Drew talks about how important the arts are and how the community spirit in Plymouth has grown since the pandemic.
Hi I'm Drew Graves. I'm a filmmaker and project manager at the Hundred Hands. I'm a large bearded man with long hair. I'm wearing a khaki shirt and black jeans and black boots.
We're in the city of Plymouth in the lovely Bread and Roses pub, gorgeously painted in green with the gorgeous tobacco smoke-stained roof which was actually designed professionally by a set dresser. Beautiful stained glass windows. It's just a lovely pub.
One of the things I'm most proud of about Plymouth is how people come together. There is no sense of disconnection when you live here. There's a really strong community spirit and a lot of looking out for each other and that to me is what makes it so special to me. And in that comes a really great appreciation for the arts.
So we're in the Bread and Roses and this location is the beating heart of the art scene in Plymouth. There's a few others like, Leadworks, and there are so many creative beings in Plymouth all creating and expressing their art in their own unique ways.
So much has changed since the pandemic in Plymouth. The community spirit has almost been set on fire with how much more powerful it's become. People have come together and realised that those social events are so important. It's also evident in the music community there's so many more people going out and seeing the live music. Is it weird to think that something so positive could have come from something so negative?
I think one of Plymouth's weak points is the bus service, it's extortionately priced. Thankfully due to the government funding for bus services at the moment capping it at £2, that's been fantastic. But normally a return anywhere is £4.80, which is obscene especially when you consider prices in London or Bristol where it's £1.50 for a single or £2 for a return.
There is quite a heavy congestion on the roads at the moment in Plymouth and that is because people don't use the bus services because it's actually cheaper to run a car than to get the bus in Plymouth. It's why I'm being forced to get a car myself.
Plymouth is a family city. It's where I want to come and raise my family. I find that there's a lot out there for families. There's really good educational facilities here. As a teacher I found some really fantastic places where I'm going to send my kids when they're a little bit older and can go to an after school club. And it's not too expensive.
Plymouth isn't too much of an expensive place. I'm personally looking forward to buying a house here when I can, and doing it all up myself. There's definitely opportunities for that here in Plymouth. There're quite a few run down houses, there's also loads of new builds being built all the time at the moment and I'm excited to see what happens to those, 'cos there's a lot in the city centre that are vacant and investors are kind of swarming down to Plymouth and buying up all these fantastic locations because people are seeing the potential here.
It's going to be a big city and I'm hoping it doesn't lose that village feel. One of the most fantastic organisations in Plymouth is Nudge Community Builders. They have bought from community investment funding, buildings along Union Street and are giving them a new lease of life. It is absolutely truly incredible for what they're doing and a testament to Plymouth's community.
One of the things that I always noticed about when you cycle around Plymouth is how there's always something new. There's always a new shop opening or a new art installation or something that is making progress. It's one of the main things I find most fascinating about Plymouth is how far it's constantly coming. If Plymouth has come as far in the past 15 years as it will in the next 15 years, I strongly doubt Plymouth is gonna be not much of a secret anymore.
Plymouth is going to be a creative and community hub in the Southwest. And I'm honestly, I’m just, I'm so excited to see where it comes.