Welcome to Chelmsford 100. A brand new festival of connecting, creating, talking.
Chelmsford 100 is a new community development project led by Chelmsford CVS, in collaboration with international arts company Kinetika.
The festival bought together a wide range of individuals and local community groups and asked them to share a story about what living in Chelmsford means to them, and in particular, what it had meant to them during the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Together, we turned each of the 100 stories into its own hand-painted silk batik flag, creating a mobile installation of 100 works of art.
The flags were then carried by volunteers on 100 miles of local walking routes, sharing the stories as they went.
Chelmsford 100 is a legacy of community will and spirit through difficult times.
In 2023, we collaborated with Chelmsford City Council and Chelmsford Museum to launch a special exhibition of the Chemsford100 Project.
The exhibition used film footage, sketches, photographs and the flags themselves to explain the creative process, to chronicle the miles they travelled, and to celebrate the stories they told.
Watch our short commemorative film of the exhibition and book launch.
We have now completed all flag designs needed for this first year of Chelmsford 100 but there are lots of other ways you can get involved this year and next.
Why not come and see the flag installations or walk with us?