Bodmin Creative Studio and Gallery can be found near the top of Bodmin’s high street. Run as part of Bodmin Revival CIC’s work in the community, the space is a haven for art lovers and promises to be a hive of activity in the coming months as art and creative workshops are introduced.

Bodmin Revival CIC is led by dedicated volunteers who are hoping to bring some sparkle back to Bodmin's town centre, while supporting residents and young people in developing skills and finding careers.

The gallery is predominantly about bringing high quality artwork to the town, providing a new experience for locals and visitors alike, so that people might just stay a little longer after going to the opticians, picking up their pint of milk, or grabbing a prescription. In turn, it may tempt people to purchase a card, print or piece of original artwork, before heading for a coffee elsewhere, buying lunch in a local pub or exploring more of Bodmin’s retail and heritage offerings.

Carol Randall of Bodmin Revival CIC said: “This is exactly what Bodmin needs, something uplifting. One of our directors, Mark Talbot, runs a very successful gallery in St Mawes with his wife, and he’s been able to bring really high quality artwork to the gallery right from the beginning, which is unusual for new galleries. We’ve felt the advantages of having Mark with us, as he has three decades’ experience in the art world and supports around 300 artists through his own gallery."

In addition to the shop floor, people can expect exciting new creative workshops starting this autumn. Carol encourages everyone to get involved, whether you feel creative at heart or not!

It's thanks to the work and vision of volunteers, as well as some local businesses, which has made the gallery and workshop space what it is today.

Carol explained: “This was actually the fifth shop space in town that we viewed. It was in a bad way, but we thought it was doable and just needed some love.

“Howdens of Bodmin very kindly donated the worktops for the kitchen space here, Bradfords Building Merchant in Liskeard donated the wooden panels for the walls, and the chairs were acquired from Facebook Marketplace!

“First and foremost, this is a community space. Obviously we want to sell things, but we are a community organisation and people are welcome to come in and enjoy the art, and get involved with workshops.”

It is hoped that this will contribute to a new way of experiencing Bodmin’s town centre. In recent, difficult times for the economy, it is vital that town centres adapt and move with the times, says Carol.

“When we first thought about the regeneration of the town, we realised you can gentrify buildings, but what happens to them next? So we decided to start with the people, and offering a creative space was the obvious option. We want to support people in breaking into the creative industry, but the gallery also allows us to make revenue, as grants are becoming increasingly difficult to obtain.

“We wanted to sway away from the focus on coastal art because we’re in Bodmin, and we’re not a coastal town. We’re trying to have a collection that’s fresh, distinctive, with original pieces. When looking at what needs to be in the town centre, we figured it would have to be something that is not on Amazon and can’t be found in a retail park; it needed to be experiential. We have created a space that has quality and diversity at the heart of it.”

Our town centres are becoming increasingly vacant due to the change in shopping habits and a struggling economy. Organisations like Bodmin Revival are taking the challenge head-on, with an aim of not only transforming and boosting town centres, but encouraging attitudes to change when it comes to supporting and shopping local. Can we all do more to help our town centres thrive?

“The decline in town centres has been down to the increase in online shopping and the use of retail parks,” Carol said. “The chances of there being a reversal of that are slim, so we have to adapt. It's a catch 22; there needs to be that thing that brings people in, but we all need to up our game.

“We’re going to have 2,000 new houses built in Bodmin over the next few years, and the people living there will have disposable income. We’ve got to make sure those people don’t decide to spend their money in Wadebridge, or Tavistock; we’ve got to make Bodmin a more attractive place to visit and shed this ‘down on ourselves’ attitude. We need to be ambitious and do things that others aren’t doing.”

For more information, follow Bodmin Creative Studio and Gallery on social media, or visit bodmincreativestudio.co.uk

For more information about Bodmin Revival CIC and their projects, go to bodminrevivalcic.co.uk

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