It is strange to think that what was intended to be a one-year project in Huyton has become three defining years of my working life.

As I step away from my roles as Community Manager for Make Huyton Village and Project Lead for Street and a Half in St Helens, I find myself reflecting not only on the projects, but on the people, the buildings and the steady, determined work that has shaped them.

Make Huyton Village and Make on the Corner

In February 2023 I was leaving the Invisible Wind Factory with plans to build a freelance career in project, event and change management within the arts and cultural sector when I ran into Liam Kelly, who asked what I knew about Huyton. The honest answer was very little.

What followed has been one of the most rewarding chapters of my career.

With the backing of a local authority willing to support innovative regeneration and entertain new ideas, Make Huyton Village became possible. Knowsley Council have been supportive and forward-thinking throughout. It has not always been straightforward, but three years on Make Huyton Village is very nearly at full capacity and home to a strong, vibrant and distinctly characterful community of artists, creatives and makers.

The building itself carries its own story. Built as the Mayfair Cinema in 1937, it closed in 1957 before becoming a supermarket and later a branch of Boots the Chemist. Over the past three years we have carefully reshaped the space for contemporary creative use. The former shopfront now houses Open Plan studios, three sheds and a resident-run shop, Made in Huyton, where studio holders and invited makers sell their work. Towards the rear of the building, what were once dispensing rooms, stock rooms and staff areas have become private studios and production spaces, including an Innovation Lab equipped with 3D printers, a laser cutter and a wide range of hand and power tools.

The history of the building continues to inform future plans. There is more to come!

Make on the Corner has run alongside the studios as a flexible, bookable space for meetings, classes, exhibitions and events. Over the past three years it has hosted everything from pop-up retail to yoga, alongside Make’s own programming including Residents Showcase exhibitions, Textile Transformations workshops and Winter Wellness sessions. It has been a vital testing ground for ideas and a visible presence within the village.

What makes Make Huyton Village special, however, is not the square footage or the equipment. It is the people. The generosity, resilience and talent within the community is extraordinary. Many have become friends. They have rallied together to run Made in Huyton themselves, opening Thursday to Saturday and shaping it into a genuinely collective endeavour. That level of ownership is something I am immensely proud to have supported.

Make Huyton Village, 47-49 Derby Road, Huyton L36 9UQ

Street and a Half

In June 2025 Make took on the management of Street and a Half in St Helens. My role was to establish it as a functioning and sustainable community of artists, creatives and socially trading organisations.

Eight months later, Street and a Half, spanning 7 to 23 Haydock Street and 5 to 5D Bickerstaffe Street, is fully let, with two large spaces available for hire. It is operational, active and alive with activity.

St Helens benefits from an established and engaged creative community. Where building momentum in Huyton required patient groundwork, in St Helens there was already a network ready to collaborate. A particular acknowledgement must go to Artist Led St Helens, whose energy and commitment have been central to the success of Street and a Half and who continue to programme the spaces with confidence and purpose.

St Helens Council have also been consistently supportive, working constructively with Kindred, myself and the resident organisations to ensure the project could embed successfully.

Street and a Half, 7-23 Haydock Street, St Helens WA10 1DD & 5-5D Bickerstaffe Street, St Helens WA10 1DH

Next Steps

I will continue delivering creative regeneration projects and consultancy for both creative communities and asset holders on a freelance basis. I am also pleased to be joining the boards of Homebake CLT, Pyromancy Productions CIC and All Over the Shop CIC.

Make CIC has grown significantly over the past three years. It has been a privilege to contribute to that growth and to work alongside such a committed and capable team. Ali, Amy, AJ, Maria, Rosie, Liam, Kirsten, Joel, Lily, Louise, Dan and Eddy: Thank You! Your ambition, humour and persistence have carried these projects forward. I hope our paths cross again and that we find ways to collaborate in the future!

For now, this chapter closes with gratitude and respect for what has been built.

Mia.

Forwarding details

hello@miatagg.com

07708 006293

miatagg.com

@miatagg.projects