Funding Boost for Culture and Creativity in South Tyneside

Culture and creativity in South Tyneside will be supported and strengthened thanks to new funding secured from Arts Council England, through the National Lottery.

The £312,899 Place Partnership grant will help South Tyneside's Cultural Partnership to develop a programme of activity that supports local creatives to deliver ambitious projects, festivals, residencies, skills and development workshops across the Borough over the next three years.

Match funded by UK Shared Prosperity Funds, the grant will support cultural organisations to work more closely with local artists, creative groups and community organisations to develop new projects and experiment with new ideas, strengthening partnership and networks.

In autumn 2021, South Tyneside was named one of 54 Arts Council England Priority Places. Priority Places receive support from the Arts Council for a minimum period of three years to develop new opportunities for investment.

The Cultural Partnership later launched South Tyneside's Cultural Strategy Making Waves 2022-2027, a shared vision that builds on the area's unique and vibrant cultural offer, drawing on its creative talent and strengths with a focus on developing them to help reach more people.

Councillor Audrey Huntley, Deputy Leader of South Tyneside Council, said: "This new Place Partnership award is fantastic news for South Tyneside. Our Borough already has so much to offer with its rich history and heritage, stunning coastline, vibrant events programme and strong sense of place and we want to celebrate and develop this.

"This funding will be used to help strengthen partnerships and increase creative programmes, building on the work of the Cultural Partnership and the Borough's Priority Place status.

"Culture plays a key role in enhancing and enriching people's lives and boosting health and wellbeing. With this additional support, we can help partners to nurture and grow creativity across the Borough even further, increase participation and engagement and give more people access to high quality cultural experiences."

South Tyneside's Cultural Partnership is made up of key cultural and heritage partners including South Tyneside Council, The Customs House, The Cultural Spring, Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums, Groundwork South and North Tyneside, the National Trust and many more.

Jane Tarr, Director North, Arts Council England, said: "The Place Partnership Fund is designed to help places make a step change in the culture and creative lives of the community and I'm delighted that South Tyneside, one of our Priority Places, has been awarded funding.

"We believe that everyone should have access to fantastic creative experiences, wherever they live and whatever their background, so it's great to see so many bodies working together to enable artists and cultural organisations to create new work with and for the local community. I look forward to seeing how the plans develop."

Further information about Culture in South Tyneside is available at www.southtyneside.gov.uk/culture