To all the Fun Palaces makers and participants – to those who signed up right at the start, to those who joined in a month before the weekend, to those who popped along to their local Fun Palace for a moment and stayed the whole day, to those of you wondering “Can we make a Fun Palace in 2015?” (yes), to those of you who took it home and made it work in your communities, with your local people – THANK YOU!

You have proved it can be done. You have proved that local people can create by, for and with their local community. You have proved that arts and sciences can not only work alongside each other, but together. You have proved that learning and engaging can be fun. You have proved that everyone is an artist and everyone is a scientist. And you have proved the ‘genius in every person’ (thanks Joan).

This is how it was for the core team :

Hannah N : I was so thrilled to see people working with games, technology and playful activities in such useful, inventive and inspiring ways, from makey makey banana pianos, to timelapse elephants, to hack workshops and pick up and play games. It was so great to see everyone trying out these things for the first time, or sharing their expertise, and I have so many thoughts about how to make the Digital Culture support bigger and better next year which I will be sharing with the team at HQ. Thank you for all of the attention you paid me, and well done!

Sarah-Jane : We went into this, not knowing what we had, not knowing what might happen … and gradually, unexpectedly, quietly it seems to have become a bit of a revolution. Over the weekend, I noticed this revolution give people permission to be whatever they wanted; liberating buildings and spaces; unearthing culture and creativity everywhere, and maybe, most importantly helping to reclaim the use of the word ‘fun’. I think Joan would be pleased with that!

Kirsty: I felt massively inspired by the way the makers just made stuff happen- amazing stuff! We can all change the world if we just get off our bottoms and do it!

Dan : As Marketing Manager of the project I was able to watch the nationwide Fun Palaces weekend unfold and grow a community on Twitter (@Funpalaces), Facebook and Instagram. I feel incredibly privileged to have ‘been’ to, and shared the journey with, so many. Seeing the the breadth of diversity, community strength and FUN both on and offline was fascinating and heartwarming.

Katy : The enthusiasm, the range of people and activities was what struck me. Chatting to volunteers who’d set up their Fun Palaces from scratch, I really got an idea of the sense of “what if?” and that Fun Palaces had been a brilliant brief – you can do anything. I loved the fact that Fun Palaces were happening on boats, in arts centres, outdoors, in theatres and artist’s studios…. opening up spaces to people who had never visited before and offering lots of free cups of tea! It was fantastic to go and visit as many Fun Palaces local to me – the biggest problem was the fact that I couldn’t get to more Fun Palaces over the weekend.

Hannah L : I was struck by the passion and madcap spirit that infused each Fun Palace and that such brilliant new friendships and relationships have been made in the process. I loved the boldness and bravery of the Makers throughout, seeing the most inventive ideas being realised and best of all, that each Fun Palace has created a strong sense of community at its heart.

Stella : We had no idea what Fun Palaces could become, it started out as a real dream, a hope, and became a reality – not just over the weekend, but in the build-up. We saw Fun Palaces makers all across the country in the process of making a Fun Palace, also being a Fun Palace – creating art, science, learning, engagement, involvement and fun in their own communities – not just during the event, but as they created their weekend.

Mandy : An extraordinary weekend of creativity, community, collaboration, learning, and fun, featuring dance, poetry, pottery, artwork, writing stories, permaculture, a synasthaesia lab, and singing. All of this underpinned by a genuine commitment to the principle of ‘everyone an artist, everyone, a scientist’.

Amber : Fun Palaces has been the most wonderful celebration of the passion, creativity and energy of (extra)ordinary people, and their desire to make something of which all their community can be proud. It’s been such a privilege to be part of Fun Palaces, and I genuinely believe that everyone that has been touched by it has had their life changed, as I have.

It’s been challenging, exhausting, thrilling, frustrating, exciting, nerve-wracking and hugely inspiring. Now let’s do it again!