#savingronsplace

Working together #savingronsplace

The campaign to save Ron’s Place was initiated by artists Jan Williams (Ron’s niece) and Chris Teasdale of The Caravan Gallery, supported by family, friends and an array of talented individuals with expertise in arts, heritage, culture and community. Our merry band of volunteers formed an informal advisory board before launching Wirral Arts and Culture Community Land Trust (WACCLT) in December 2021.

The building containing Ron’s rented ground floor flat, plus three upstairs flats, was purchased at auction in March 2023 by Wirral Arts and Culture Community Land Trust thanks to a last minute gift from the Muller Wimhurst Trust.

Ron’s Place, our flagship project, is managed by WACCLT’s Board of Trustees supported by a wonderful Team of volunteers and advocates including Jarvis Cocker.

We’re hugely grateful to all our volunteers and supporters, past present and future.

  • Initial gathering of family, friends and advisors at the end of 2019

Meet our Board

Meet our Team

#savingronsplace

Our guiding principles are to set out our hopes and ambitions for Ron’s Place, as a legacy to Ron himself and most importantly to contribute to the neighbourhood and the wider cultural network.

Photo: Martin Wallace

Guiding Principles and Vision

  • Conserve and preserve the unique creative legacy of Birkenhead born Ron Gittins (1939 – 2019) by acknowledging his outstanding contribution to ‘Outsider Art’ and recognising Ron’s Place as a significant visionary art environment.
  • Secure the long-term future of Ron’s Place and contents by acquiring the property and becoming self-sustaining.
  • Document, archive and interpret all artwork, written material, and ephemera in Ron’s Place and elsewhere to create a lasting record of Ron’s life and work.
  • Ensure Ron’s artwork is accessible to a diverse audience, both online and through carefully managed in-person visits appropriate to the residential setting.
  • Make a positive contribution to the local neighbourhood and cultural network by forging links with community groups and cultural organisations, supporting social cohesion, celebrating sense of place and local and regional identity.
  • Use Ron’s Place to celebrate the creativity within all of us as a powerful source of healing, inspiration, and well-being, via a programme of public engagement and creative encouragement.
  • Use Ron’s Place as a springboard to generate new work by amateur and professional contemporary artists, writers, performers and musicians from diverse backgrounds, including those who work in non-traditional and neurodivergent ways.
#SAVINGRONSPLACE

Can you help to save Ron’s Place?

There is still a great deal to do to save Ron’s Place, and we can’t do it on our own. There are already lots of ways you can help, and we will be adding more in the future

Show me how I can help