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Pigeon art project reveals why people moved to town

Permission 2 A woman with sunglasses on her head and wearing a navy T-shirt holds her black, blue, yellow and white design of a coloured-in pigeon. Permission 2
The art project lets people share their stories of how they ended up in the area

Journeys of people who have settled in a town have been championed in artworks of a bird that can always find its way home.

The Hometown Birds project, using the symbol of a pigeon, encouraged people to come forward to share their stories of how they ended up in Bedford.

They have been invited to decorate pictures of the bird and adorn them with messages in tribute to a town landmark known as "Pigeon Square".

Co-organiser and artist Anne-Marie Abbate said pigeons were picked as the project was "about people arriving in Bedford and what's the first thing you see - you enter Pigeon Square".

Permission 2 A young boy in a green coat covers his face with his design and a note to his nanny. A work table with art supplies and a wooden chair are in the background.Permission 2
Pigeons have been chosen as a symbol for the project due to their ability in finding their way back home

It has been set up by community interest company Permission 2, which has run a string of workshops in Pigeon Square - also known as Church Square - and cafes.

"Story-telling is getting lost through the generations, and with the fascinating way that pigeons can be let off in another town and find their way back to their home, we thought we'd use them as a symbol," said Ms Abbate.

"Pigeons do get a bad rap, but we have to remember they saved our lives in the war by carrying messages."

Ms Abbate said people did not have to be particularly artistic to join in and were urged to express themselves using their native flag colours or designs personal to them.

Permission 2 has also been working with homeless people alongside the Bedford Langar Project, which supplies free curries, and Ms Abbate said they had received an "amazing" response.

The project, funded by the University of Bedfordshire's Heritage Horizons and National Lottery, will culminate in a public art trail of 100 pigeon designs leading from Bedford bus station to Pigeon Square in January.

Each bird will feature a QR code that links to Permission 2's website.

Ms Abbate said: "It will tell you about the journeys that all these people have had and why they're in Bedford - whether they came for work, love or just flew in on the street!"

Permission 2 A paper template of a pigeon with drawings of a church and yellow and green banding.Permission 2
Church Square - dubbed Pigeon Square by locals - was often the first place in Bedford that people saw when they arrived

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