Hundreds of Stoke Newington residents turned out to support small businesses last weekend with displays of homemade star lanterns.

The campaign and parade, called Constellations, was organised by Stoke Newington Business Association (SNBA), a team of local traders teamed up with artists at Output Arts. It aimed to instil community connections between traders in the area. 

Heidi Early, Co-chair of SNBA and co-organiser of the event, told Eastlondonlines: “We wanted to produce a series of marketing events throughout the year that really joined the local businesses with the local community. And after admiring Output Arts previous stars installations a perfect partnership was formed.”

Jonathan Hogg and Andy D’Cruz have been running Output Arts together since 2009 out of a studio in Stoke Newington Library. Hogg told ELL: “We wanted to consider the invisible lines that turn a bunch of individual bright spots into a picture with meaning. By putting stars all over the neighbourhood, we could get people to think about how we’re all connected.”

The procession of stars took place along Stoke Newington High Street and Church Street, ending outside the fire station to witness the annual Christmas lights switch on by Mayor Philip Glanville who accompanied SNBA in the procession. 

Mayor of Hackney Philip Glanville told ELL: “Constellations was a fantastic project, culminating in a beautiful Christmas community event with small independent business at its heart, arriving at a much needed time with many businesses facing increasing cost challenges.”

He said: “Encouraging local shopping, through our Love Hackney, Shop Local campaign, is one of the ways that the Council is trying to direct support to small businesses during the cost crisis alongside funding business support events, holding dedicated engagement sessions and lobbying the government.”

The number of small businesses in the UK has been on a steady decrease in recent years, dropping by nearly 7% between 2020 and 2021.

Early, who is also the owner of Earlybird, a greeting card shop on Stoke Newington Church Street, said: “One of the issues local businesses are facing, apart from the usual rising bills, skills shortages, increasing costs, is how we make ourselves relevant in an ever-increasing online environment. It is this connection with our community that we think is key to our survival.”

The stars, made from willow and paper, were hung in shop windows along Church Street and the Highstreet for weeks leading up to the event. 

The crowds were largely made up of local Stoke Newington school children, who helped create the stars with the artists. The creative producers, Hogg and D’Cruz, visited seven local schools to run lantern building workshops. 

Andy said: “Working with young people is a great way to engage a community, particularly in an area with so many young families as Stoke Newington. It feels right now like were very divided, young people just don’t see those divisions and so they offer us all the chance to think beyond them.”

Kate Revere, co-chair of SNBA, fellow organiser and owner of Revere the Residence a homeware shop in Stoke Newington that employees disabled adults said: “The atmosphere of the Samba band and local school children dancing and parading their stars was not only super fun but truly beautiful… bringing together the community, business owners and local school children showed how we all connect to each other in Stokey and are so proud of our close, creative community. And yes, we are already planning next year’s event.”