Kay Hymas
Appearances
The Planet Reigate Podcast
55: Stories from Run Reigate runners as they crossed the finish line, the big Redhill Arts Takeover week… and more
No, definitely not. It has presented us with a few challenges, not least because we haven't got the theatre sadly still. So we have been in and around the town and we have an array of venues, not least the Belfry. Andy Nash has been absolutely magnificent. And he's given his shopping centre over for the week.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
55: Stories from Run Reigate runners as they crossed the finish line, the big Redhill Arts Takeover week… and more
We're having a really enormous art exhibition along the long corridor leading to Cromwell Road from DAISY, who are the Umbrella Association for Disabled Artists in Surrey. So there's 178 portraits around the Belfry from Saturday the 5th from disabled, deaf and neurodiverse artists.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
55: Stories from Run Reigate runners as they crossed the finish line, the big Redhill Arts Takeover week… and more
Added to which, we're sitting on the edge of the performance square, where we have quite a sort of eclectic range of performers. We've got real favourites of mine, Rygate School of Ballet. Unison Choir are performing with the Missing People Choir, which will be really, really exciting. So that's two choirs coming together. We've got Include.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
55: Stories from Run Reigate runners as they crossed the finish line, the big Redhill Arts Takeover week… and more
choir who are also sort of part of daisy but they're doing the performing arts kca doing a dance exhibition and we've got the asian social group doing an erratary dance special which will be full of color and joy and verve and yeah the center's gonna go a bit crazy well
The Planet Reigate Podcast
55: Stories from Run Reigate runners as they crossed the finish line, the big Redhill Arts Takeover week… and more
Yeah. So Daisy were due to exhibit with us last year. And as we know, it all went wrong. And that was just one thing we had to let go. And I showed them the space. And I think Cara Flowers, who's the artistic director and Bryony, were a bit, ooh, shopping centre. Right, OK. We'll think about it. We'll have a look.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
55: Stories from Run Reigate runners as they crossed the finish line, the big Redhill Arts Takeover week… and more
And they were like, actually, the lighting along the corridor and Andy and his team are going to move the benches along the middle so people can sit down and look at the portraits like they're in the National Portrait Gallery, for example.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
55: Stories from Run Reigate runners as they crossed the finish line, the big Redhill Arts Takeover week… and more
One thing, I think it was Brian who said to me, was usually we are in artistic spaces, which is great, but you get the artistic audience, whereas here we're just going to get members of the public. They don't really have to make a special trip, it's just going to be in their face and they're going to be able to see the portraits...
The Planet Reigate Podcast
55: Stories from Run Reigate runners as they crossed the finish line, the big Redhill Arts Takeover week… and more
Yeah, yeah, we are. And I'm all about that. I'm from quite a working class background myself where, you know, art and culture didn't really feature heavily until I got to university. And that you do have to take things to the people and do it in their space and give them what they want. Because everybody's creative and everybody's artistic.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
55: Stories from Run Reigate runners as they crossed the finish line, the big Redhill Arts Takeover week… and more
But going back to the venues, you're right, we've got the Junction hosting like an open mic event and spoken word. You know, Woodsy's back helping me out. He was so popular last year. We've got the Gary Baldy, the community pub. They're really all about the community. And the New Flories Cafe in the Memorial Park are hosting three events for me. Really fantastic, they've got behind it as well.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
55: Stories from Run Reigate runners as they crossed the finish line, the big Redhill Arts Takeover week… and more
And Redhill Library in their space, a few little bits here and there. And of course they've all got different audiences and different people who use them.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
55: Stories from Run Reigate runners as they crossed the finish line, the big Redhill Arts Takeover week… and more
No it isn't I mean that's just as important but I do think there is a lot of feelings around the words arts and I think automatically some people go oh it's not for me and particularly some members of the community that I'm working with when actually it is they just don't realise it you know you might like making Christmas cards well that's crafty that's arty with the performances last year as you mentioned it really brought people together just watching it there's that sense of connection that I think everybody's looking for in these sort of turbulent times and I think
The Planet Reigate Podcast
55: Stories from Run Reigate runners as they crossed the finish line, the big Redhill Arts Takeover week… and more
Art's really important, or culture, creativity, in bringing us together and bringing different sections of the community together as well, which is why I've tried to reflect in the programme. It's quite varied and it's from different parts of the community from round and about. And hopefully it gives us a platform to build on for next year as well.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
55: Stories from Run Reigate runners as they crossed the finish line, the big Redhill Arts Takeover week… and more
Yeah, there is music on a Thursday night, and that's more like an open mic night, so it's local musicians from round and about who are performing at the junction, and Simon Bull's pulling that music. programme together. He's quite an experienced hand on the local music scene. People can crochet Christmas bunting and that's at the Park Cafe. We've got African drumming and dance.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
55: Stories from Run Reigate runners as they crossed the finish line, the big Redhill Arts Takeover week… and more
People can sign up and take part in that and that is really, really fantastic. I ran a session for the kids during our summer holiday programme at Woodhatch Community Centre and And we had people go, can we go in? Can we want to go?
The Planet Reigate Podcast
55: Stories from Run Reigate runners as they crossed the finish line, the big Redhill Arts Takeover week… and more
And one of the participants said to me, it just makes them forget, because all they can think about is the rhythm. It's really, really joyful. And that's taking place in the Belfry Rockham Arts Club. They're hosting a blow-in-the-dark paint party in the park for us, where people take home their own paintings.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
55: Stories from Run Reigate runners as they crossed the finish line, the big Redhill Arts Takeover week… and more
We have got the paintings at the Gary Baldy and adult storytelling at the Gary Baldy, which will be really evocative. I think they've got a wonderful garden.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
55: Stories from Run Reigate runners as they crossed the finish line, the big Redhill Arts Takeover week… and more
You need to explain that for me. I just meant really that I think people think having stories read to them is for kids. This is like a professional storyteller and she's doing Garth and folk stories, English folk stories up in the Gary Baldy in their garden.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
55: Stories from Run Reigate runners as they crossed the finish line, the big Redhill Arts Takeover week… and more
garden which is covered and heated and it will be lovely and lit that sounds good in the run-up to halloween as well yeah yeah yeah we've also got a dj workshop in the belfry on the second saturday people if they can just rock up and have a go on the decks so trying to sort of show look creativity takes all shapes and forms as well as obviously there's some more traditional painting classes as well and a concertina sketchbook workshop in christ central they've posted us as well
The Planet Reigate Podcast
55: Stories from Run Reigate runners as they crossed the finish line, the big Redhill Arts Takeover week… and more
The Railgate and Banstead website and its arts takeover. So if they put that in the search engine, it will bring it up. It's quite a long kind of link to read out over the airwaves. All the venues have got leaflets and there's a QR code people can scan. That takes them straight up to the website to book the activities.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
55: Stories from Run Reigate runners as they crossed the finish line, the big Redhill Arts Takeover week… and more
And also there will be a pull-up banner in the belfry where people can just scan that as well. So there's lots of ways to get involved. And the Harlequin website, although obviously it's sadly closed at the minute, they have got some information on their website as well.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
55: Stories from Run Reigate runners as they crossed the finish line, the big Redhill Arts Takeover week… and more
Exactly, yeah, and I'm just really hoping it brings the town together, Redhill. I think it will be exciting, and I think hopefully there is something for everybody.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
55: Stories from Run Reigate runners as they crossed the finish line, the big Redhill Arts Takeover week… and more
Thank you.