The team are eagerly awaiting news of funding for artists from Gypsy, Roma, Traveller communities and heritage whom the festival are honoured to work with.

A Town Explores A Book is proud to have previously worked with installation artist ARRAN, multi media artist and journalist Jake Bowers and photographer Jules Earl. Jake’s daughter, English teacher Lily Bowers, is an associate member of ExploreTheArch’s early career team whom we also hope will be funded to run the creative writing competition.

E. Nesbit’s book contains two chapters in which the barge community are depicted. We hope that Jake will be able to share his perceptions of that depiction from 1905 and wider portrayal of GRT communities in heritage books.

ARRAN hopes to explore the living conditions of the transient workforce that dug the railways and built the rail infrastructure in St Leonards-on-Sea.

Jules hopes to highlight the engineering triumphs of this workforce that are hidden in plain sight through her photography. In doing so, she will make the story of the building of the magnificent Bo Peep tunnel in St Leonards on Sea more widely accessible.

Fingers crossed the funding will be awarded! Check back for news.