Rachel Ryan

Tell us how you were/are involved in Right Up Our Street. Tell us about your experience.

I was Marketing and Project Coordinator for Right Up Our Street for four years from 2014-2018. I absolutely loved my time working on the project because it was something I felt very passionate about. The people, the projects and the events were so memorable and a highlight of my life for sure.

What was your most memorable Right Up Our Street moment?

Memorable or favourite? Most memorable- being the leg of the ‘Great Big Donco’ or being soaked to the bone running outdoor events in the great British weather. Favourite moments include wanting to run away to the circus after No Fit State Circus took over the marketplace for the DNWeekeND 2015, the museum of the moon and the Cosy Cinema events. Those moments where people were experiencing something new, something quality and something fun.

Has your involvement in the project changed your approach to working in the arts?

The best things happen when you collaborate. The best things happen when people put egos aside and find ways to work together, find common purpose and objectives to build a stronger artistic infrastructure that gives opportunities at all rungs of the ladder. Growth in the arts, as with all things, is not always linear or easy. It’s challenging and has roadblocks sometimes but collaboration and communication is the key.

In your opinion, how does having a project like Right Up Our Street benefit the borough of Doncaster?

Moments of joy, creativity and community are rare and RUOS gives so many chances for people to experience that, whether short term and large scale, or long term and small scale. Exposure to the arts and creative expression can only benefit our town and the communities in it. RUOS amplifies and celebrates these things. It puts Doncaster on the ‘arts’ map in a thoughtful and enduring way.