WHAT are your thoughts about living in one of the most concentrated nuclear zones in the world? Lancaster's Folly Pictures is calling on ordinary people to express their thoughts and feelings about nuclear power in a new exhibition called 'Local Concern.' With two nuclear reactors on the doorstep, a nuclear fuel plant near Preston and the huge reprocessing plant at Sellafield - the nuclear industry is a pervasive presence.

And Folly Picture's exhibition officer, Adam Meya, is hoping local people will create their own pictures, paintings, poems or sculptures to reflect this 'nuclear' reality.

"Everyone knows it is there but real discussion and debate about nuclear issues have never really taken place," said Adam.

"The aim of 'Local Concern' is to involve local people in discussions and workshops out of which will emerge our own exhibition, using whatever people are interested in creating - pictures, poems, videos or songs. We already have promises of work by established artists like Chris Wright and Mike Mayhew to accompany the work of local people and we would like to reflect a full range of views."

The first 'getting-to-know' meetings will be held at Folly Pictures this Friday, January 16, where people can voice ideas and discuss what interests them. There will then be a series of workshops culminating in an exhibition at Folly Gallery in May.

One of the project co-ordinators, Pat England, said: "You can see Heysham Power Station from miles around but very few people have any sort of relationship with the place - it's just there. It's a story that's never told and I hope this exhibition will eventually form a permanent record on which people can reflect for years to come."

She added: "We want people to go on record with any kind of response. Someone is already writing a play and, whether its writing a poem or painting a picture, we need local people to get involved."

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