Fusion drew on the life experiences of older people living in two sheltered housing schemes in Rochdale. The residents of Low Bank were all white, while residents of Khubsuret House were predominantly South Asian. Artists Verd de Gris ran reminiscence sessions focussed primarily on childhood, hardship, work, love and families. In spite of the very different starting points for their life journeys, there was much which participants had in common. VdG then worked with storyteller Peter Findlay to weave a tale which combined residents’ memories. This captivating story was then performed by Peter in libraries across the borough to audiences of primary school children, with Rick Walker as a particularly unfunny straight man.

Fusion was one of a series of projects taking place in the North West funded jointly by Arts Council England, North West and the Local Strategic Partnerships in each area.