Creative Opportunity: Tales from a Slow Way
Are you a creative or a group? Do you have a community story you’d like to bring to life and share with the world? We’d love to support you!
Slow Ways are looking for creatives and groups to work together to co-produce original stories situated on our walking routes.
The stories can cover just about any topic, we just ask that they help to inspire more people to contribute to and use our network of Slow Ways – walking routes that connect all of Great Britain's towns, cities and thousands of villages.
We’re especially keen on seeding stories that will help strengthen and create community - stories that are inclusive and diverse. We want to do this to better understand and illustrate the variety of ways people see and connect with Slow Ways.
The stories can take on any format you choose – from film, music and art, to photo-essays, zines, and creative writing.
What sort of stories are we looking for?
We’re looking for stories that are emotive, engaging, original, and will connect up people, places and ideas! Below are some ideas.
Are you a food writer? Maybe you could connect up community kitchens, pantries and fridges in two neighbouring towns on a Slow Way. You could create a food zine inspired by your discoveries - this could include a food trail, micro-interviews with volunteers and attendees, micro-food stories, as well as recipes tying in local food culture and heritage.
Are you a podcaster? Maybe you could interview a local legend/ representative of a group as you both embark on a Slow Ways journey of personal significance stopping off at various spaces along the way; a school, a market, a park. The interview could draw light on memories of the people and places that make that geographical area so unique.
Are you a music producer? Maybe you could work with a youth group in a neighbouring town to create a music track inspired by a Slow Ways journey. Along the way you could visit record label HQs and recording studios, and tune into site specific sounds connected to the Slow Ways route you’re following.
Are you a group of photographers or painters or writers? Is there a Slow Ways route that could inspire you to produce a body of work? Maybe you could pick a theme and get your community to explore it along the route in your preferred medium.
The fee for the work is £2000 inclusive.
Photo Credit: Roxanna Barry
What is Slow Ways?
Created by hundreds of volunteers, Slow Ways is a new national walking network that connects all of Great Britain’s towns and cities. People can use Slow Ways to walk between neighbouring towns or combine routes for longer distance journeys. Our ultimate aim is to inspire and support more people to walk and wheel more often, further and for more purposes.
Deadline for submitting the application is 21st January 2023. Slow Ways will be in touch with you by the 1st February 2023 to let you know the outcome of your application.
T&Cs
By submitting this application, if you are successful, you agree to:
use the payment in the spirit of the initiative. This can include costs to cover your time and expenses. If you don’t complete the story, you agree to return the payment so it can be utilised by another individual or group.
complete your project before the 31st August 2023.
All The Elements, The Outsiders Project and Slow Ways are under no obligation to award payments to applicants. All decisions on payment allocation are final, and will be made in collaboration between the partner organisations. If you have any questions about the funding or the process, you can contact us on hello@alltheelements.co or saira@slowways.org
