A NEW arts group has risen out of the ashes of a former collective which was broken up by in-fighting just five months after it was set up.

The troubled Basildon Arts Collective, launched in March, has officially disbanded due to irreconcilable differences between members.

The collective was started to promote community art in the district, and was the only group of its kind in Basildon.

However, a new group has since formed, which has similar aims to the collective.

Steve Waters, the puppeteer behind the popular character Old Man Stan, is behind the new group, called the Big Arts Group.

Mr Waters outlined some differences between his new group and the old one.

He said: “The Big Arts Group is fully constituted and free for members, but most importantly its emphasis is on fun and friendship.”

He said the group’s ambitions included holding an annual Basildon arts festival, raising funds for community art projects, and establishing a permanent gallery for art work owned by the district, currently in storage.

Things began to unravel for the collective in July after BasFest, during which the group showcased performances, workshops and displays.

After the festival, dissenting group members, led by Mr Waters, disagreed with the way it was being run by Mrs Grant and made claims members were not consulted about decisions, which she denied.

About the winding up of the collective, Mrs Grant said: “I am very sad it ended the way it did, but some good lessons have been learned and some artists have got work through the collective.”

She said she planned to donate the display boards, which the group bought with a £1,000 grant from Basildon Council, to another local community group.

Kevin Blake, Basildon councillor responsible for the arts, said the council was happy to work with the new group to promote art in the district.

The Basildon Arts Collective was formed in response to the council’s decision to move Dave Chapple’s sculpture, the Woodsman Poacher, from being displayed in St Martin’s Square.

The sculpture, which is undergoing restoration work, will eventually be put on show at Westley Heights Country Park, in Langdon Hills.