This season we are in Crawley, in West Sussex, England. A new town was created in 1947, merging the villages of Three Bridges and Ifield with the small market town of Crawley filling in the gaps.
In October 2023 we asked six local teenagers to take six local artists on a walk with them through Crawley. From their walk to school, the places they hang out, where they go to for some peace, and the places they feel most alive and connected. These journeys have unearthed how they feel about Crawley and the world around them, their hopes, and what is important to them.
In this episode, we meet Iffat and Anna.
Iffat is 18 and has lived in Crawley most of her life. She describes herself as vocal, distinctive, and energetic. Iffat is a spoken word artist, who has been writing since she was 14 years old and covers topics such as growing up, immigration, and identity.
Anna worked as a session singer and backing vocalist for 25 years during which time did live Radio 2 sessions with Brian May. Anna's first solo EP An Idiot’s Guide to Love recorded in 2019 in Nashville and produced by Grammy Award Winner Bob Britt went straight to Number 5 in the UK country charts.
Iffat takes Anna on a journey exploring spoken word in Crawley, discussing challenges faced by teenagers in the social media era; Americana music; and the role of young voices in driving change.
Places and artists mentioned:
Crawley Stories - a Creative Crawley, Creative Playground and Theatre Centre production
Executive Producers - Louise Blackwell, Sophie Eustace, Emma Rees
Original Music - Brandon Knights
Edited at Gatwick Production Studios
Graphic Design - Ben Lintott
Filming - Nick Atkins, Megan Melloy
Film Trailer Editor - Nick Atkins
Runners - Shawwal Ali, Matthew Holmberg, Denis Fabian Ursache
With Thanks to: AFLO. the poet, Allan, Andy, Bonnie, Ceali, Ellee, Freya, Helen, Anna Howie, Iffat, Max, Oscar, Patience, Sarah Pimenta, Sam, Hazelwick School, Shannon, Karl Singporewala, Woodzy.
Creative Director - Louise Blackwell
Associate Director (Production) - Sam Evans
Finance & Admin Coordinator - Lara Hockman
Digital Content Coordinator - Ben Lintott
Community Engagement Manager - Erin Beesley
Project Co-Director - Louise Blackwell
Project Co-Director - Sophie Eustace
Head of Learning and Production - Sam Evans
Community Producer - Becky Jones
Communication & Admin Assistant - Harriet McDermott
Evaluation and Admin Assistant - Pav Randhawa
Marketing Manager - Rachel Bellman
Future Maker Producer - Ben Di Meo
Programme & Admin Co-ordinator - Becky Ide
Finance Manager - David Lewis
Community Partnerships Producer - Moni Onojeruo
Executive Director & CEO - Emma Rees
Artistic Director - Rob Watt
Funded by Arts Council England
