The Market Square in Castletown has changed a lot over time. In the past, it was a literal Market Square turning into a parking lot, recently becoming a shared space combining parking and public space. Following the work I did with the public spaces strategy, the town decided to close the square for cars completely and turn it into a space for people during the summer months.

After this change, I ran a day workshop on the square during one of the weekend events. It was a playful activity. I provided colouring sheets and a plan of the Market Square for visitors to draw or paste different elements. As they were busy designing, we had a conversation, about the space and its recent changes.

The feedback has been positive, especially how they come to the square more often since the parking has been removed. This was an exciting result after, as usual, the idea previously received many angry comments on Facebook.

The most active designer has been Kiara, who was not local but spent last week in Castletown visiting. She loved designing different spaces and told me she plans to be a grown-up designer one day!