89 members of the local community joined window artist, Lucie Cooke, in showing Darwen town centre what summer means to them.
Darwen’s first ever window art event, The Big Summer Draw, was a great success on Saturday 18th August.
Following the popularity of The #shopdarwen Tower Trail, which runs until Monday 2nd September, the Shop Darwen team and Lucie devised a community event to give the whole family opportunity to get creative, celebrate the summer and put their mark on Darwen town centre.
The Big Summer Draw at Fourteen Market Street
Running from 11am until 3pm, Lucie and her assistant encouraged passers by to take a paint pen and draw what summer means to them on the large windows at Fourteen Market Street.
As it was a busy Saturday, plenty of shoppers were keen to take part and contribute to the community art piece. Many participants drew ice creams and sunshines, but we also had a beer garden, buckets and spades, sandcastles and much more classic British summertime paraphernalia.
Lucie even added a large Darwen Tower to the piece, because what is summer in Darwen without a trip up the moors?
The floor to ceiling windows at Fourteen Market Street made it the ideal venue for a window art piece, and the finished result has gathered a lot of interest and admiration.
Lucie said:
“A massive thank you to all the artists of Darwen that joined in with The Big Summer Draw. A whopping 89 of you helped create this epic window display! These community events are nothing without the participation of the community, so thank you.”
The Shop Darwen Tower Trail
Many children who took part in The Big Summer Draw collected a Shop Darwen Tower Trail worksheet to complete before Monday 2nd September.
Can you find 32 Darwen Tower drawings at independent retailers around town? The drawings are on chalkboards and shop windows, tick them off your activity sheet as you find them! Activity sheets can be collected from the office in Darwen Market annexe, and from several participating retailers.
Design the Christmas window art at Fourteen
On the reverse of the Tower Trail activity sheet is a drawing competition where you can design a Christmas window art display for Fourteen. Lucie and the Shop Darwen team will pick one design which will inspire the real thing, and the winner will also receive £20 of vouchers to spend at any Shop Darwen retailer!
When you’ve finished your design, fill in your details and post this sheet in the Shop Darwen postbox in Darwen Market by 2nd September 2024.
Support local and #shopdarwen
The Shop Darwen scheme is all about supporting and celebrating our independent businesses. Spend £5 or more at a participating retailer, and you’re eligible for entry to the prize draw. Each month a lucky winner gets £50 of Shop Darwen vouchers!
Follow us on and remember to use the #shopdarwen hashtag when sharing purchases from your favourite retailers, or selfies with the summer window art at Fourteen!
Facebook: @DarwenTC
Instagram: @shopdarwen
