Royal Tunbridge Wells Together BID Art Week Colouring Book flew off the shelves in its thousands
If you spent some time in Royal Tunbridge Wells in August and September, chances are you will have seen our unexpectedly popular Art Week colouring book – the first of its kind, and part of Royal Tunbridge Wells Together’s FREE Art Week events and workshops that took place in local businesses across the town from 22nd – 29th August 2022.
Full of familiar Royal Tunbridge Wells scenes, the colouring book has allowed our community to colour in the town that we all love, featuring the work of local artists commissioned by us to create beautiful black and white landscapes.
The book contains 20 illustrations of local businesses, places, and landmarks, including The Ivy on the High Street, the Millennium Clock at Fiveways, Chapel Place, The Pantiles, Calverley Grounds, and the Spa Valley Railway, among others.
In partnership with local businesses M. Saltmarsh and Rymans, both of Monson Road, the BID also ran a competition to win one of three hampers full of arts, crafts, and stationery goodies across three age categories – under 10’s, 11-17, and 18+. Entrants could submit as many masterpieces as they liked, using any materials. As the oldest art shop in England, M. Saltmarsh cast their expert eye over the entries before choosing the winners.
“The new colouring book has brought our community together, united local businesses, and showcased our town in a truly unique way”
The initial concept for the colouring book came as an extra element to the Art Week events, but as soon as the first 1,000 copies were printed, it was clear that the book was going to be an event all by itself. The wonderful Royal Tunbridge Wells locals hunted down the books in their droves, picking them up from local businesses across the town and even the printing shop where they were made, posting on social media to track down copies, and even contacting the BID to ask for more to be made available! Within a matter of days, we were printing another 1,000 books to meet demand.
As your Business Improvement District, we couldn’t be happier with how popular the colouring book has been. It has brought our community together, united local businesses, and showcased our town and its most well-loved local spots in a truly unique and special way. Thank you to the local artists who created the beautiful and compelling landscapes that make up the colouring book – without you, there wouldn’t have been a colouring book at all! Thank you also to Kall Kwik, who printed the book in record time, and the local businesses that displayed it.
Above all else, we are so pleased to be able to celebrate the wealth of creative and artistic talent that exists in our town. A limited number of colouring books are still available at RTW Together HQ, at 52 High Street.
Website: www.rtwtogether.com | Email: biddirector@rtwtogether.com | Social media: @rtwtogether
