Latest News

Arts based organisation GEEYOU collaborates with Experience Guildford to create We Are Guildford a specially comissioned post-lockdown project to promote Guildford Town Centre

1st July 2020

promote Guildford Town Centre.

We are delighted to introduce to you We Are Guildford; a specially written poem reflecting on Guilldford Town Centre’s time in lockdown during the Coronovirus Pandemic.  Written by Nick White, Director of local Arts organisation GEEYOU, We Are Guildford explores how Guildford’s community spirit has held strong during lockdown and is a rousing call to the general public that Guildford is now very much ‘open for business’.

Nick White,  Director of GEEYOU, explains;

“I wanted to contribute something to the #ISupportGuildford campaign that brings the creative arts and business communities together and highlights new ways of partnership working in a COVID-19 world. By demonstrating how The Arts can support businesses, I hope the business community can become inspired to work more creatively with us and help support the long-term survival of The Arts Industry.”

Available in both written format (attached) and as a two minute video via the following YouTube link https://youtu.be/Ey4mDMs7q3o it is hoped that the video will inspire people to return to Guildford to help support the town’s economy.

Amanda Masters, Chief Executive of Experience Guildford says:

“This video makes me a little emotional as it is a reminder of everything the town has been through and how resilient we are.  There is still a little way to go, but I am incredibly proud that Experience Guildford are a part of bringing this town back to it’s feet. Collaborative projects like this one really help to demonstrate the strength of community spirit in the town centre.”

Written for the town, the advert also stars the employees of many town centre businesses and was filmed by local Marketing Agency, Delivered Social.  Supported by Guildford Borough Council, Cllr John Redpath, Lead Cllr for Economy at Guildford Borough Council says:

“Supporting our residents and businesses from arts and culture to retail to technology and hospitality are key parts of the Council’s role in helping our borough recover from the Coronavirus (Covid 19) outbreak. Guildford has always been a vibrant and innovative town and GEEYOU’s poem and video featuring many of our businesses and dedicated to our wonderful High Street, is a perfect creative example of the fantastic community spirit that we’ve seen throughout the crisis.”

He continues;

“It is heart warming to see residents and visitors able to return to shop and soon socialise again in our town and we thank everyone involved for making this happen and we thank everyone for continuing to follow the guidance, wash their hands and stay apart from others.”

Read the poem here.