My A'th Kar Newquay

2011-06-22T02:26:00.001-07:00

Big up to both the Newquay Voice and Cornish Guardian for the brilliant coverage over the last couple of weeks. Now we just need to hear from the retailers, surf school and B&B owners who are up for stocking our cool T-shirts. Please call Dawn Melville of Excess Energy Communications on 07876 365210 to get involved. Cheers MAKN

2011-06-21T09:46:00.000-07:00

NEWQUAY SHOPS – MY A’TH KAR NEEDS YOU!!
Four entrepreneurial 14 and 15 year-olds from Treviglas Community College are calling out to all managers of Newquay shops, organisers of local events and festivals and owners of surf lodges and surf schools and asking them to show their love for Newquay. The determined group of youngsters has created a range of amazing T-shirts to sell and the proceeds will go to sustaining the My A’th Kar Newquay art activists who are brightening up the town’s ‘grot spots’ with colourful designs. The Treviglas crew has worked with professional designer Jamin Lean of Jamin Design Studio to create the pilot project of 100 vibrant, imaginative T-shirts which are currently in production with North Cornwall-based IAMWHY. They will be available for sale within the next few weeks at the cost of £15 each. The entrepreneurial team now need Newquay retailers and businesses to do their bit and help sell the products. The team will ensure that there is a profit within the sale for the retailer and then the additional proceeds from the sales will go towards transforming the town with more amazing artworks. My A’th Kar Newquay means ‘I love you Newquay’ in Cornish and a team of determined young artist activists have been working for months to mastermind works which have now gone up around town. All of the artwork reflects the pride that these young people feel about their town and messages about how they would like visitors and tourists to see and treat the place. As a separate project, the four Treviglas teenagers have come together to form the T-shirt social enterprise to support the overall project which is funded by FEAST and the Real Ideas Organisation. Fifteen year-old Eli Hawkins says, “We’re looking for the best local shops to endorse our brand and support our cause. This is a great retail opportunity and a brilliant chance for the shops to promote their commitment to the town by showcasing our products whilst still making a profit for themselves. We did some research and in our opinion, all that Newquay tourists can buy at the minute is pretty dull screenprinted T-shirts or the tacky lifeguard hoodies. Our MAKN T-shirt looks really cool and fills a current gap in the market. ” Eli continues, “For the pilot programme we’ve created three main colourways and a range of sizes for guys and girls. So now we just need the Newquay retailers, who constantly benefit from the tourist trade, to get on board and help us transform our town.” To get involved Newquay business owners should contact Dawn Melville of Excess Energy Communications on 07876 365210. To see more news of the project please go to iloveyounewquay.blogspot.com or the My A’th Kar Newquay Facebook site. Thank you from the My A’th Kar Newquay crew.

2011-06-15T01:37:00.000-07:00

NEWQUAY TEENAGERS CANVAS THEIR PRIDE FOR THE TOWN TO A T
Four enthusiastic 14 and 15 year-olds from Treviglas Community College are rapidly designing, developing and planning to promote their own range of T-shirts for the innovative My A’th Kar Newquay campaign. Within two months, the vibrant, imaginative set of T-shirts will be available to buy in most surf and clothing stores in Newquay, as well as at festivals and events, and the proceeds from the sales will go towards transforming the town with amazing artworks. My A’th Kar Newquay means ‘I love you Newquay’ in Cornish and a team of determined young artist activists have been working for months to mastermind works which have now gone up around town. All of the artwork reflects the pride that these young people feel about their town and messages about how they would like visitors and tourists to see and treat the place. As a separate project, the four Treviglas teenagers have come together to form a social enterprise to support the overall project which is funded by FEAST and the Real Ideas Organisation. In the past few weeks, the designer team have been working with Newquay-based Excess Energy Communications and facesnap graphic designers to develop their ideas and ranges. They have studied and created logos, masterminded a range of T-shirt design for guys and girls and researched the market and sales options with a number of local retailers. They have also visited IAMWHY clothing company in Kilkhampton to find out how the production process works and understand the potential complications and challenges of their project. They have also considered labels, display boards and guerrilla marketing and are rapidly pushing forward with all their plans. The overall aim of the retail project is to create a range of products that grab the attention of tourists and make them want to purchase the goods as their key souvenir on their trip to Newquay. The labels will show important information about MAKN and what the project means and the team is also hoping to expand into further product ranges in the future. Fifteen year-old Alex Remizov says, “This is a really great experience so far. Getting out of the classroom and into a creative workspace at Excess Energy - with designers and a dog - has been brilliant. Seeing behind the scenes at IAMWHY was really interesting and really revved us all up about making our own T-shirts and it was brilliant that they let us come along. It’s been really cool to see our own designs in production and we’re all proud to be part of this project to transform Newquay into a better place.”

2011-06-07T03:57:00.001-07:00

MY A’TH KAR NEWQUAY HARBOURS FRESH PLAN TO TRANSFORM THE TOWN

Newquay’s innovative, pride-driven art activists, My A’th Kar Newquay (MAKN), is today (Monday 6th June) pleased to announce that it has been invited to help transform Newquay Harbour by Cornwall Council. Following their recent work on the underpass wall at Burger King, at the Blue Reef Aquarium beachside site, and around the old bus station, the group has been invited to resurrect the original Burger King Mural on the South Quay of the admired Newquay Harbour. The work will be fully supported and sponsored by Burger King UK who is behind the future of the project.

My A’th Kar Newquay means ‘I love you Newquay’ in Cornish and a team of determined young creatives have been working for months to mastermind works which have now gone up around town. All of the artwork reflects the pride that these young people feel about their town and messages about how they would like visitors and tourists to see and treat the place. As a separate project, four Treviglas Community College pupils have also come together to form a social enterprise to support the overall project which is funded by FEAST and the Real Ideas Organisation.

The harbour site offers a massive canvas however the initial project will see the team working with lead artist Mat McIvor to re-create the much-loved initial mural up to head height on the available wall. The hope is that once this phase 1 work is completed, funding and in-kind support can be found to rework the entire area (up to the road level) with an extension of the artwork.
Mat will be starting the project on Monday 13th June and the group’s blog and facebook sites will be carrying updates on the work and publicising days and times when the local community can come along and get involved.

Mat McIvor, lead artist for the project says, “It’s brilliant to be resurrecting the original MAKN image as it was all developed with the core youngsters in the group. It is particularly fitting, portraying the house on the island as a central point with key messages emanating from the heart of it all. The harbour wall will effectively mirror the house on the island and bring together the old and the new of the town in this key spot. We can’t wait to get started.”

David Chadwick of Cornwall Council says, “It’s great to see My A’th Kar Newquay going from strength to strength and their latest project in the harbour promises to be the best of all. It’s wonderful to see young people have such a sense of pride in their town and they are making a real difference to how Newquay looks, supporting the work of the Newquay Safe Partnership so practically. They are to be congratulated and encouraged.”

Paul Golder, Finance Director of Zing Leisure Ltd, the owners of Burger King UK says, "We are delighted to support My A'th Kar Newquay in their endeavours to make Newquay a brighter and better place."

To see more news of the project please go to iloveyounewquay.blogspot.com or the My A’th Kar Newquay Facebook site.
Thank you from the My A’th Kar Newquay crew.

2011-06-07T03:57:00.000-07:00

PRESS RELEASE – MONDAY 6^TH JUNE 2011

MY A’TH KAR NEWQUAY HARBOURS FRESH PLAN TO TRANSFORM THE TOWN

Newquay’s innovative, pride-driven art activists, My A’th Kar Newquay (MAKN), is today (Monday 6^th June) pleased to announce that it has been invited to help transform Newquay Harbour by Cornwall Council. Following their recent work on the underpass wall at Burger King, at the Blue Reef Aquarium beachside site, and around the old bus station, the group has been invited to resurrect the original Burger King Mural on the South Quay of the admired Newquay Harbour. The work will be fully supported and sponsored by Burger King UK who is behind the future of the project.

My A’th Kar Newquay means ‘I love you Newquay’ in Cornish and a team of determined young creatives have been working for months to mastermind works which have now gone up around town. All of the artwork reflects the pride that these young people feel about their town and messages about how they would like visitors and tourists to see and treat the place. As a separate project, four Treviglas Community College pupils have also come together to form a social enterprise to support the overall project which is funded by FEAST and the Real Ideas Organisation.

The harbour site offers a massive canvas however the initial project will see the team working with lead artist Mat McIvor to re-create the much-loved initial mural up to head height on the available wall. The hope is that once this phase 1 work is completed, funding and in-kind support can be found to rework the entire area (up to the road level) with an extension of the artwork.

Mat will be starting the project on Monday 13^th June and the group’s blog and facebook sites will be carrying updates on the work and publicising days and times when the local community can come along and get involved.

Mat McIvor, lead artist for the project says, “It’s brilliant to be resurrecting the original MAKN image as it was all developed with the core youngsters in the group. It is particularly fitting, portraying the house on the island as a central point with key messages emanating from the heart of it all. The harbour wall will effectively mirror the house on the island and bring together the old and the new of the town in this key spot. We can’t wait to get started.”

David Chadwick of Cornwall Council says, “It’s great to see My A’th Kar Newquay going from strength to strength and their latest project in the harbour promises to be the best of all. It’s wonderful to see young people have such a sense of pride in their town and they are making a real difference to how Newquay looks, supporting the work of the Newquay Safe Partnership so practically. They are to be congratulated and encouraged.”

Paul Golder, Finance Director of Zing Leisure Ltd, the owners of Burger King UK says, "We are delighted to support My A'th Kar Newquay in their endeavours to make Newquay a brighter and better place."

To see more news of the project please go to iloveyounewquay.blogspot.com or the My A’th Kar Newquay Facebook site.

Thank you from the My A’th Kar Newquay crew.

Walkabout Paintfest delayed

2011-04-15T05:11:00.000-07:00

Hi all. You may have seen the great publicity about the plans to My A'th Kar the Walkabout wall next week. We're really sorry to say that due to a health and safety issue, it's not now going to be possible to get it done next week. Cornwall Council is running the necessary checks and we're hopeful that we can replan the 'Paintfest' for the May half term. Please can you help us pass this word on and let everyone know that they don't need to come along next week. We'll let you know the fresh plans ASAP! Thanks MAKN x

Mural and Photo-tastic!

2011-03-22T10:21:00.000-07:00

Hi all MAKN followers! Sorry if we've been a little quiet but lots has been going on since the mammoth success of the 'Challenge Newquqy' Paintfest in the half term week.

It's all done and dusted and apart from a few little touch-ups, it's ready to go so we want everyone involved, and everyone who supports our MAKN work, to know about a big My A’th Kar Newquay photoshoot event next week: NEXT MONDAY 28^TH MARCH @ 5pm.

Not one - but two stunning murals – created by our committed My A’th Kar Newquay group are ready to launch and we're calling out to everyone who was involved (in any way) to come along and get their photos taken with artworks. Monday 28^th March between 5pm and 6pm will see us all getting together with as many people as possible to celebrate the new mural at the old Newquay Bus Station and the one that has just gone up at Blue Reef Aquarium.

Our star local artists - Tony Minnion and Mat McIvor - have worked with us and members of the community to bring these visions alive and the two new murals have completely transformed and brightened up the key spaces in Newquay town centre.

More details on all of the work behind it all will be available on the day of the launch however one of our My A’th Kar Newquay crew said, “It’s just amazing to see these pieces finally going up. It’s brilliant getting to see our visions for colorful representations about that we think and feel about our incredible home town coming alive in these artworks. Having these two go live at the same time shows just how much work we have been doing behind the scenes. The whole thing has been a brilliant experience and we’ve got lots more ideas – and lots of developing plans under our hats!”

We'd love anyone who contributed in any way to the project so far to join us in front of the bus station site (at the cross of East Street and Trebarwith Crescent) at 5pm on Monday 28^th March.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP AND PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!

The MAKN crew x

Watch this space.....

2011-02-18T02:44:00.000-08:00

MAKN is SUPER-STOKED to say that thanks to everyone's pressure, time and energy, we're now in discussions with Burger King UK about how they can support us to re-instate our amazing mural somewhere else. We'll update with official news as soon as we can. Watch this space! :-) :-) :-).

Just a reminder too about next week's Paintfest! Please come and join us at Newquay Junior Academy on Edgcumbe Avenue from 10am-5pm every day Monday - Sunday. More details below and see you there!

THE WHOPPER OF A WHITEWASH GATHERS STORM AND NEXT WEEK'S CHALLENGE NEWQUAY - GET INVOLVED AND SHOW YOUR LOVE FOR NEWQUAY!

2011-02-16T13:10:00.000-08:00

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Hey all....firstly we want to say an absolutely mammoth THANKS to everyone who has helped us create an appropriately big hullabaloo after we discovered that ALL of our hard, hard work on the BURGER KING mural had been whitewashed overnight. We're all completely gutted - as are all of the people and kids who came along on freezing cold winter days to help us paint. Please spool down to read our press release in the post below and check out the links and uploads from the brilliant local journalists who are helping us get our message across.

The more than everyone can do to let BK and their landlords know just how out of order their actions are the better and here's what we suggest:

· Go onto our facebook and show your support by joining our My A’th Kar Newquay group
· Make comments about what you think (without any swearing please) on the relevant pages
· Go to the Burger King UK facebook, join and comment (again without swearing please)
· Get involved with future My A’th Kar Newquay campaigns and do all you can to support our team.

And here's what you can do straight away. Undettered by this week's whitewash nightmare, we're all set to transform the horrid old bus station site. And we need YOU!!

We have just received the positive news that Newquay Junior Academy in Edgcumbe Avenue will donate its hall for our half term ‘Challenge Newquay’ painting mission. We recently announced that after an ongoing process, we had secured one of the town’s most hated sites – the dirty and dragged down old bus station. Thanks to the offer of a ‘home’ for the week, every day from Monday 21^st February until Sunday 27^th February you will see lead artist Mat McIvor and our MAKN team hard at work in the Newquay Junior hall.

And we're all challenging everyone in the community – kids and adults alike - to join us and help get this major mural work nailed in just a week. It’s a huge site with 87 panels and it needs all hands on paintbrushes to make it all happen and transform this dull, and much maligned, area of the town. This week’s news about Burger King UK’s appalling whitewashing of the first mural means that we really need everyone’s help to keep us all upbeat and on track!

So we're inviting you all to get involved on each of the days at the Edgcumbe Avenue site between 10am and 5pm daily. Please come with an old shirt or some sort of a cover to keep you celan from the paint and bring a snack and a drink. Also if you;re under twelve, you will need to be accompanied by an adult but if there's a good few of you then one adult will do (you can share :-)) To manage numbers, it would be appreciated if you could please text or email your plans for attendance to Rhona Gardiner on 07740 410052 or rhona@excessenergycomms.com. SEE YOU THERE!

We'd also like to take this chance to give a big, grateful shout out David Chadwick, Chris Cooper-Young and Phil Mason of Cornwall Council, local fencing and hoarding company I-Site - Innovative Site Solutions based in Hayle, and Sarah Pym of the Real Ideas Organisation for all of their help in securing this exciting bus station canvas for our work. To see more news of the project and take part in a key evaluation questionnaire about the value of the project please see below.

Thank you from the My A’th Kar Newquay.

A WHOPPER OF WHITEWASH!

2011-02-14T08:33:00.000-08:00

BURGER KING’S LANDLORD ‘DELETES’ CORNISH COMMUNITY’S HEART-FELT ARTWORK

Young people and the community throughout Newquay in Cornwall have been left reeling after the landlords of Newquay’s Burger King ‘deleted’ a major community artwork. Late last week, under the cover of darkness, it is understood that painters instructed by the landlords working with the new owners of Burger King UK, whitewashed a major mural recently created to support Newquay Safe, an ongoing campaign to address the many complex and varied issues that the town is currently facing.

Just over a year ago, two teenagers died in Newquay and since then the local police, residents, councils and businesses been working together to promote safety and minimise the risks to young people. The My A´th Kar Newquay group has been financially supported by FEAST, an Arts Council and Cornwall Council partnership programme to make great art happen across Cornwall, and a number of local businesses who have stepped in to offer invaluable sponsorship.

My A´th Kar Newquay means ‘I Love You Newquay’ in Cornish and in the last six months the group of enthusiastic and committed teenagers have created and led their own voluntary project to find fresh, standout ways of projecting a positive message about Newquay. Their stated aim is to transform local eyesores and use their artwork and campaigning methods to show why they love living in the town, and to encourage locals and visitors alike to treat Newquay with respect and to behave appropriately.

The crew was delighted when the Newquay Burger King team got in touch to offer a huge, dirty wall space on the edge of their store and once all formal permissions were in place, the enthusiastic team got to work. Hundreds of hours of creativity, painting and lobbying time were put in.

This was all done voluntarily by the committed young people and their appeals to the local community and calls through the media brought children and adults alike down to help put their painting skills to good use. Undeterred by the freezing weather, the mural was completed in late December and has been so well received that a host of local businesses and civic organisations have offered further walls as canvases.

However the move by the landlord of Burger King to simply ‘delete’ the initial mural has cost the project the equivalent of at least £3,000 and has immediately wiped out all of the hours of energy, time and commitment that hundreds of local people have put in as well as causing obvious upset and anger. These sentiments are already being communicated on social networks.

Sarah Pym of the Real Ideas Organisation, the leading body helping facilitate My A’th Kar Newquay, says, “It is our understanding that the national owner of Burger King changed half way through our project and that the building’s landlords and the new owners have decided that the mural had to go. The work of all these amazing young people has been so well received and the local Newquay Burger King team has been majorly supportive throughout this work and behind us all the way. This project is all about these youngsters communicating the type of respect that they want people should show for Newquay so these whitewashing actions couldn’t be more ironic or appalling.”

Sarah continues, “We are now appealing to the landlords and Burger King nationally to pay back the My A’th Kar Newquay costs of more than £3,000 for this work so that we can recreate the fabulous design on another site. However no amounts of money can bring back the time, work, energy and thinking that the young people and local community put into actually painting the piece. This is the greatest shame but these young people are fired up and just want to keep their campaign strong.”

Fifteen year old Kasha Miller is one of the MAKN team members reacted to the news of the whitewash saying, “This is very upsetting for all of the My A´th Kar group because we all put a lot of time into that painting. I honestly think this is totally out of line, the mural wasn´t an eyesore for these companies - it actually made them more popular and we thought better of them as companies for it. It´s totally unfair as well because we all put a lot of time and effort into and it´s such a shame to see that they just destroyed it in a matter of hours as they have now painted over it in all white. It´s so annoying that they have and after all the positive feedback we received from starting this project is absolutely appalling.”

The MAKN crew is appealing to the community to show their support for their campaign by following these steps:

Go onto facebook and show your support by joining the My A’th Kar Newquay group
Make comments (without any swearing please) on the relevant pages
Go to the Burger King UK facebook, join and comment (again without swearing please)
Get involved with future My A’th Kar Newquay campaigns and do all you can to support the young team.

The opinions and info here is a reflection of the views and opinions of the My A’th Kar Newquay team and not any of the other organisations. Please contact them directly should you need further comment. Thank you from the My A’th Kar Newquay team for taking the time to read and to support our campaign.

My A’th Kar Newquay To Transform Major Newquay Eyesore

2011-02-07T04:29:00.000-08:00

Plea for big space to make mural happen

The fresh and exciting collective of determined local young people, My A’th Kar Newquay, has just scored a major coup in their campaign to blast away all Newquay eyesores. The team of youngsters have just announced that after an ongoing process, they have secured one of the town’s most hated sites – the dirty and dragged down old bus station. The team will now be calling on the local community to help them transform the exterior of the space with a huge, colourful, 87 boarded mural masterminded by themselves and lead artist Mat McGivor.

My A’th Kar Newquay means ‘I love you Newquay’ in Cornish and the team of determined young artist activists have already transformed the grimy wall between the train station and Burger King and a number of panels will shortly go up on the Newquay Police Station and at the Blue Reef Aquarium. All of the artwork reflects the pride that these young people feel about their town and messages about how they would like visitors and tourists to see and treat the place.

However the team faces a logistical challenge. They are keen to take a ‘Challenge Newquay’ type approach to this piece of work and along with Mat McGivor, spend the week of half term getting the 87 boards painted and ready for erection. However they need to find a large hall or venue to be able to work in and are asking the local community to respond and make any relevant spaces available. Ideally the space would be within easy walking distance of the centre of town and have access for all of the days of 19^th – 27^th February from 10am til 5pm daily. Anyone who has access to a large enough space and can help should get in touch with Rhona Gardiner at Excess Energy Communications on 07740 410052 or rhona@excessenergycomms.com. The team are envisaging a school or church hall type space but suggestions on any available spaces that could work would be greatly appreciated.

The My A’th Kar Newquay crew would also like to thank David Chadwick, Chris Cooper-Young and Phil Mason of Cornwall Council, local fencing and hoarding company I-Site - Innovative Site Solutions based in Hayle, and Sarah Pym of the Real Ideas Organisation for all of their help in securing this exciting canvas for their work. To see more news of the project and take part in a key evaluation questionnaire about the value of the project please go to iloveyounewquay.blogspot.com

Help us do more murals!

2010-12-21T01:28:00.000-08:00

Hi,
KEAP (Kernow Education Arts Partnership) are evaluated the My A'th Kar Newquay mural. It's a great chance to let them know what you think of the idea behind the project, and the final piece of work. The more people we can get to complete the short questionnaire below, the more chance we have of doing similar projects like this. If you have a moment, please click through on the link and fill it out - let others know about it as well, the more the merrier! Happy Christmas...

KEAP MAKN survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YLN6N3Q

Thanks

Bring on the wall! Saturday session images

2010-12-01T04:37:00.001-08:00

Thanks to those who were able to come down to the wall on Saturday - really great to see it coming together - some images of the day are below. Mat will be painting tonight, Thursday and Saturday this week, so please come down, pitch in, and spread the word to everyone.

Get Ready To Get The Brushes Going!!

2010-11-22T07:34:00.000-08:00

We’re super delighted to let you know that Mat’s all ready to get super revving again and getting the My A’th Kar Newquay murals completed – BUT HE NEEDS YOUR HELP PLEASE!

Painting sessions with Mat McIvor will be happening at the wall at the side of Burger King on Station Approach on Wednesday 24^th November from 3pm until 5pm and from 11am until 5pm on Saturday 27^th November. PLEASE COME ALONG AND GIVE OF YOUR TIME. WRAP UP WARM!

We’re also urging you all to join Kasha’s campaign from last week and post up your pictures, film clips and words about the parts of Newquay you love and hate on the My A’th Kar Newquay Facebook (search for My A’th Kar Newquay on Facebook to find it) and to access the My A’th Kar blog at the link to the new blog. http://iloveyounewquay.blogspot.com/2010/11/our-newquay.html

Just to give you some updates:

In the last few weeks, the committed My A’th Kar Newquay crew have also been busy gathering inspiration for why they want to lobby for physical changes around the town. They’ve been out on the streets creating film excerpts and taking photos of the areas of the town they most love and those that they want to see transformed asap.

The project is also gathering momentum around the county with councillors, youth organisations and young people alike. One of the My A’th Kar Newquay team, Kasha Miller, recently gave a stunning presentation to over 100 people at the launch of the Cornish Young People’s Manifesto. She showed the gathered audience how Newquay is being perceived in the national media compared to how she sees the town she loves to live in. She also explained how she and her crew are keen to use their artwork to get other visiting young people to pay attention to their surroundings and to think about how they treat the street and how they behave. She received a resounding applause from the audience and was surrounded by people keen to know more after her presentation.

Sarah Pym of the Real Ideas Organisation, the lead organisation for the project, says, “My A’th Kar Newquay has taken on a life of its own and is being talked about in lots of different official circles as well as online. Kasha Miller gave a stunning presentation the other week and the guys have been out on the streets drumming up information and support about what people want to change around the town. Mat McIvor is keen to get the first stage of the Burger King mural completed asap and we’re really keen for people to come and pick up a brush and do their bit to change their town. Thanks to everyone involved as always!”

So come along on Wednesday or Saturday and please spread the word to all your mates, brothers, sisters, everyone you can think of so we can get a big posse going!

Our Newquay

2010-11-20T04:48:00.000-08:00

Hate: the Barracuda site

Love: Newquay Town Centre - it's been tidied up in recent years
and during the day it looks pretty good at this time of year

Hate: The Beachtrip Hotel - one of many run-down, ugly sites

Hate: the old Bus Station - still an eyesore

Love: Towan Beach. The surf, the views out to sea and across to the harbour.
Need we say more?

When you pass by somewhere everyday, it often becomes invisible. You're so used to seeing it that you forget that it's there.

We kicked off our new mini film/photo project by taking a walk around the town to revisit the spots we love and hate - and to capture what Newquay's really like on film and in photographs.

We met a number of people on our walk, who we chatted to about the project and what we're doing. Because it kept raining, people didn't want to hang around long enough to let us film them, but lots of people we spoke to said they thought Newquay needed to change.

"It's about time someone did something to make Newquay better." - Newquay resident

Well, that's exactly what we're trying to do. We should be back working on the Burger King mural next week, and that's just the start....

Here's what we found on our Newquay walk. Recognise any of these sites? What do you think about them? Which places would you add to the list? Join in the discussion and post your pictures and video on our Facebook page

Show us your Newquay!

2010-11-15T02:56:00.001-08:00

We want to know what you think about places around Newquay....

The places you love. The places you hate. The places you'd love to get your hands on to transform. We want to hear about them all.

If enough people take part, we'll be able to get a good idea about what people living here really think about the place they live in - and it could help us get the best places the recognition they deserve, and get support behind us to make other places better.

If you want to get involved, send us your photos/videos of your top places and 'love to hate' spots around the town. You can upload them on Facebook or email them to fiona@excessenergycomms.com. I'd be great if you could include yourself/group of friends in the photos and videos you make. And if you want to write about them too, even better.

We'll post stuff on the blog as it gets sent in.

Show us your Newquay - Wednesday 17 November
We'll be meeting outside Burger King on Wednesday at 3.30pm for a walk around Newquay with our 'love hearts,' cameras and video camera, capturing different spots on film as we go.

If you're a budding director or photographer, this is your chance to get creative!

We can't wait to hear what you think about Newquay!

You've been framed by My a'th kar Newquay!

2010-09-29T13:05:00.000-07:00

We were really excited to get our new 'you've been framed by My a'th kar Newquay' frames kindly made for us by RIO's XtraVerts (cheers guys!). The frames have been designed based on the Q/heart in our logo - and we think they look awesome!

We're soon going to be out and about on the streets of Newquay with our video camera finding out what people love about our town, and what could be changed to make it better.

Mural mania at Burger King!

2010-09-22T21:49:00.000-07:00

We all got really excited today when we started painting our first mural down at Burger King. Mat has been working really hard getting the site ready and drawing out the design, and on Wednesday he let us loose on the wall!

Loads of people turned up to help out and we got a lot of attention from everyone passing by asking us what we were doing. It's awesome to see what we've been working on over the summer starting to come to life and that people are already sitting up and taking notice.

Big thanks to James and all the BK crew for giving us free drinks to keep us going while we were working - thanks guys! And thanks to everyone else who came down to help too. It's amazing how different the wall looks already.

We can't wait to get painting again next week! Come and join us if you can!

Burger King gets on board a whopper of a biteback campaign with My a'th kar Newquay

2010-09-06T12:20:00.000-07:00

Photo: Dan Jones

We're really stoked that fast-food giant Burger King has got on board to help us transform Newquay. They're giving us a big cash boost and letting us use their wall to paint our first mural on.

We're so excited and we can't wait to get painting!!

We've been working really hard the past few weeks developing ideas and concepts for the murals. Each one's going to be different, but they'll all have a similar theme running through them, It's all about respect - getting people who visit to respect the place we live in, and the people who live here, and themselves. We also want to show people all the good things that Newquay has to offer.

Can you help us get started?
We're desparately looking for a small scaffolding tower to use when we start painting. If anyone's got one we could borrow, or knows someone who might give us a good rate, let us know! In return, we can give you a big shout out in our next press release, blog and Twitter.

If you can help, please email Fiona@excessenergycomms.com

Big thanks to Burger King!

Watch this space for more news on the first mural...

Your Newquay. Your Life. Your Voice.

2010-08-13T05:52:00.000-07:00

Photo: HNT Photography

We want to change Newquay’s image nationally and get people to see that there’s way more to where we live than just stag and hen partying and boozing.

It’s time for this to stop. Right now. We’re taking a stand to let people know enough’s enough.
The more people we can get to join us, the sooner things are going to change.

But to do this, we need your help.

My a’th kar Newquay means ‘I love you, Newquay’ in Cornish.
We’re a group of young people who are trying to make things better.

We love living in Newquay, and we want to show people just how awesome life can be here. Part of it is about respect – we want people to respect our town, whether they live here all year around or are just visiting.

We’ve got an amazing professional artist on board, Matt McIvor, who’s helping us transform some of the ugly, derelict sites around the town. Excess Energy, a PR & communications company in Newquay, has got loads of experience working with young people and bags of enthusiasm is helping us run the media campaign. If you like doing media stuff, it’s a great chance to get some work experience on a real project and try something new.

What we’re looking for
We want to push My a’th kar Newquay to the max. We’re starting to get support in the local papers and with local businesses getting on board. But we want to do even more – we want to get people across the country to sit up and take notice of what we’re doing. And we want to persuade local businesses to step up and support the project, too.

We want:
Young people age 16-25 who want to have their say in what goes on in Newquay.
• Artists/creative types who want to get involved in the hands-on, messy stuff, turning very big ideas into reality on our streets
• Social media gurus to spread the word about the project online
• Budding PR people to write press releases, set up photoshoots, talk to journalists, make viral filmclips etc...

The artwork’s going to go up on high-profile sites all over Newquay and will get seen by thousands of people. You know all those boring, empty boards around sites where they’re building new developments? That’s what we’re going to transform.

Interested?
Get in touch with Fiona Egglestone on Fiona@excessenergycomms.com or call 01637 852130 to find out more.

We’re having an informal meeting for anyone who’s interested in getting involved on Wednesday 18th August, 4-6pm in Excess Energy’s office, 8 School Close, Newquay.

But don’t worry if you can’t make it – just get in touch. We’ll be setting up more meetings and workshops soon.

Photo: HNT Photography

Meeting...

2010-07-16T02:34:00.000-07:00

Morning lovely people! How great, it is finally Friday, Hurrrah! And even better the sun is shining.

The amazing people at Cafe Irie have very kindly said that we could borrow their space on Wednesday. It will be a great opportunity for you to personally meet Tony Minnion and Mat McIvor who will be doing the art work. You will be able to run your ideas by them and chat to them about anything you like, whether it be why you love Newquay, how you want it changed, or if you just want a chat, they're your guys!

So Cafe Irie, Wednesday 4pm. If you get lost, the address is at the bottom of this blog. If you have any further queries, drop Fiona an email on Fiona@excessenergycomms.com and she will be more than happy to answer any of those questions you may have.

Look forward to seeing you all then. In the meantime, have an amazing weekend whatever you have planned. X

Cafe Irie

38 Fore Street

Newquay

TR7 1LP

My still a'th kar!

2010-07-15T07:59:00.000-07:00

How awful is this weather at the moment? It just can't seem to make up its mind. Is it raining? Is it windy or is it sunny? This kind of weather is really depressing as it's hard to decide what to wear (obviously girls have this problem more than guys do!) Do we wear summer clothes, as lets face it, it is summer after all! Or do we wear warm clothes as when it is grey and wet it does get chilly!

I guess most of you have broken have up for summer holidays? Or at least very almost! Exams - done, coursework - done. That is the best feeling when you can feel those bliss summer holidays approaching. No more uniform, no more school work and loads more time with friends. Brilliant!

But... when the weather is as terrible as it is at the moment, what is there to do? I say get creative. Let those juices flow! Art work, read a book, hang out with friends at their house, or invite them to yours. Even though the summer has temporarily gone, there are still things to do. Just unlock your creative side, just in time to paint the town of Newquay! So Newquay, even though your weather stucks 'My still A'th Kar' (I still love you!)

Good Morning Phillip Schofield...

2010-07-15T01:50:00.000-07:00

What a lovely sight to wake up to in the morning, Phillip Schofield... Not only is he on This Morning but also following us on Twitter! That means that the Silver Fox knows who we are at My A'th Kar Newquay! He said that he is very happy and proud to follow us on Twitter which is very positive for this project. I can see this project moving forward fast but we still need YOU, yes YOU, to help us even more. Tell your friends, family, teachers, even pets if you like that Newquay is on the mend! Watch this space! :)

2010-07-14T02:59:00.000-07:00

WE NEED YOU!

Young people from Newquay will the be the driving force behind a new initiative to change the town's image on a national level. This ambitious project, backed by the Safe Newquay Consortium, aims to give you an opportunity to have your voice heard about issues that matter to you and take action to make positive change happen in your community. So, if you are a young person living in Newquay and want to make a change, have an eye for street art, like to get messy and creative, this campaign is perfect for you!

Newquay Safe aim to recruit a core group of young people, aged around 16-25, to get the project up and running. You'll get properly hands-on, working with a professional artist to transform unsightly hoardings on buildings sites Newquay Safe aim to recruit a core group of young people, aged around 16-25, to get the project off the ground. You'll get properly hands-on, working with a professional artist to transform run down buildings sites all around the town as well as taking part in a national media campaign that will promote the great things about Newquay. Each of the sites will have a strong visual message spreading a positive message linked to the campaign – a love letter to Newquay. One of the key messages you’ll be trying to get across is to show visitors why we love Newquay and that our town is not a place just to get drunk and party - and encourage them to respect the town and its residents.

2010-07-14T02:58:00.001-07:00

WE love newquay – local people show their support for innovative new project to transform the town

The long awaited project is underway for Newquay Safe’s new initiative to transform Newquay. The first meeting got off to a flying start when enthusiastic locals flocked the meeting at the Chy Bar on Tuesday 18^th May. Everyone who attended expressed their love for Newquay and said they were keen to get involved in something that could make a positive impact on the town.

Students from local schools and colleges were full of ideas about what they could do to help get the project off the ground and excitedly put forward a range of ideas, including using a range of multi-media art forms both on-site and as part of a national media campaign to change Newquay’s image, making a documentary about the project, and even writing songs about what’s going on. There was also an excellent turn out from community, with individuals, local artists and businesses eager to support the project and help it develop.