GET INVOLVED - A Bottle of Dudley 's Legacy
Aged between 13 and 21? Cab you help produce a public art installation in Dudley this Summer?
Dudley Canal and Caverns is a charitable institution which has been operating for 60 years as a guardian and educator for a unique 328-million-year-old environment situated right under the heart of Dudley. And they exist all thanks to the effort and foresight of a fifteen-year-old boy!
The Silurian Caverns, and latter seventeenth century mines, had long been abandoned until the late 1950’s when British Waterways took the decision to collapse them to make way for new railway tracks. What they did not realise was that the area had become a fascinating and much-loved meeting place for the youth of Dudley.
Hearing of the plans and understanding this unique area would be lost forever, the youth decided to fight back and one young man, Cliff Sherwood (in the picture above) wrote a call to arms and placed it in a bottle in the caverns, hoping to rally others to stand up and fight the misguided decision.
Long story short; the bottle was found and a gang “went to war”. They were not only successful in fighting off the proposals but they convinced the authorities to give them a licence and guardianship of the area instead.
Today Dudley Canal and Caverns is an award-winning cultural asset and visitor attraction and many of the youth involved in the early protection of the caverns are still Board and Members today. They want to continue this legacy of youth being a driving force in the present and future operations as well as being a catalyst for shouting out about what is so special about the place they live.
This summer help celebrate the roots of a revolutionary generation and feel the passion that surrounds the caverns, organisation and its heritage.
If you are aged between 13 and 21 you are invited to help produce a public art installation comprising of 60 bottles (to represent the 60th anniversary) removed from the local canal which, once cleaned and sealed, will contain a personal statement about what locals love or want to protect in Dudley.
Step 1 - Join a canal clean up on either the 23rd July or 6th August! Help find the bottles needed to store the messages for the installation.
Step 2 - Collect messages from the local community throughout the summer by running an open day at Dudley Canal and Caverns as well as completing outreach missions into the local area.
Step 3 - Invite all your family and friends to our installation event on 17th September to see what you've been creating during the holidays.
How do you get started?
To join this summer all you need to do is download and fill out the application form and email it over to claire@dctt.org.uk or you can post it to:
Dudley Canal and Caverns, Birmingham New Road, Dudley, DY1 4SB
For all other questions, please feel free to call on 0121 557 6265.