The third part of Julia Deli’s megafeature on her weekend at the Workhouse Party in Llanfyllin last month profiles the great work done by Creative Stuff Newtown, a collective who put on socially enterprising events in the north Powys region and who were running a DJ booth out of a horsebox at the festival.
Rounding a corner in the labyrinthine Workhouse, we’re suddenly in the Front Room: a chillout zone full of sofas, cushions and chintzy lamps, a safe space which also offers DJ sessions and other workshops. Speaking to Chris Jones, founding member of Creative Stuff Newtown, we discover that the project started as a response to lockdown, especially to support young people when all the youth clubs were closed.
“We’re a community arts and not-for-profit organisation, and many of our team have a background in therapeutic support, welfare and special education. In the pandemic, Sorelle, Meg, Binty and myself were very concerned about special needs students, looked-after children and those with neurodiversity.
“So we worked with the local authorities to provide a meeting place once a week, according to the latest social distancing advice. Later, we collaborated with Oriel Davies and Open Newtown to host an open-air disco for the community, creating areas on the ground so that people could dance within their bubble.”
Jones has a long history of putting on community events – as part of Bristol’s Tribe Of Doris crew, and with Time Out Of Town, which took young people from cities on camping holidays in the countryside. Moving to Wales, he co-founded the Authentic DJs collective and his festival Vinyl Vibe ran for 10 years.
Creative Stuff’s converted horsebox, with its 6K soundsystem, provides a stage and training for budding DJs of all ages. “We noticed that kids’ areas at festivals were great for the little ones, but not so entertaining for their parents and didn’t necessarily provide for teenagers,” Jones says. “We like to mix the generations up. It’s brilliant to watch a seven-year-old b2b-ing with an 80-year-old!
“Powys is the largest county in Wales, but also the most sparsely inhabited, and people have to travel to find their tribe. Having the horsebox helps us get out and about and reach more people. We host free events in the green spaces of Newtown, and run a weekly free-to-access DJ club in town.
“We survive with donations, volunteering and putting on small events. This year, our Summer Holidays Kids Club is a week of workshops where young people learn about DJing, decor, booking bands and all other aspects of putting on a festival. At the end of the week, they can invite their mates to a Friday night they’ve organised themselves!”
Creative Stuff’s workshops this weekend include Dress Up, Pom Poms For Peace, Open Tuneiversity and Kitten-Gazing Meditation. “People give us great clothes, so that anyone can create a ‘festival look’ and maybe find a new self over the weekend. Pompom making is a fun craft that occupies hands and allows minds freedom to communicate in very therapeutic ways. Our Tuneiversity rescues singles from charity shops – there are some classics to be found! – and people can choose a playlist for our DJs, who’ve mostly learnt with us.
“At one of the Recycling/Reuse events we support, an older, very well-dressed lady brought us Bomber by Motörhead to play. I couldn’t resist asking why – she didn’t seem the type – and it turned out she’d been friends with Lemmy years ago, seen him at Donington, and got to go backstage. The single brought all those reminiscences flooding back.
“Most choices have memories attached, and we love talking to people about their music. A man on the Dementia/Alzheimer’s pathway was excited to find a load of rock’n’roll singles in the box, and he danced for over three hours. It was his birthday and he said it had untapped a lot of memories for him. Young people often select songs they say help them through personal challenges. Music truly can heal us all, and lyrics offer a different way to understand our lives.”
And the Kitten-Gazing? Not to spoil the mystery, but let’s say that those who’ve experienced it say that 457 Hz of purr can have profound effects on the human psyche.
Info: creativestuffnewtown.org.uk
words JULIA DELI
