Memories, realities, and dreams of My Mainway Engagement Event 2nd June 2021

Leon Cruickshank, David Pérez, and Lisa Turton from ImaginationLancaster, a team from Lancaster City Council, held an event with residents of Mainway. The idea was to get together with the Mainway’s residents after the long wait for lockdown restrictions to be lifted to talk about their memories, realities, and dreams.

The day was warm and sunny, so we had the activity on the green areas of the estate instead of the hub, as we have previously done. We installed a 4-metre-long timeline in front of the Shards Court building, a very visible area for most of the residents of Mainway. Everyone was invited to share their memories, realities, and dreams using a set of stickers prepared for the event. We had more than 50 people giving over 130 insights that helped us build a good picture of the past, present, and future of Mainway.

Most of the people who attended described Mainway as a friendly and supportive community. One of the residents wrote, ‘When I first moved here, I was pregnant, and everyone wanted to help me.’ However, they also mentioned some anti-social behaviours related to illegal activities and noise in the area. Some residents said that they would like more spaces to build a better sense of community. Some of the ‘dreams’ included community centres, different ways to improve the security of the area (CCTV cameras or Neighbourhood Watch stickers) and safe spaces for children to play.

Everyone agreed that Mainway has a privileged location, is very well connected, and has astonishing views of the river and Morecambe Bay. Residents want more benches to get together and enjoy the views. Also, they said that they like the green areas, but they would like work done controlling the weeds or open community gardens to enhance the area.