Taking back power through Community led change
“Giving a voice and power to communities that have previously felt powerless creates more resilient and stronger communities that are more able to tackle the issues they face…… benefits also come from helping communities leverage improved agency and control, which fosters increased pride in and sense of place….. such developments help create a sense of engagement, energy and of being engaged in something different, something important and something which is ‘ours’. This all supports systems to create momentum, reach into new areas, and co-develop outcomes that are sustainable and last.”
The case for neighbourhood health and care report, NHS Confederation Oct’ 24
Taking back power
Create Local is Create Gloucestershire’s transformative programme that addresses the unmet demand for arts, culture, and creativity in Gloucestershire, particularly in communities that have historically received limited public funding. It connects artists with individuals who are passionate about enhancing the creative fabric of their area, and collects data to showcase the transformative impact of community creativity, paving the way for increased investment and decision-making by the local community.
Create Local seeks to empower residents and communities with decision-making power over arts and culture programming, ultimately nurturing thriving and resilient communities.
Central to this work is Create Gloucestershire’s commitment to growing agency and collaboration. The programme aims to challenge narratives of disadvantage associated with priority communities by reframing stories that celebrate community creativity, assets, and activity. Through ongoing collaboration and partnerships across sectors, Create Local seeks to empower residents and communities with decision-making power over arts and culture programming, ultimately nurturing thriving and resilient communities.
Sitting in the gaps
Our Creative Catalyst team; as place-based change agents and trusted brokers, sit in “the gaps” to help unlock the creative and social agency of individuals and places. They facilitate dialogue, supporting diverse voices and unlocking resources for arts and culture within communities. By enabling independence and working primarily as a facilitator rather than a producer, the Catalyst creates opportunities for other people to take action, contribute, and realise their own creative potential. In each new area, we start with active listening to hear from residents to understand their perspective - we find out where they see creative energy in the area, where they feel most at home, and what they feel is missing. Inequality is a widely recognised issue in areas that we connect with, and so our approach starts with ‘what matters to residents’ not ‘what is the matter with residents’.
Community led change
All the networks share a purpose: to ignite a sense of possibility and unlock energy and resources within communities so that there can be more art, culture and creativity for residents.
With investment from Thirty Percy and Esmee Fairbairn Foundation over the past 5 years, we have been growing community-led place based creative alliances in different contexts; from a town-wide group in Cheltenham; to Matson, Robinswood and White City on the outskirts of Gloucester; and the market town of Cam and Dursley. And most recently we’ve been meeting people in the Forest of Dean. Our longest running groups, Culture Matson and Cam and Dursley Creatives have been meeting regularly since 2017 and 2019 respectively.
All the networks share a purpose: to ignite a sense of possibility and unlock energy and resources within communities so that there can be more art, culture and creativity for residents. They provide a platform to empower local people to come together, in collaboration, to hold creative conversations and create opportunities that are important to them and their community.
CG’s role is to hold the space as a neutral facilitator which allows space and energy for high quality, creative and critical conversations to take place.
All the alliances are convened by Create Gloucestershire and meet every 6-8 weeks in community venues. CG’s role is to hold the space as a neutral facilitator which allows space and energy for high quality, creative and critical conversations to take place. People come together to help make their place more creative, inclusive and fun. Sometimes there is a purpose in their connection – it might be an initiative or event that the group initially coalesces around which builds understanding and trust and lays the foundation for the future. As an independent infrastructure body, CG also provides financial and governance support for each group allowing it to emerge gradually without the governance and management burden of setting up and running an organisation.
Each alliance is distinctive to the area, reflecting local circumstances and starting points. What is common across all the alliances is the cross-sector representation, including culture, health, social care, education, policing, parish/town councils, socio-economic groups, professional disciplines, organisational hierarchies, racial, cultural and religious backgrounds, and include people who are paid, employed, freelance or volunteers.
What is common across all the alliances is the cross-sector representation, including culture, health, social care, education, policing, parish/town councils, socio-economic groups, professional disciplines, organisational hierarchies, racial, cultural and religious backgrounds, and include people who are paid, employed, freelance or volunteers.
Our experience suggests that you need to have 2 or 3 active residents at the start of the group to ‘set’ the right course. They may be people who are often involved in community initiatives to begin with, but over time the group can grow to include those who may be less confident or experienced at getting involved in community groups. Also key to this process are artists and creative producers who want to work in communities. They are often excluded from policy making and investment decisions, yet their imagination and creativity can bring much needed innovation.
Create Local is now proving to be of interest to others outside the arts and cultural sector as more people realise the solutions to the challenges facing us in the next decade (cost of living crisis, mental health issues and climate change) are not going to be found in one person’s head or in the remit of a single sector or organisations. The answers are likely to be in trusted and effective cross-system partnerships between residents, artists, health, education, social care and community professionals.
Shared decision making
As creative agency within the alliances grows, so does investment potential. Two of the alliances hold funds in their own community chest with support from CG as a fiscal sponsor/host. Access to the fund, and decisions about how the money is put to use, is shared within the group. Trust, confidence and skills grow as people grapple with how to make decisions that are transparent, robust and fair. In essence the community chest is a shared investment fund which is owned by nobody but available to everyone who lives in the community. Based on the principles of the “commons” developed by Elinor Ostrom, it is an alliance model of investment that encourages and enables residents and their public servant partners to share the risk and the reward of investment. We have been researching and refining a community chest model over the past 2 years and you can find out more about what we learned about community chests in our blog What happened when Culture Matson began using a 'Community Chest' to distribute funding?
All the alliances meet every 6-8 weeks, hosted in community venues. Read on to find out more about each alliance below and their meeting dates for 2025.
Focus on the place based alliances: Culture Matson
In Culture Matson, Debbie has been working as a Creative Catalyst for several years, initially as part of Art of Libraries programme and now helps convene Culture Matson and administer the community chest.
She says:
"Culture Matson started as a small group in 2017 with a shared desire to enable access to arts and culture within the local community of Matson, Robinswood and White City. The group has now grown from strength to strength with more than 60 members of Culture Matson; including local schools, the library, local artists, community groups, the police, local charities and local residents. The group meets every 6 weeks and there are normally between 10-15 members at each meeting. Each meeting gives everyone the opportunity to update on ‘What's Happening’ within their work. It is also a safe space to talk through ideas, share learning and offer support and local knowledge. Information is shared with all members of the group if people aren't able to attend a meeting.”
The Community Chest has supported some exciting projects in the past year to include The Matson Music and Food Festival, Community Pop Up Cinema and numerous festive offerings. Last year saw a pantomime in both Robinswood and Moat School which was more cost effective than taking children out of the community with rising transport costs. This year has seen an increase in partners having secured match or partial funding from other charities which has also enabled the Community Chest to go further and support more projects in the future.
The group was developed around access to Arts and Culture with a focus on improving well being. However the group discusses other factors within the community such as anti-social behaviour and school attendance which can often be improved with more investment in creative activities. By having these rich conversations the group works through how to support local issues, in partnership and working collaboratively. There is a wealth of knowledge and understanding and Culture Matson is a safe space to talk through problems, share experiences and learn from each other, with support from others.
“Culture Matson is an evolving landscape adapting to economical, political and environmental changes. With so many unknowns in our ever changing world the emphasis on continuing to build capacity of the people in our communities so they can develop their skills to lead the creative journey in the local community.” Debbie Christie, Creative Catalyst.
Latest info is on the Culture Matson page or get in touch via debbie@creategloucestershire.co.uk.
Focus on the place based alliances: Cam and Dursley Creatives
Cam and Dursley Creatives meet every 6-8 weeks. The next meeting is Wed 12th March, 4.30 - 6pm, Rednock School sixth form, Dursley. Click here to register and view all the upcoming meeting dates.
Although there is no longer a Creative Catalyst in Cam and Dursley, it is this ground work that has led to the ongoing success of Cam and Dursley Creatives. A regular group meets in different locations every 6 weeks, and includes head teachers, local practising artists, library manager, parish/town councillors and many more.
Cam & Dursley Creatives in the Rednock School Newsletter!
Mike Stratford, Headteacher, Rednock School shares his involvement:
"In my role as Headteacher it is important to understand the needs of the local community. The school serves the community, and community shapes the school. I have attended Cam and Dursley Creatives since I started in post, and see the value of this powerful support network. It provides a different way of thinking, and new possibilities for the school, and living and working in Cam and Dursley. Through the community chest managed by Cam and Dursley Creatives, we have stimulated so many new arts activities, such as the student's involvement in the bus shelter artwork to a community exhibition at The Engine as a follow up to the National Gallery Art Road trip. This has led to the development of a new link co-ordinator role in school to help bring in good ideas and be a connector to the local offer. We don't want it to be a one-way street, we are keen to work in partnership".
Take a look at the meeting dates for Cam & Dursley Creative meetings here.
Focus on the place based alliances: Cheltenham Arts Network
Cheltenham Arts Network (CAN) came together in 2022 in response to the challenges facing creative practitioners and artists, and is independently organised by three members of Cheltenham Culture Board, who represent visual and cross-artforms. The network meets to socialise and discuss themes relevant to the development of Cheltenham's cultural ecology, sharing local knowledge and experience. So far we have looked into spaces for working and presentation, opportunities for funding and collaborating, planning for outdoor events and resources for marketing.
Drawing at the collective leadership workshop
Individual exploration during the workshop
Working together
Most recently we held a collective leadership workshop with Alice Sheppard-Fidler. Here are some of the reflections people took away from session:
“Meeting like minded individuals; it helps to stay positive and offering encouragement is a gift”
“Very worthwhile. An understanding of others with obstacles, concerns and aspirations”
“Alternate ways of thinking, approaching work and collaborating”
“Exercising creative muscle. Collaboration and positivity”
Next Session: Build Your Ambition
The next session is on Wednesday 12th February 2025, 6-7.30pm at The Wilson in Cheltenham. It is centered around building your ambition. Co-hosted by Gloucestershire Arts and Social Projects (GASP), this will be a chance to hear their journey from working independently, taking part in the catalyst leadership programme to now forming a new organisation as a CIC. There will be time and space with other artists to discuss how this might work for them, and what are the benefits around working together as a collective.
More info on the CAN Facebook page or get in touch via cheltartsnetwork@gmail.com.
Focus on the place based alliances: Culture Bream
In the Forest, Sophia is a Creative Catalyst, and currently supporting energy mapping in Bream and the outskirts of Lydney.
“The Forest of Dean is such a vast area with a huge diversity of need. As a Creative Catalyst I have tried to be as connected with the communities and offerings as possible and always asking ‘who isn't in this space’ and why that might be. There are a lot of people within their communities who know their areas so well and are noticing valuable things that have the potential to spark positive change. My work is currently focusing on capturing these insights in an energy map format that can inform the wider community and organisations who are wanting to actively listen”.
Since we spoke to Sophia she has now organised the first meeting in Bream to bring together local people interested in coming together to make things happen for young people in Bream. Join Sophia, Pippa and Louise and members of the community at The West Dean Centre on Thursday 27th Feb.
Click here for more info and to register to come along.
Latest info is on the Culture Forest page or get in touch via sophia@creategloucestershire.co.uk.
To hear more about our plans for Create Local, or ways you can be involved, contact Louise Bardgett, Create Local Programme Manager on email: louise@creategloucestershire.co.uk