Creative Colleagues - June 2025

JUNE 2025

CREATIVE COLLEAGUES Creative Lives’ in-house magazine

EXTENSION TO ‘KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD’ FUNDING

Jess writes: “We are delighted to confirm that Creative Lives, along with the Association of Independent Museums and Libraries Connected, are to receive funding from DCMS (Via Arts Council England) to extend the successful Know Your Neighbourhood programme of work into 2025/26.

Know Your Neighbourhood is aimed at reducing loneliness through engagement in creative activities in 27 priority places in England. This additional funding, while substantial, won't enable all the previous 61 KYN projects and partnership grants to be continued. However it will enable us to extend a significant number of successful projects, which aim to reduce chronic loneliness through grassroots, community-led creative activity.

We look forward to sharing more information as the programme progresses.”

THE QUICK CATCH-UP EDENDERRY PROJECT TO CONTINUE We have secured new funding from the Arts Council of Ireland to extend our Creative Places Edenderry project for a further two years. The new grant is an increase in funding per year compared to our previous grant, and will make Creative Places Edenderry a six-year project.

This gives us a rare opportunity to explore how our place-based development model can work over a longer period of time. Congratulations to Seonaid!

CREATIVE LIVES MONITOR 2025 The results of our Creative Lives Monitor survey 2025 have now been published on our website. We found an optimistic and resilient sector, but one facing systemic challenges such as structural funding issues; volunteer burnout; institutional isolation; and the impact of the cost of living crisis.

You can read the report here.

COME AND SING - DESPITE THE RAIN! A performance at this year’s Leith Festival was meant to be the culmination of ‘The Mouth of the River’ - our choir project celebrating the Water of Leith.

But when the festival was cancelled due to bad weather, the singers (who had learned the song at a ‘come and sing’ session Creative Lives ran that morning) displayed admirable resilience and performed the song on a sheltered balcony overlooking a shopping centre and entertained the folks below!

NEW EDITION OF CASH FOR CULTURE We recently published a new fundraising guide for local creative and community groups in England. Covering everything from applying to national funders and trusts, to raising money at a local level, the guide covers a broad range of ways to help groups find funds.

Cash for Culture can be downloaded here - or read on our website via Issuu. Please help spread the word about this valuable resource!

ON THE HORIZON PLACE-BASED REPORTS Having recently published the Mapping Creative Health in Tendring report, we’ll soon be publishing two new reports, documenting our work and learning from Glasgow and Reading.

Well done to all concerned for the hard work that went into these reports!

TRAINING IN CANNOCK CHASE & LISBURN Creative Lives has been delivering a suite of training sessions in Cannock Chase, Staffordshire, organised by Jess. Sessions include welcoming newcomers, risk assessment, equality, and how to use Canva. Thanks to all who have delivered sessions so far, and those upcoming.

We’ll also be starting a set of workshops in Lisburn, Northern Ireland from Friday 27 June onwards, delivered by Seonaid.

CREATIVE HEALTH NETWORK COORDINATOR In partnership with Essex County Council, we are currently advertising for a freelance practitioner based in Essex to lead the establishment and delivery of a new Essex Creative Health Network. Deadline: 9 July.

You can read the job ad here.

MICRO-GRANT COMPETITIONS Having saved some money by streamlining our paid-for software packages, we are currently offering a £250 micro-grant in our newsletter (every other month). These, we hope, will not only encourage people to sign up for (and open!) our newsletter, but we’re also using them to crowdsource knowledge for our resources.

The current call is for good examples of how groups have used social media to achieve their aims. If you have any ideas for future micro-grant competitions, please speak to Gareth or Kelly.

GETTING TO KNOW...

NICOLA WILSON-TORCH PhD Research Intern

What’s your first memory of being creative?

Writing short stories as a child. When I was about seven, I wrote a detective story and was so proud of it that I asked my mum to laminate it – because clearly, it was a literary masterpiece!

If you could click your fingers and be proficient at any art/craft form, what would it be?

I used to dance regularly and play both the piano and saxophone – I would absolutely love to regain those skills.

Which do you prefer, river walk, beachside stroll or hill climb?

Having grown up in the Lune Valley, I feel the only acceptable answer for me is a river walk. Just behind my childhood home, there’s a lovely path that follows the river for about a mile and ends where two rivers meet. I always find it such a peaceful and relaxing spot.

You’re planning a day of live music and can book any 5 artists (living or dead) – who’s on the bill?

Billy Joel, Miley Cyrus, Jamie Lawson, Adele, and The 1975. An eclectic mix!

What inanimate object in your home most sums you up?

Probably my bookcase. I love reading so I always have plenty of books on display.

They probably sum up my interests and hobbies better than anything else.

What’s your favourite quality in a person?

I really value honesty in a person, as well as someone who can make me laugh.

Which do you prefer – chocolate bar, slice of cake or biscuit?

As someone that routinely buys birthday cake even when it’s not my birthday, a slice of cake wins every time. I love chocolate too, but only if it’s been in the fridge!

If you could choose any work of art to hang in your home, what would it be?

Perhaps a vintage movie poster – something like The Wizard of Oz or a classic Disney film. I know they’re not a work of art in the traditional sense, but I’m a big movie fan so they hold a lot of sentimental value for me.

Which country have you never visited but would love to?

I’ve always wanted to visit New Zealand – mainly for the scenery, wildlife and Lord of the Rings sets. Alaska is also on my list but I’m not the best with cold climates.

Tell us one thing your colleagues would be surprised to learn about you I once ate 17 Cadbury Creme Eggs in a row – not my finest moment!

PHOTO FINISH Each month, we ask a colleague to capture an aspect of their life, at home or out and about.

“I felt quite bored during my maternity leave and needed a project, so taught myself how to bind books watching YouTube. I got quite obsessed and even thought about setting up my own book binding club, but always felt the task a bit too daunting!” Adriana Marques, Board member