With many of those involved in the arts currently struggling amid a loss of trade and a lack of Government support for a large chunk of the freelance community, the championing of creatives has never been more essential. Ben Heslop has been instrumental in developing a burgeoning public art scene in Carlisle through his business Landmark Street Art, alongside his directing of the curation of public art in the city. “The company works with international artists all over the world developing collections. Prior to Covid that took us all over the world. I was in a situation where my work saw me immersed in a rich cultural scene spread across the globe, but where I lived and worked there was nothing,” Ben explains.