Portas Pilot - Market Rasen update!
It’s been a while since I reported on the progress of the MR BIG corner shop; my last post on the subject stated that I, along with two other volunteers, was to manage the PR activities involved with its launch before the holiday period … It’s now February and a lot has changed: the two other volunteers have dropped out of the project and the corner shop opened without us knowing! But I was keen to stay involved as I believed working on the project to be an invaluable experience.
So today I’ve travelled to Market Rasen to get an update on the progress of the Portas Pilot project in general which, so far, has involved: the launch of a grocery store, Greens of Lincolnshire; the launch of the MR BIG corner shop; a visit from the woman herself, Mary Portas; and the introduction of an arts and crafts festival, Plank 2013. With all this going on it’s hardly surprising that the levels of communication dropped over the Christmas period!
Upon arrival at the MR BIG Corner Shop, which finally opened its doors on 2nd February, I was pleasantly surprised. What was once a cold and empty building now felt warm and friendly filled with locally hand-made products ranging from greetings cards and artwork to elegant cushions and scarfs; many of the products having exceptional attention to detail! I was quite fascinated by the dedication put into making one collection of woolly hats and scarfs; I was told that the lady who makes these products uses the wool from her own sheep!
After a wander round the shop I sat down for more serious business with members of the Market Rasen BIG Improvement Group (MR BIG) to discuss ways in which to publicise the shop, as well as other upcoming events, as part of the Portas Pilot project. The list of things that need doing by Monday appears quite daunting, what with assignments and presentations to produce, as well as a dissertation to write ….. Best crack on!