About the Slawit SHOP! Project
A Parade of Shops and Stories
Slawit SHOP! is a community-led heritage project celebrating 100 years of the Carr Lane Parade shops in Slaithwaite — a row of eight shops that have been at the heart of village life for a century.
Inspired by the 40th anniversary of the Moonraking Festival in 2025, when Carr Lane Parade was lit up as part of the celebrations, the project set out to explore a parade of shops and stories: the people, trades and memories that have shaped this unique place since it was built in the 1920s.
Meet the co-ordinators - Sky Burton-Smith and Susanna Meese
Project Co-ordinators, Sky Burton-Smith and Susanna Meese have been working together since 2023. Their collaboration began with securing funding alongside Kath Shackleton from Slaithwaite Moonraking Festival, followed by helping to realise the splendour of the Moonraking 40th anniversary lantern parade, and most recently, SlawitSHOP!.
Of this project they said, “We have enjoyed working together immensely: finding our individual skills complement each other perfectly.” Sky’s other life as a celebrant and Suzie’s as a storyteller has formed the bedrock of a collaboration rooted in honouring the people of Slaithwaite, in finding, telling and preserving their stories.
“We have cherished our time working with the community and are enormously grateful for the enthusiastic response to our ideas, and for the support and expertise we have received to make this project a reality and a model heritage project.”
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Partner Activities and Community Collaborations
A key part of Slawit SHOP! has been working with local groups and organisations to explore the parade’s history in creative, hands-on and celebratory ways. Partner activities have included:
- TALKdrama Youth Theatre, using verbatim theatre to turn oral history interviews into performance
- Fibre Tribe, creating mandalas inspired by each shop’s colour palette as part of the Woven Festival in Huddersfield
- Sing Global, a community wellbeing choir, performing shop-themed songs from across the last 100 years through decade-by-decade singing
- HAF Holiday Programme, engaging young people during school holidays with shop-themed creative activities including Jack and the Beanstalk – Shop Edition!, jingle composing, advert creation and scene devising
- Slaithwaite Allotment and Horticultural Society, marking the centenary with shop-themed flower arrangements and special show entries
- A piccalilli competition celebrating Frank Daker’s much-loved piccalilli
- The Slaithwaite Light Switch-On, featuring the lantern trolley and parade-inspired storytelling
A festive installation at St James’ Church, where the eight shops recreated Carr Lane Parade using decorated Christmas trees
Together, these collaborations have turned Slawit SHOP! into a living parade of shops and stories, embedded across village life, seasons and generations.
What We’ve Been Exploring
Over the last 18 months, Slawit SHOP! has brought together local residents, volunteers, artists, young people and schools to uncover the hidden histories of the eight shops on Carr Lane.
The research has been led by two dedicated community research groups:
- The Slawit Sifters — a community research group exploring archives, photographs and local records
- The 19–25 Group — a graduate and early-career researcher group bringing fresh perspectives to the parade’s history
The project has also worked closely with three local primary schools — Wilberlee Primary School, Nields Academy, and Slaithwaite Church of England Primary School (Two Gates) — supporting pupils to explore local history through creative workshops, storytelling and research activities.
Together, through research groups, school sessions and oral history interviews, we have:
- Researched the origins of the parade and the people who built and ran the shops
- Collected memories from past and present shopkeepers and customers
- Explored how the shops and their trades have changed over 100 years
Revealed how a single parade of shops reflects wider social, cultural and working-life history in Slaithwaite
Podcasts and Digital Storytelling
The project has been documented through a monthly podcast series, capturing the journey of Slawit SHOP! as it unfolds. Episodes explore research discoveries, creative responses, partner projects and personal reflections from those involved.
Why It Matters
It is, quite simply, a parade of shops and stories.
