Services
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Event Management to support We Are Bearwood to ensure that the event ran smoothly
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Welfare Arrangements - to ensure volunteers and artists were well managed and cared for
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Health and Safety Management - to oversee all safety aspects of a local street festival on behalf of the volunteer management committee. As a matter of course we provided a full and Final Event Safety Report.
On Sunday 9th June 2019 Bearwood's high street and surrounding spaces hosted a day-long celebration of local music, art, food, theatre, spoken word and children’s play, supported by local traders, Arts Council England, Creative Black Country & The National Lottery Community Fund, organised by We Are Bearwood community group & undertaken by an Army of volunteers.
OPUS played just a very small behind the scenes role in this festival with pre-event consultancy to ensure all operational plans were in order and on-the-day event management expertise to ensure the smooth running of the three stages (Otherwood Stage, Clock Stage & The Common) all of which were boasting an impressive line up of BBC Introducing musicians and Glastonbury performers like Lady Sanity, Punch the Sky & Friendly Fire Band, International Spoken Word Performance Artists like Amerah Saleh. There was something for everybody and we were delighted to be part of it!
Team
Commissioner
We are Bearwood CIC
Funders
Arts Council England
As a wholly voluntary led organisation, we set ourselves the ambitious task of delivering an arts festival on our local High Street to around 8,000 participants, closing an A road and multiple, multi-disciplinary performances or experiences, across multiple locations around our neighbourhood. OPUS were integral to upskilling our project leaders in health and safety and event management procedure. Perhaps even more importantly they helped our confidence in the run up to the event. We knew we'd covered all aspects needed to enable a safe and very high quality cultural experience, partly because OPUS had guided us through some of the processes we were unsure about. They were always there on the end of the phone to answer queries as we got closer to the day.
On the day OPUS gave us the space to lead our event as we wanted to, but they were there in the background guiding us through any problem solving that was needed, taking responsibility for health and safety checks, and raising issues with us in a supportive way so we could focus on solutions. The event was incredibly successful, it created a buzz in the neighbourhood that is still talked about 2 years on. Its positive legacy is in part due to the fact that it went without incident. It was just a happy day, steeped in the joy of arts and cultural experiences. OPUS, alongside many wonderful partners and contributors, helped us reach our ambitions with their professionalism, supportive approach and commitment to quality. They understood what we wanted to do, how we wanted to do it, and they helped us get there.
Sally Taylor
