Exploring Saltwell Park: How we made a podcast for the People’s Park
We’re big fans of Saltwell Park here at Digital Voice HQ. It’s got everything; views, animals, a boating lake, trees to climb, play parks, plenty of benches to sit and ponder. It’s even got a touch of magic, or at least that's what writer Susan Mulholland thinks. Susan has been working with Gateshead Art Diamonds to find new stories in the park, which we’ve recorded and turned into a podcast. We caught up with her to find out more:
“I’ve always loved Saltwell Park. From coming as a child, (do you remember the huge plane in the 80s?) to working on Enchanted Parks for a couple of years, there’s always a new part to explore. I’m fascinated by its history too, it was gifted to the people of Gateshead by William Wailes, hence being known as the people’s park. I jumped at the chance to work on a project there with the Art Diamonds and Digital Voice.”
The Gateshead Art Diamonds project is delivered by Gateshead Arts Team, part of Gateshead Council Libraries, Arts & Heritage. Art Diamonds was originally funded by Arts Council England and aims to support wellbeing for retired people through creativity by providing a range of creative activities and workshops. For this project, Susan and the participants chose to focus on a different part of the park each week. Susan would provide prompts and then everyone would write a response.
“The idea was to create a storied route through the park so that even if you knew the park very well, you’d find something new. This group of writers have totally inspired me, their beautiful, funny, moving words are a real treat. There’s everything from musings on climate change to lonely hearts ads for dogs! I thought it would work really well as a podcast that you could listen to as you explored the park.”
That’s where we came in. We recorded each participant’s individual pieces and then asked Andy Ludbrook, multi award-winning sound designer and Digital Voice regular, to weave it all together with sound effects and atmosphere. Once it’s ready, you’ll be able to listen via the Love Exploring app - we can’t wait to hear the finished product!
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To find out more about the range of activities offered by Gateshead Art Diamonds, visit https://www.ourgateshead.org/art-diamonds-0