A Space To Create
What is A Space to Create?
As part of A Space to Create we are working with community venues across Sunderland to help them offer more creative activities for local people.
This exciting initiative gives venues the chance to experiment, innovate, and explore new ideas in arts and culture—ensuring they can develop programmes that truly reflect the interests of their communities. Through workshops, performances, exhibitions, outdoor art, and large-scale events, we’re making high-quality cultural experiences more accessible, right on your doorstep.
Supporting Sunderland’s Community Spaces
To help venues thrive, The Cultural Spring is providing:
✔ Funding – Supporting the development of new creative projects
✔ Guidance – Helping venues plan and deliver arts and culture programmes
✔ Training – Building confidence and skills to grow cultural opportunities
Our Venues
Coalfields/Washington
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The Old Rectory has been working to involve the young people in Houghton in music activities. Their older youth group has developed and programmed a youth music festival in February 2025, which saw local young musicians perform. The group also took part in DJing and rap workshops learned more about the music industry.
Washington Millennium Centre
Millennium Centre Library, The Oval, Concord, Washington NE37 2QD
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Washington Millennium Centre has been looking at how to integrate artist-led arts and creativity sessions with centre users, and create a sustainable, long-term programme of workshops. As part of A Space to Create, they commissioned artist Nicola Lynch to co-create with their local community a new art installation ‘Communities Grow Together’ for their café area.
East
Young Asian Voices
Sans Street Centre, Upper Sans Street, Sunderland, SR1 1HG
WEBSITE: https://www.youngasianvoices.co.uk
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Young Asian Voices has been focussing on developing the artistic skills in their local community, by offering opportunities for 3 emerging artists to take part in a creative mentoring project. Each artist is being supported to develop their artist practice and participatory arts activities. The artists are now hosting their own workshop and performances.
The Box Youth Project
Hall Farm Rd, Sunderland, SR3 2UY
WEBSITE: https://www.facebook.com/TheBoxYouthAndCommunityProject/
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The Box Youth project has been focussing on creating regular creative activities and have worked with Intertwined NE to offer dance and drama workshops to all of their youth & SEND groups. The groups performed in a large dance for the local community.
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Sunderland Headlight is aiming to integrate arts and creativity sessions into their services for their users dealing with mental health issues. Service users have worked with animator Scott Tyrell to develop a new short animation which was developed through the stories that the service users shared and their own experiences and journeys with mental health.
West
Grindon Church Community Project
Galway Rd, Grindon, Sunderland, SR4 8JZ
WEBSITE: http://www.gccp.org.uk/
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Grindon Church Community Centre has been looking to involve more members of the community in their arts and creativity sessions. They commissioned artist Lindsey Grieves to create installations for their community garden to form an art trail. Lindsey worked with their men's and ladies’ group to create the artworks. They held community help out days which invited volunteers to help prepare the garden and install the artwork.
Sunderland Training and Education Farm
Page Pastures Farm, Keelman's Ln, South Hylton, Sunderland SR4 0RW
WEBSITE: https://sunderlandfarm.co.uk/
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Sunderland Training and Education Farm is aiming to set up sustainable drama and arts groups, and recently commissioned filmmaker Julie Ballands to deliver filmmaking workshops for their U16 girls’ group. The group has created a new film exploring wellbeing and the animals/farm.
North
Grace House North East
Bardolph Drive, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, SR5 2DE
WEBSITE: https://gracehouse.co.uk/
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Grace House is working towards improving the wellbeing of parents and carers through therapeutic arts. They have developed a creative wellbeing project which saw them delivering workshops in art wellbeing journaling and sculpture as well as taking participants on visits to local arts venues.
Photos from A Space to Create So Far..
Photos from Arts Centre Washington’s Craft Fair
End of Phase 1
Our A Space to Create venues came together to reflect upon the first phase of the programme, which has seen them over the past 6 months deliver a range of creative activities to their local communities. This has ranged from dance workshops to silk painting workshops to craft fairs to graffiti sessions to community art exhibitions & performances.
Nick from Co-Libra led an evaluation session with the venues allowing them to reflect upon what they have learnt as well as look forward to the next phase of the programme which will be beginning in the next few weeks.
After the session we held micro-taster sessions for tbe venues to experience new art forms and meet local creatives. This included; a spoken word workshop with Rowan McCabe, an introduction to puppetry with Georgia Hill and a mindful mark making session with Jane Young.
This project is part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit UK Shared Prosperity Fund: prospectus - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
