With support from Arts Council England and Future Arts Centres, Our Freedom: Then and Now became a heartfelt community storytelling art project inviting people across Stockport to reflect on a simple but powerful question: “What does freedom mean to me?” Inspired by the 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day, the project encouraged residents to share their experiences of freedom – past and present – through conversation, creativity and community connection.
From the beginning, the project was shaped by the people it aimed to serve. Library project leads, working closely with the Neighbourhood Co‑ordinator for Werneth, made sure the community was at the heart of every decision. Together, they explored how local groups, businesses and residents could help co‑design the work. This approach built trust, sparked ideas, and ensured each stage of the project reflected real community voices.
The enthusiasm from community partners was inspiring. Plastic Shed led the creative element, producing both the final mural and a colourful bee art trail linking the library with the new artwork and the Bredbury & Romiley War Memorial. This pathway symbolically connects past and present, highlighting how our understanding of freedom – and our shared hope for peace – continues to grow.
Local businesses also played a key role. Jeff Gosling Vehicle Adaptations, of Bredbury, generously contributed metal 3D‑printed sculptures as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility work. Ash Signs and Engraving created a new Roll of Honour featuring every local hero’s name. This contribution made remembrance more open and accessible, creating a dignified and respectful record of the fallen that residents can now see and connect with.
To reach as many people as possible, news of the project was shared through local networks, the VCFSE sector, veteran groups, and teams supporting migrant communities. Pop‑up workshops in the library and community spaces offered a relaxed setting for people to share their thoughts. For those who felt more comfortable reflecting privately, Our Freedom story packs were available in every library, and the Home Library Service collected stories during book deliveries, ensuring all voices could take part. Partners at 360 Life Church and Stockport Homes’ Independent Living team supported residents to share their reflections during community sessions. These varied approaches strengthened local connections and encouraged participation in ways that felt accessible and comfortable.
The response was deeply moving. More than 150 personal stories were shared – funny, brave, sad, hopeful, reflective and honest. These stories explored freedom in many forms: identity, expression, movement, safety, opportunity, and belonging.
Werneth Neighbourhood Coordinator, Clare Taylor reflected that the environment created for these conversations felt “safe and welcoming,” adding that residents “felt heard, respected and valued.” These stories highlighted how essential it is for projects to be shaped by lived experience: “The stories shared were powerful because they were rooted in life experience. This deepened my understanding of the community and highlighted why we must listen if we want projects to be inclusive and relevant.”
All stories are now displayed in the Bredbury Library War Memorial Community Room, where residents can explore them as an exhibition or revisit them in the Our Freedom books. The room also holds the Book of the Fallen and the restored Roll of Honour, creating a meaningful link between past and present and offering a place for quiet reflection.
The creative workshops allowed residents to share stories and ideas of what freedom looked like to them. Using these contributions, Plastic Shed designed a vibrant recycled‑plastic mural for the outside of the library. The artwork features flowers, bees, a butterfly and a poppy – symbols that appeared repeatedly in people’s stories and connect naturally with the community garden beside the wall. This creates a smooth flow between the exhibition inside and the artwork outside, reflecting themes of growth, hope, remembrance and the everyday freedoms that shape our lives. The project now stands as a lasting legacy of the community’s shared voice.
Plastic Shed mural artist Caitlin Atherton said the project helped her appreciate how varied freedom can be: “Freedom can mean emotional freedom, physical freedom, bodily freedom, mental freedom, financial freedom, freedom of speech, freedom to roam… and freedom to be who someone truly is.” She added: “Being trusted with those stories and transforming them into a piece of art for everyone to feel connected to has been a privilege.”
The project concluded with a celebration event attended by over 50 residents, partners, ward councillors, the Leader of the Council, the Cabinet Member for Communities and the local MP, reflecting the pride and connection the project inspired.
Our Freedom: Then and Now is more than a mural, trail or collection of stories. It has strengthened relationships, opened conversations across generations and backgrounds and created something lasting – not just at the library, but within the community itself.