Last October Sheffield was the first Travelling Pantry workshop and I was delighted to hear that some of the particpants connected to St Mary's church had been so inspired by Pie Lab in Alabama that they have opened The Sharrow Pie Experiment, which will run until September. The point of the first PieLab was that it was designed to create a space for conversation, with no commercial ambitions at all. You can read their full story in the Chapter of Hand Made below.
What they are doing in Sheffield is equally marvellous... as Supervisor Amanda Ganley said to the BBC a couple of days ago:
"Hopefully people will get a bit of inspiration to think about what they would like to change or see in their community and maybe make connections with other people who want the same thing. And then could set a spark going and it could spread."
A couple of weeks ago The Star described the project
"Locals are encouraged to come to this small shop/cafe/grandma’s front room for free pie and tea. Once there, they are invited to sit down with their slice and chat to the person next to them. Through talking, networks are established, ideas are generated, projects are born and people are inspired to improve the area in which they live. Through that empowerment and relationship-building, social cohesion is increased, vibrancy created and local knowledge boosted, thus creating the perfect conditions for happiness, health and safety."
They even got onto Radio Sheffield yesterday!
It isn't just about pie, these projects are examples of new creative activism... something which is emerging around the world. And it is certainly part of the bigger discussion about how to effect positive change - through power dynamics or creative human-centred means?
Congratulations to all the team from St Mary's involved in the project - I hope that some great ideas and relationships emerge!
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