Earlier this year, The Digital Story Company was awarded arts funding from Waltham Forest Council, as part of the flagship Make It Happen grants programme, along with Higham Hill ward funding.
The Urban Fox project is a multi-disciplinary collaboration between the local creative community and the council, including Culture, Housing, Regeneration and Fostering teams working together with local community groups, residents, artists and creative organisations to transform a busy alleyway in between Clarence and Gloucester Road in Higham Hill. The aim was to create a meaningful mural design, with pollinator-friendly planters and augmented reality animations to give the wall a second life.
Higham Hill is one of the most deprived wards in Waltham Forest. Murals help to create a strong sense of belonging and community, and the site was selected for its prominence as a key community hub. It serves as a main access route to three schools, two nurseries, and Higham Hill Recreation Ground, making it a busy thoroughfare used daily by families and residents across the area. You can find a link to the map here.
According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), in 2021, 45% of young people in foster care in England experienced emotional and mental health challenges. Recognising the positive impact of creative arts on mental wellbeing, Waltham Forest Fostering team worked with The Digital Story Company to invite looked-after children and families from across the borough to participate in the creative process. The aim was to strengthen family relationships and build confidence in using creative tools.
Led by story producer and curator Kate Hampel, artist Tom Jackson of Wood Street Walls , Modular Media and animator Maggie Nightingale, The Digital Story Company has co-created an urban nature-inspired design in a series of workshops with the foster families and the wider community. The theme is inspired by resident’s stories of the natural world and encounters with urban nature, in particular the local wetlands. Workshop participants later enriched the landscape with stencils of plants and animals, while others fashioned handmade puppets for a short, animated film and augmented reality about the adventures of a young fox.
The project also provided opportunities to train and develop emerging creative talent. Two young people transitioning out of foster care took on paid training roles, supporting the delivery of workshops, contributing to the mural design and assisting then augmented reality animation. Additionally, two paid film production bursaries were awarded to young people in the community, offering them hands-on experience and practical skills in media production.
Thank you to trainees Aether Singh, Shayma Fouad, Hunnie Hillyleaf-Scott and Blessing Itunga.
Funding was provided by Waltham Forest Council's Make It Happen grant programme with additional support from Community Ward funding, Future Formed Waltham Forest, Clarion Futures and Blackhorse Collective Creative Enterprise Zone.
Special thanks for the additional support and contribution from Waltham Forest Fostering, Housing, Regeneration and Culture teams.