Raising Awareness of The Dangers of Loan Sharks Through Creativity
Client Name:
Illegal Money Lending Team England
Project Overview:
Members of the Community Engaged With
Community Venues Worked With
Awareness-Raising Artworks Created
Project Aims:
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Raise awareness of the dangers of loan sharks within local communities.
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Encourage people to think differently about who a loan shark could be, highlighting that they can look like anyone.
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Create a visually engaging and accessible way for people of all ages to learn about the support available.
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Use creativity and digital tools to start important conversations and build confidence in reporting concerns.
The Solution:
We ran a series of free community art workshops at Grangeway Community Centre, Halton Lea Library, Ascent College, and Widnes Market. During the sessions, people were shown how to use Leonardo AI—a free AI art tool—to create portraits based on the idea that loan sharks don’t have one appearance, they could be anyone!
Participants generated a wide range of AI portraits shown below to reflect the fact that loan sharks can come from all walks of life. These portraits were then printed and collated onto large display boards to form collaborative pieces of artwork.
The Outcome:
The final artboards are now on display in Halton Lea Library, Grangeway Community Centre, and Widnes Market, where they help to keep the conversation going and share useful information about the Illegal Money Lending Team.
The workshops gave people a chance to learn something new, take part in a creative activity, and explore an important topic in a friendly, supportive environment. Community representatives said the sessions encouraged people to reflect and helped raise awareness in a way that felt accessible and creative.
Let’s Work Together: