IF walls could talk, they would tell a thousand stories of both joy and sorrow.

Now a group of women in Breightmet have got together to create an art project on that theme, which has been described by visitors as powerful, moving and an assault on the senses.

If These Walls Could Talk is an art installation which fills a vacant Bolton at Home house on Greenroyd Avenue, with the creative writing and reflections of women from the area.

It is based on stories, poems and statements made by three women’s groups which all relate to the lives of their members.

Selena Crosbie, a member of the Bright Meadows Women’s Group, said: “Instead of simply producing a booklet, the writing has taken the physical form of a house — an idea that came from the women themselves.

“The words have been incorporated by them and the supporting artists into wall graphics, quilts, placemats, flowers and audio recordings coming out from drawers and filling rooms.

“The installation reflects the lives of many local women.

“In this political climate, with cuts, welfare reform and ‘strivers vs scroungers’ government rhetoric — it is a powerful reminder that the people feeling the impact of these changes are real people, with real lives and real stories.

“They are not anonymous statistics that simply add up to budget savings.

“The house reflects the everyday nature of family life, dreams and aspirations, nostalgia and reminiscence, stories that hit hard and also humorous anecdotes, prose and observations.

“Its content is rich and works on many levels.”

They started the project last summer, with poet Louise Wallwein working with the groups fortnightly since last autumn to develop layers of creative writing.

The project was also supported by Bolton at Home’s Neighbourhood Management Team.

Community development officer Vanessa McDermott said: “The feedback has been fantastic.

“I think people are genuinely surprised that they come into Breightmet and stumble across something unexpected because the quality is so high. They are so taken aback. People are using the word powerful and speechless a lot. We are still going to be running sessions in here, finding new ways of using the space.”

Other artists involved in transforming the bare walls and empty spaces were Paul Gent, wall graphics, Jennifer Gilmour, textiles, Mel Harris, sound recording and Mark Haig, sound installation, and Leverhulme Children’s Centres and Breightmet Library were also involved. The Breightmet Knit and Natter groups created items for the project and now uses the venue for weekly meetings.

Any groups interested in meeting at the house can contact Vanessa by e-mail at: vanessa.mcdermott @boltonathome.org.uk.