Making a convoy and changing direction

• Bringing together a range of partners
• Creating an agile and adaptable structure
• Maximising wifi and web 2.0

Nearly fifty local community groups, voluntary sector organizations and small charities: a wifi hub: art galleries, fairs and markets: an internet radio station and a wide range of hands-on activity, all in one empty carpet showroom for six weeks.

The UpMarket was the first time that Worthing Borough Council had used their property for a meanwhile project, and the 2000 square feet void space of a carpet showroom was initially going to be used for a ‘Grand Charity Market’ run by the local Lions Club.

In response to unexpected low footfall in the first week, a range of activity was planned and presented, with the whole project turned around in a matter of days. At the centre was the original charity market – used as a mechanism to give small organizations an easy-to-understand method of meeting the local community. As well as selling secondhand goods, the groups were encouraged to communicate their messages, recruit volunteers and find potential service users.

A local podcaster established a temporary recording studio, uploading a series of radio-style podcasts under the ‘Empty Shops Radio’ banner. Contributors to the project were interviewed alongside visitors to The UpMarket, giving further profile to the groups involved as well as collecting an oral history of the town centre and its shops.

The temporary event programme included meetings, an art fair, workshops, live music and a Scouts group’s Christmas Fair. This mix of semi-permanent and changing activity ensured a wide, varied and changing audience were brought into the building. Footfall counts taken internally indicate that The UpMarket had over 12,000 visitors, increasing both footfall and dwell time in a secondary retail area.

The project was established by Worthing Lions Club and the Empty Shops Network, with the Lions leveraging a rates reduction and also a reduction in utility bills. The Empty Shops Network used funding from the local regeneration partnership for capital expenditure, including a mobile wifi hub to connect the project to the internet, as well as practical resources like cleaning equipment, tables and tablecloths, banners and catering equipment.

The two organisations developed a light, adaptable management structure to respond to problems and opportunities as they came up.