Funding boost for South Tyneside Cultural Partnership
It’s an exciting time for culture and the arts in South Tyneside.
After years of watching Newcastle, North Tyneside and Sunderland benefit from all sorts of investment, it finally feels like our turn!
The South Tyneside Cultural Partnership (STCP) was established in 2021 and launched its Making Waves cultural strategy in 2022.
It has now secured a £312,899 Place Partnership Fund grant from Arts Council England (ACE), supported by the National Lottery, to support and strengthen culture and creativity in the borough.
Building links with local creatives
The grant will be used to help local creatives to deliver ambitious projects, festivals, residencies, skills and development workshops over the next three years.
As an artist who has already benefited from courses and coaching via the STCP, I look forward to seeing what further support will be on offer and how artists in the borough can work together.
There are almost 300 people in the South Tyneside Creatives Facebook Group alone!
Councillor Audrey Huntley, deputy leader of South Tyneside Council, said: “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.”
STCP 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 and the National Trust.
Its launch coincided with the designation of South Tyneside as a Priority Place by ACE, attracting support for a minimum of three years to develop new opportunities for investment.
The Place Partnership Fund grant, match-funded by UK Shared Prosperity Funds, will help cultural organisations work more closely with local artists, creative groups and community organisations to develop new projects and experiment with new ideas, strengthening partnership and networks.
Jane Tarr, ACE director north, said: “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.”