The Super Slow Way - Chapter 2

These next three trips on my Super Slow Way artist residency took me through East Lancashire by train, bus, on foot and, this time, by barge too. There were creative workshops, unexpected horses, conversations with young people and plenty of ideas brewing for sketch clubs.

Trip 4

Liverpool | Manchester | Accrington | Clayton | Burnley | Nelson | Burnley 

(via public transport - trains and buses - important to know it’s doable for all of us non-car people) 

I only passed through Accrington on my way to Clayton, to meet up with Ruth, but I have to mention the milk advert! It’s bizarre really, that an advert can lodge a place in your head before you’ve ever visited. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, the link below will explain. And for those who do, enjoy again!

I thought it would be remiss of me not to include it: 

https://shorturl.at/qZNOS

Sorry Accrington! 

Clayton Creatives and Horses. 

I met more of the creative collective from Clayton during their weekly workshop at Clayton-Le-Moors Community Church. It was nice to catch up with some of the group I first met during the interview stage and see what they’re up to in their own backyard. They told me about their exhibition during the British Textile Biennial in 2025, held in a former shop in Accrington. I was so impressed by some of the work that I wished I’d seen it in the flesh. I love the title, Why We Wander Over Yonder. It stirs something in that wanderlust part of your brain that can lie dormant for a while: a poetic, unreachable whisper of a thought or a dream you had or could have. What is that? It feels like the way nostalgia does, or déjà vu – it’s in that woo woo territory that the British don’t have words for, but they probably do in Sweden or Germany! And alongside that is a solid, tangible connection to Karrimor, the outdoor clothing company whose products were formerly manufactured in Accrington.

Official exhibition blurb:

“Produced by The Clayton Creatives, a group of local residents in Clayton-le-Moors, this exhibition celebrated and explored their shared stories, personal triumphs and losses, journeys and explorations.

Together they have created new work inspired by memories embedded within the worn fabric of old outdoor clothes and equipment owned by the members of the group and ex-workers of Karrimor, the outdoor wear brand formerly manufactured in Accrington.”

           The Clayton Creatives, Why We Wander over Yonder, British Textile Biennial, 2025.                                                   Photo British Textiles Biennial website.

Here’s a link to the exhibition here, and the wider British Textile Biennial, 2025:

https://britishtextilebiennial.co.uk/events/clayton-creatives-why-we-wander-over-yonder/

One member of the group wrote a poem for the exhibition that I found really moving, she agreed to letting me include it in this blog (special thank you Charlotte).

Charlotte’s poem:

The exhibition was held in a place called, Accrington Dome:

“Accrington DOME is a pop-up creative and cultural incubator located in a modest shop on Accrington Town Square, driven by Hyndburn Borough Council with backing from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. It offers a dynamic space for exhibitions, workshops, and community events, serving as both a gathering point and a testbed for a future permanent creative hub.”

More info about this here: https://britishtextilebiennial.co.uk/venues/accrington-dome/

I’d be interested to know what's happening there at the moment.

          The Clayton Creatives, Why We Wander over Yonder, British Textile Biennial, 2025

Photo British Textiles Biennial website.

Whilst the group got on with their work, I went outside to have a wander myself, still getting familiar with all of these places. I came out of the church and turned right, walked past the Royal Oak pub where the street merges into a wide-open space with grass, and lo and behold there’s a family taking their horses for a walk! I found that quite fascinating and got talking to the Mum, Dad and two daughters, they're from a farm nearby and regularly walk their horses through this way. I was telling them about what I was doing so they offered to walk down to the church so the group could say hello to the horses. I bounded back to the group and was excitedly saying, ‘come outside, come outside, I’ve got a surprise for you!’ It turns out that while they were surprised to see the horses appear around the back of the church hall, seeing horses in the street is a rather normal occurrence to them and it was only me acting like a big kid! However, we all had a good chat, and it was great to meet more locals, they said we'd be welcome to sketch the horses at some point too which is definitely worth noting. I’ve been *skitted soft ever since because you would think I’d spotted a unicorn, but I’m determined to remain as excited as that when horses rock up in the street in the future. I remember how giddy we were as kids when the police horses used to arrive at the bottom of our street in Liverpool before a match. Literally every kid would start screaming HORSES at the top of their voices and we’d all down tools immediately and race to the bottom to get close to them. They were giants of horses too, so maybe seeing the ones in Clayton unexpectedly invoked that sense of childhood wonder, or maybe I’ve just lived in a city now too long! Either way…here’s some photos of the horses of Clayton:

Royal Oak Pub, Clayton-Le-Moors, 2026

*‘Skitted soft’ means teased mercilessly, affectionately, in this case!

That evening was gorgeous, so I walked along the straight mile of the canal in Burnley where I was staying for this trip. I love how high up you are on the canal allowing you to see the rooftops of local houses on both your left and right going towards Thompson Park. There’s large-scale iron machinery too, reminders of the canal’s industrial past. Along with the rooftops I think these would be great to sketch and maybe develop into lino prints. Something to explore. The canal seems busy; I wonder what it’s like in the winter though when it’s dark early as I’m not sure there’s any lighting or shelter if there’s a downpour. Random thoughts occur about canal bus-stop-style shelters, which leads me to think about canal buses? Canal taxis? I am sure there’s a million people who have walked along the canals and thought similar things over the years, but by the time I get to Thompson Park I’ve developed a whole fleet of Venice-style taxis but with rooves, made of a clear material so you can still see the sky but it’s some new see-through, eco material that keeps you cool in the summer and warm in the winter. As soon as I box this idea, I’ll pitch it on Dragons’ Den. I actually need to give the nod to my partner here as he’s always going on about the canals being used more for public transport. I just fully appreciated the idea walking alongside the canal. Could the ‘bus stop’ shelters be practical places for people to hole up for a while in, watch the canal life, something sculptural maybe that echoes the existing industrial structures? I suppose then there are so many arguments for and against (currently just in my head) about impact on the landscape, longevity and upkeep, also potential anti-social behaviour.  When I get to Thompson Park my head’s full of ideas, then I’m distracted by the park itself. You come into it right off the canal at a high point, so you look down into the park in a dip or like a small valley. I didn’t see the whole park this time but noted it was impressive. 

The next morning I’d arranged to visit Gemma, the manager of the pub in Nelson, to propose ideas and dates for a potential sketch club. It was also a good excuse to test the bus journey from Burnley town centre to Nelson. Turns out it was simple, or snimps as my Dad would say! After a good chat, we agreed to wait until the following week before deciding on the arrangements, as meetings about a potential pub refurb were planned. But we’ll do the club regardless, working around any refurb, which is excellent news

Later on, back in Burnley, I was invited to an event organised by Stephen Turner, a former Super Slow Way artist in residence. It brought together locals he’d worked with over a ten-year period, through work that had evolved around his structure, The Exbury Egg. There was a small-world connection between us too, more on that in a sec!

https://superslowway.org.uk/projects/the-exbury-egg-stephen-turner/

It’s particularly fascinating to me how much the landscape has changed since the egg structure first came to this site, and that the structure now has an established community around it. An example, if ever there was one of how a slow approach to a residency can develop lasting and meaningful relationships. It is obvious to me, as an outsider in this scenario, that there’s been so much created to this point and it’s still ongoing which is really inspiring. 

Then: The Exbury Egg by Stephen Turner at Finsley Wharf, Burnley. Photo SSW website

Now: The Exbury Egg by Stephen Turner at Finsley Wharf, Burnley. Photo SSW website

I’d mentioned to some of the Super Slow Way team that Stephen Turner’s name seemed really familiar. It turned out he’d also been a resident artist at Bridge Guard, the residency I did in Slovakia! What a small world! We were there around the same time too. According to the director, Karol Fruhauf, who still runs the residency, Stephen was Bridge Guard 21 and I was number 24. It’s a fantastic residency, by the way, and I highly recommend it. I wrote blog posts on this platfomr about my own time in Slovakia as a Bridge Guard for anyone interested in a deeper dive. Applications are ongoing, and the link below takes you to the residency page if you’d like to apply:

https://www.bridgeguard.org/en/

The Exbury Egg, Autumn Equinox. 2026

From the Danube to the Leeds Liverpool Canal

Trip 5 

Liverpool | Manchester Vic | Burnley (via Todmorden and glorious views from the train)

Views from the train between Man Vic and Burnley Manchester Rd via Todmorden

A day out on the canal

This was organised by the Super Slow Way team as a way for us to experience the canal from the canal! Massive thanks to our man at the helm, Roy, for taking us and letting me have a go at helming too. We went from Finsley Gate, Burnley, to Brierfield and back again, discussing everything from boat building to football fandom, politics, religion, amazing wool jumpers and apples from Lidl. Somewhere in all of that was the opportunity to talk about my dream of a Super Slow Way barge called Barty: a barge with art at its heart! I came up with the idea at 6am one Sunday morning and it’s stuck. Barty would have an art shop, because on one visit I forgot my sketchbook and couldn’t find one locally. It would also be a permanent floating exhibition, residency, studio and community space, able to move along the canal and moor up in different places. We could change exhibitions, link into local festivals and run workshops. For an ‘industry week,' we could invite local industries making shoes, bags or pies, for example, onto Barty. All we need now is a lottery win or a bequeathed boat. Someone with a spare barge? And a willing driver (helmsman/woman) not sure what the correct term is. Then we would have a specific role for someone to curate and produce for Barty. You never know! Barty is waiting… One has to dream! Everyone, visualise Barty right now. I wonder, do barges have naming ceremonies? I can see Barty's name on the side of the barge and merch. That’s how far I’ve got with my vision.

Back to the current barge trip with Uzma, Zara, Ben, Trish, Nick and Drift the dog. Five hours flew by. It was especially good to speak to Zara and Uzma about their local viewpoints on life in East Lancashire. My conversation about religion with Uzma will stay with me for a long time too. It was so refreshing simply to ask each other questions about faith and what it means. It reminded me of a separate project we began in Liverpool about a year ago, after my best friend’s 15-year-old daughter asked, ‘but, what IS faith?’ We started interviewing local faith leaders in our community. That project is currently on the ‘to be continued’ shelf, but talking with Uzma made me think it could flow into this residency somehow. What made this conversation possible was genuine interest and curiosity, a basis of trust, and TIME. Five hours on a barge allowed it to unfold organically. Being able to ask questions and chat freely, without feeling stupid or as though you should know everything, is invaluable. When we’re trying to understand each other’s cultures, faiths and viewpoints, how can we do that without asking? Sounds obvious, I know, but when do you get such an opportunity? Again, time: a recurring theme thankfully supported by this Super Slow Way residency. I hope with every fibre of my being that other art organisations recognise its importance when planning commissions that claim community engagement is at their core. This barge trip felt like a tonic. Maybe part of Barty’s mission could also be bringing together people who should be talking to each other but aren’t.

A barge photo fest:

Photo by Uzma

Trip 6

Liverpool | Man Vic | Rose Grove | Brierfield (train terminated here unexpectedly as there was an intruder on the line) | cab to Nelson

Nelson

In Nelson, I met Ben, Jenny and Mash for lunch at Dubai Shawarma, along with a visitor from Bognor Regis who also works in youth services. They’d arranged for me to visit Marsden Heights Community College, the local secondary school where Mash and Jenny are based as youth workers. I met some of the young people working with them from the Positive Voices group. The members of the group nominate who will make up the next cohort each year. We chatted about some of the brilliant projects they've worked on, then had a fascinating conversation about local life, after me asking them where they do and don’t hang out, who is allowed to go where, and what they would love to see in the town. I think it would be good to work with the group at some point. To prepare for that, I asked them to imagine they were tourist information and make me a map of places to visit, especially places they feel proud of or enjoy going to. My hope is to build a map of positive sites highlighted by young people that could also inform research for the newly formed Brierfield and Nelson Community Land Trust.

Young people’s views of Nelson and Brierfield - snapshot of the session

• Prompt: “Tell me, where’s good?” Build a positive picture of Nelson and map where you           enjoy hanging out.

• The girls in this session said they didn’t feel they had anywhere to go, while boys had               more options.

• The girls said that if they went to certain places, some people would think less of them.

• The vast majority of those asked visit each other’s houses.

• When asked what they wished they had, one girl said Primark. She said they had                     nowhere to shop for clothes and they had to travel to Burnley or Manchester.

• Everyone wanted a safer communal space with things to do. 

After Dark

Following a very lively day, it was time to find my digs for the night, check in, then go to the opening of After Dark by Diane Muldowney. The exhibition looks at the rich history of Nelson’s nightlife. I thought it was quite glorious and will definitely go back for a longer look next time. I loved the idea of capturing a town in transition through its night-time activity, collecting tales of nights out and revelry as part of the place’s archive and history. There’s a gorgeous installation too: an abandoned jukebox restored by artists Rob St John, Tommy Perman and Michael Shorter. What you hear now are the voices of people sharing stories of the clubs and pubs they loved to go to. More info about the jukebox here:

https://robstjohn.co.uk/portfolio/after-dark/

Photo: Rob St John

Post-After Dark party at the Station pub, with pie and peas.

I am still thinking about the pie and peas now, honestly, it was that good! The pies, peas, pickled cabbage and gravy was soooooooo nice…it’s making me hungry even as I’m writing. I can’t remember where the pies were from (sacrilege, I know, so happy to be pulled and informed on this) but thank you, they were gorgeous. Congratulations to everyone involved in bringing After Dark to life, Insitu, This is Nelson, Diane, Rob, Tommy and Michael and apologies to any people I have missed out (always happy to add credits if you let me know.) 

It was great to be back at The Station Hotel pub too. Thanks to Gemma for taking us down into the cellar to see where a former nightclub used to be. That capped off a boss day and night in Nelson for me.

I did fail in getting a photo of the pie and peas though!

Former nightclub under the Station Hotel Pub

AND FINALLY 

Behind the scenes, I’ve been making the poster for The Station Hotel Sketch Club. Now that we have decided to announce some dates as the refurb talks were put on hold. 

For those that have followed the club for a while will know it’s an invaluable way of getting to know communities and places wherever we roam, this next location is, The Station Hotel Pub, Nelson, East Lancashire. This pub in Nelson sparked my interest after going in one day whilst trying to find the Liverpool game. I got talking to Gemma, the manager, and she told me it was the last pub in Nelson. It’s still got some gorgeous original features, lots of original characters in its clientele too, and the idea was born to trial a sketch club here for 3 weeks.

I wanted to make a poster, but I wanted it to be as far away as possible from AI or anything digital. So, I made some really quick sketches of the pub and noticed that the name of the pub looked like it was carved into the stone, not painted onto a sign. This led me back to a favourite technique and something I hadn’t done for ages, Lino printing.

I did some research on the font of the pub and couldn’t find any exact matches from the period, 1893, so I reckon it’s the carvers own style (open to being corrected on this) so I made my own version inspired by that and hand drew all the letters. I made a North End Sketch Club logo too (thought it was about time!) meaning, wherever we go we can adopt the name of the place and its people and add the NESC logo so people recognise it’s part of our sketch club family that began in Anfield, Liverpool, in 2018. For font lovers out there, I based our club letters on those they use for street signs in Liverpool 4.

I’d love to end up with a series of posters from the sketch clubs we hold throughout the residency. That could even fulfil a long-held wish to make tea towels of our locations one day. WE HAVE TO DREAM BIG! 😉 And we are in textile country after all.

Here’s a link to a short video for any newcomers to North End Sketch Club and the type of work and projects I've done before:

https://tinyurl.com/yfz4hxzw

 Station Hotel font

Studio pics and important dates:

Come and have a sketch with us - All welcome - No need to book, just turn up!

Dates: Tuesday 10th, 17th and 24th November 2026.

Time: 11am–12pm.

Venue: The Station Hotel, Hibson Rd, Nelson BB9 9SB.

All sessions are free, and all materials are provided by Super Slow Way

Phew! That is the end of another epic blog post, if you're still here now, this is me giving you permission to down tools and give yourself a treat!  

Traa tra tra.