Canal Basin is new cradle of creativity; GO GREEN A FRESH green enterprise is breathing new life into Coventry canal basin. Environment reporter Mary Griffin went to meet YouPunkeroo.

Byline: Mary Griffin

ONCE again, Coventry's canal basin is set to become a hive of activity as a new creative enterprise vows to make it a city hub.

Skirting the ring road, the basin is surrounded by beautiful old waterside warehouses on one side and new red brick flats and shops on the other.

The latest arrival, quirkily named YouPunkeroo, is bringing a range of recycling schemes and craft workshops to the basin in a bid to cajole you along to the canal.

And if you don't fancy getting your hands dirty at a pottery class or a bike recycling course you might be enticed by the basin's new quarterly art fairs.

YouPunkeroo is the bold brainchild of Lisa and Joab Lawlor.

Lisa, an occupational therapist and Joab, a clinical social worker, share four children and a quirky creative streak.

Joab, 32, said: "The canal basin's not a destination or a place to go to have fun, it's just a quiet space.

"But when we had a kite workshop using newspapers and bin bags and we had loads of kids running up and down with their kites, it really brought the place to life.

"I grew up near here and kids used to come down here catching crickets and fishing.

"Although it's pretty now it's quite empty and it's kind of "retired".

"It needs a community feel and we're trying to encourage families down here so they'll realise this is a safe place to be."

Joab works with ceramics and Lisa decorates the pottery he creates.

She is a textile artist, knitting, spinning, weaving, recycling old fabrics and crocheting wire to make jewellery.

The pair make their own beads and buttons, spin their own wool and weave on a peg loom.

They can even teach you how to make your own peg loom or your own drop spindle so you can spin old newspapers and plastic bags into works of art, handbags or your own Punkeroo toy.

And as well as rejuvenating the canal basin with craft workshops YouPunkeroo wants to reclaim Coventry as a cycling hub.

They're starting up a six-week cycle maintenance course for youngsters, teaching them how to take a bike apart, fix it and rebuild it.

And at the end of the course they'll take the bike home with them.

Joab said: "It will be a bike that fits them and a bike that they've repaired themselves. People don't know how to tackle bikes. It's a dying skill.

"We're trying to show young people they can have this amazing thing that they can go anywhere on and all it costs them is a bit of time, perseverance and practice."

Joab is keen to work with children who've been excluded from school, and to provide bikes for people who have no transport to get to job interviews or work. And as well as the practical side, he's working with Coventry Transport Museum to donate historic bicycles together with their stories and to support the Festival Of Cycling this summer.

He said: "Some of the bikes come with amazing tales. We've got an old Coventry bike from the picket lines and a bicycle from a woman in her 70s who toured France and was run over by Lawrence Olivier's Rolls Royce! It's still got the dent!"

Coventry City Council has now agreed to pass all bicycles left at the London Road tip to YouPunkeroo.

"We're also trying to introduce people to manageable gardening in any space and any place," says Joab.

"We hoping to secure some free seeds and some compost from the council and we're going into schools and promoting the idea of active gardening, using whatever you've got."

YouPunkeroo is offering different workshops every day during the Easter holidays from junk modelling to gardening in buckets. There are kids' clubs every Saturday, a craft circle runs every Thursday evening and the adults' pottery class is every Friday evening.

For further information, call Lisa or Joab on 07746 006 345.

Other delights at the Canal Basin

Astral Gypsy - bursting with manga books and offers art tuition.

The Lock Gallery - shows off local artists and the soft sculptures and monsters of resident artist Emma O'Brien.

Inspiration bridal wear - glamorous gowns and dazzling dresses.

Taylor John's House - a music venue tucked under the arches, hosting gigs arranged by Spon Street's live music hub the Tin Angel.

The Country Crust - a cosy boater's cafe where you can watch the water with a slice of cake and a cuppa.

CAPTION(S):

MR260309YOUP-04.jpg; WEAVING A NEW INDUSTRY... Joab Lawlor with Punkeroo dolls MR260309YOUP-02.jpg; TEAM WORK...A workshop at You Punkeroo, Coventry Canal Basin, with (from left) Lisa Lawlor, Janet Eardley, Janet Mcgreevy and Lynn Price; below, Joab Lawlor with (centre) Catherine Makin (fashion designer involved in textile workshops) and (right) Abi Simons (helps with workshops) MR260309YOUP-10.jpg; MR260309YOUP-03.jpg