Rolling with the Punches

As tentative plans for a return to in-person events are drawn up, Renfrewshire Leisure’s Rikki Payne reflects on the lessons learned from arts programming in lockdown.

“There was a moment where the head of the assets team poked his head round the door on a Thursday and told us ‘you all need to go home’. We honestly thought we’d be back in a couple of weeks,” Rikki Payne said while looking back on the most bewildering year that Renfrewshire Leisure has ever experienced. “About a month in, we realised that we’d need to establish different ways to engage our audiences and this birthed the digital programme and Ren TV platform.

“Once our Stuck In The House sessions got off the ground, we had a success story. It was a really personal way to experience live music and as artists began to adapt to recording themselves, we saw some real creativity shine through.

“The viewing figures were staggering, we got something like 20,000 views for that series, which we couldn’t have had in the Arts Centre. The online panto performed even better, with 26,000 households tuning in. As time went on, we began to diversify the Ren TV programme, incorporating animation and film.

“ It’s certainly been a journey and there’s many reasons why that online genie won’t be placed entirely back in its bottle, particularly when it comes to the Paisley Book Festival. Due to the event revolving around talks, we found that the online format really worked. All events were free, but we asked for a donation and people were so generous that we made just as much as we would’ve from ticket sales. It safeguarded PBF’s future and with people from the US and England tuning in, it’s added to the festival’s name value.”

From the new working methods that lockdown necessitated to the artist development grants that they delivered to creative freelancers who, in Renfrewshire Leisure’s estimations, are “the basis of our cultural ecology,” Rikki believes that although it’s been an uphill battle, positive legacies have arisen from within restrictive times.

“It seems like we’re coming into a new cultural era in Renfrewshire and the seeds of the Paisley 2021 bid are beginning to blossom, yielding genuine and unique talent,” Rikki declared. “If things go as planned, our 2022 programme will really reflect that.”