Lowestoft
“If I live that long my husband and I will be living on an island in the middle of a flooded River Waveney.”
“No one pays any attention to the risk we face day in and day out if the flood levels rise and wipe our homes out.”
We are supporting UseYourVoice Lowestoft to make their voice heard! This local group have already created two incredible murals with the help of local arts organisation Art Eat Events, engaged the support of their local MP Peter Aldous, hosted a meeting in Parliament, created beach art and put on events full of music and activism. And that’s only the beginning!
UseYourVoice Lowestoft has galvanised a dedicated, core group of local people around climate change impacts. They have come together as a group of dedicated local peolple to safeguard their community and enabled greater access for other local people to participate in decision-making and influencing.
They have worked to integrate environmental considerations with community visions and lived experiences into their local plan. Their comprehensive documentation of this work, including collaboration to publicise extraordinary archival footage, has initiated a historical record of the work of UseYourVoice Lowestoft.
By increasing public spaces for conversation to using performances and art, there is greater representation of community voice in local planning, as well as successful and robust local campaigns to protect vital flood defences. The WeAreHere Lowestoft group’s heroic efforts to protect their community is a testament to the power of local advocacy.
They have their own website - check them out!
Murals
Working alongside the community, Art Eat Events developed two large murals, that were officially launched in June 2023. Painted by Bud Studios, you will find them at….
10 Bevan Street (The Crown Lounge Indian Restaurant)
This mural shows many of the wonderful and positive things about Lowestoft town and includes reference to renewable energy, nature and the coastline which needs protection. The design features the sunrise, a sailing boat, Gulliver the wind turbine and an inspiring visual of tree planting to encourage positive action on climate change.
Mural on Wollaston Road/Stanley Street
The ‘Use Your Voice’ mural is a call to action, aimed at inspiring people and reminding them that they can have a positive influence politically by using their voices. The tide at the bottom of the mural is a visual reference to the North Sea flood of 1953, which caused death and devastation across the region 70 years ago. Lowestoft’s endangered Kittiwakes also make an appearance.