firmly closed. Similarly most ‘live to travel’ types, fearful of the repercussive 14 days isolation, will have been lucky if they have driven further than a few hours from their home. Our elderly, who might ride the bus into town to sip…

31 Oct

In Her Place: Layton Cemetery with Deborah Contessa

Stephanie Cottle1 CommentColumns & OpinionBlackpool, heritage, history, Place

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] In this spooky instalment of In Her Place Stephanie Cottle meets Deborah Contessa, tour guide for Layton Cemetery and chronicler of Blackpool’s dark history A deep, grey sea mist hangs in the atmosphere on the chilly autumn morning I arrive at Layton Cemetery. The usually bustling row of shops and cafes are eerily quiet, but we are under tier three coronavirus restrictions – I shrug off the stillness and set about finding the place I am supposed to be in. As I walk alongside the aged and twisted iron railings that enclose the graveyard, I notice a raven hopping between…

07 Oct

In Her Place: a little slice of Fairhaven

Stephanie Cottle0 CommentsColumns & Opinion, Heritageheritage, history, local history, Place

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] In this instalment of In Her Place Stephanie Cottle takes us to Fairhaven, one of the oldest marine lakes in Britain. Modern times are seemingly taking their toll on us, so let’s head back in time for a couple of minutes respite from 2020. Pull up a beach chair and we’ll begin. It’s the 1890s and bustling Blackpool is benefiting enormously from the rapidly expanding working-class holiday market. Following the arrival of the passenger railway - which allows people to traverse the landscape at dizzying new speeds - families from across the UK are flocking to seaside resorts in…