On Wednesday 17th September 2025, cultural organisations, local government, funders and creative practitioners gathered together to consider what a new cultural partnership might look like for Newcastle City. In this blog, writer and Unfolding Theatre Creative Associate Becci Sharrock reflects on an inspiring afternoon of collaboration and conversation.

As people started filtering into the room at Newcastle City Library, I was struck by not just the number of people attending but the range. I’ve worked in arts and culture for 20 years and yet there were so many faces here I didn’t recognise, as well as those that were familiar. This was echoed in the later conversation groups as people introduced themselves as freelancers, representatives of organisations of varied sizes, funders, local government and more.

And we were all here to discuss the vision of a Newcastle Culture Partnership. How could it help us (individually and as a sector)? And how could we contribute?

After everyone was settled, the afternoon kicked off with a warm welcome from Unfolding Theatre’s Annie Rigby – who gave a brief history of the event and emphasised the informality of proceedings and the importance of everyone’s contributions.

We were then treated to a fantastic performance from rapper Kay Greyson. Although a brightly lit conference room, and an audience drinking tea and coffee might not be her usual gig, she delivered an energetic and engaging performance, even succeeding in getting an enthusiastic call and response going. It was a great way to kick-off and a fitting demonstration of the creative talent our region has to offer. She also spoke eloquently of her own experiences – of rehearsing for a rare open audition for a record deal only to be told, ‘we’re not looking for female artists’, and of how crucial it had been to have people’s support and advocacy on her own path to success. Her resulting motto of “everything for everyone always” was a poignant provocation to start thinking about what a cultural partnership should look like. She closed by inviting us all to think about being the person “who reached beside and behind to offer a hand to those people doing amazing things”.

Next up was author David Almond, who talked passionately about how accepting who we are, as individuals and as artists, allows us to become free. He talked of his own acceptance of his Northerness; of his voice and his experiences and the idea that the work created through this acceptance can have a far-reaching resonance – “The local is universal”. From stories set in Felling to writing in Geordie colloquialisms, his writing has been exported and translated across the world, highlighting his point. He also explained more about his work with and for young people; the importance of this, and how much he learnt from them. He emphasised his belief that this was not about showing young people how brilliant we are but instead about telling them, “Look how brilliant you can be”, and working together to make a better future for everyone.

David was followed by Cllr Karen Kilgour, who holds the accolade of being the first female leader of Newcastle City Council. Karen quickly showed herself to be an enthusiastic supporter of arts and culture, with an acute awareness of its value. She talked of her pride in Newcastle’s progress as a place of opportunity, recognising that her own children were in a position where they did not have to leave the region in order to pursue their dreams. It was heartening to hear her express that Newcastle Council believe that, “everyone has the right to express themselves creatively”. She name-checked a number of North East cultural organisations, highlighting the fantastic offer available in the North East. There was also an emphasis on the importance of collaboration and working together quoting the phrase, “nothing about us without us”.

Our final speaker was Keith Merrin, Director of North East Museums and the co-chair of Newcastle Gateshead Cultural Venues. He talked more about the aspirations to create a new cultural partnership to deliver the city's cultural strategy and previous discussions about what this could look like that we could use as jumping off points in today’s discussions. He acknowledged the role of many of those in the room in their previous work gathering ideas together and broke down the different topics we would be discussing today. These were:

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
Prosperity
Opportunity
Place
Health & Wellbeing
Climate

He highlighted the importance of, “coming together, connecting, communicating, collaborating and advocating”. And with those ideas at the forefront of our minds, it was our turn to explore the idea of a Newcastle Cultural Partnership – how could we work towards this together? And what else might a Cultural Partnership do?

From here, the audience organised themselves into six groups – one for each topic. There were no set sizes for these discussion groups. Instead, we were encouraged to go where we felt drawn to and to change groups at any time if that felt useful.

Below is a summary of some of the discussions and ideas to come out of each of those groups:

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)

The conversation started with a discussion about how equality, diversity and inclusion is culture, and if we get this right, then the rest will follow
The group talked about the fact that Newcastle is (and always has been) an international city, and that we need to raise awareness and celebrate our diverse cultural heritage (education, shared events, communications, etc)
Some of the challenges faced in tackling EDI are entrenched by the funding situation - when everyone is chasing funding and going from one project to another, there are no sustainable, long-lasting relationships created and communities are left behind
The group discussed the importance of diversity in our communications and messaging, including taking into account digital poverty and the skills gap amongst older people in the city
The session recognised the need to share affordable venue spaces, and had an offer within the group (from Second Act Theatre); in turn, they needed support from other organisations to get the word out as they lack capacity
It was felt that there is a need for a way to share information/communicate (e.g. an online platform?) but that regular in person meetings were also beneficial.
The group also identified some barriers and ways these could be addressed for example the need for support getting around the city as public transport is not fit for purpose and people don't always feel safe using it, and having safe spaces highlighted as the city centre itself does not always feel like a safe space.

Prosperity

The group discussed the idea that prosperity and growth are often used in the same sentence but are not always connected. Growth can be seen as the bigger, shinier term but we need to think about how we can relate prosperity to health outcomes and community, in a way that is inclusive and representative.
Members shared a number of examples of successful groups or partnerships; NE Cultural Freelancers exists to try and advocate with over 5000 freelancers in the group, Generator as an organisation has been going for 20 years with great success and Newcastle Creatives as a forum where people can get together and talk about creative projects.
There was a consensus that prosperity required a long-term strategy. For example, Government and Arts Council England priorities can shift and what we need is generational investment. In response to this, investing in a 10 year Plan is key for the Council and they are trying to find funds that are not from Council Tax.
There was a discussion that in the North East we don’t have generational knowledge about Black and Asian music culture in the mainstream – celebrating that Kay was a brilliant example of a black woman speaking about the music industry from the commercial to community level and the positive impact of this.
Funding was discussed as both a barrier (changing priorities, competitive) but also having potential to support both prosperity and growth if it can be flexible and innovative. Funders have to take risks.
A cultural partnership would need to recognise the different eco systems and workspaces, for example studio-based artists who sometimes felt ignored.
The group felt a Cultural Partnership was a good idea because it can bring diverse artists and creative people together.
They hoped it could support connection between the commercial and funded sectors
Work more closely with artists and organisations to explore long-term solutions that lead us towards a more prosperous sector, city and communities
Support the ‘trickle down’ of resources – for example combat the feeling that freelancers and small organisations are not always benefitting from those with NPO status
Facilitate the coordination of activity and groups
Share resources and information – e.g. events, funding, cross art form collaboration
Invest in grassroots talent
Help with advocacy - making the economic case for the North East as a collective of organisations and artists could be powerful as the North East has very unique needs and qualities. We need to shout louder and argue about the benefits of the arts and what it can contribute to growth and fighting poverty

Opportunity

There was a sense from the group that the North-East is underrepresented in terms of opportunity, with writers’ salaries given as an example.
Many felt that being a freelancer was getting worse, with increased competition for reduced funding, feeling disconnected or off the map and that it sometimes feels like it is institutions vs. freelancers
Group discussed the number of lost spaces in NCL (community spaces, cross sector spaces). Felt the council could have a role in this and that what was needed was spaces that feel equal and welcoming and that there are existing buildings that could fulfil this need.
Cost of living was acknowledged as an issue facing many
In terms of a partnership, the group felt it should advocate for makers and artists and that quite radical solutions (for example redistribution of funds) and schemes might be needed to do this. The group highlighted the need for opportunities to be accessible and practical (e.g. time taken to apply). Other ambitions for the partnership included:
- Encouraging people to set up their own things – signposting, outreach, contacts

- Supporting collaboration

- Providing real and long-term opportunities – Example given that there are lots of skills development workshops but this doesn’t always equate to work.

- Offering clear information and signposting for opportunities.

- Creating opportunities to fail

- Supporting access practically – paying for taxis for youth group as example

- A cultural partnership as a central point of economic distribution.

Place

There was a strong feeling in the group that it is the people that make a place and that there is a desire for Newcastle to be a city known for culture and open to global connections
The group discussed tourism/international profile and the fact that culture can bring the city together – this includes small scale fringe activities. Agreed that culture needs to be seen as part of the economy/place making. A critical part.
North East Cultural Freelancers was referenced as a good resource and effective voice.
It was noted that policies are regional but being delivered at a local level
In thinking about a Cultural Partnership the group expressed

- There is sometimes a need for less individualism and more collectivism – We can be more united as collective and have more impact.

- That there is a need for free or affordable space and that this provides greater opportunities for artists

- Concerns about whether freelancers be paid to be a part of the partnership or will these voices be lost?

- That plans and opportunities need to be long-term – for example meaningful projects that will remain in place after the project/artist leaves Funding of projects and resources important, but recognition that there are limited resources

- There is a need to preserve heritage and landscapes. Communities as well as artists. Discussed reaching out to communities that have no funding or support

- The idea that there is a benefit in making new use of existing places and venues – funding and support being made available for existing foundations as opposed to new set-ups

- Excitement about the idea of connecting smaller neighbourhoods and perhaps re-evaluating the current status quo where lines on a map create boundaries and most funding goes to the city centre.

Health and Wellbeing

The group acknowledged the loss of central resources and spaces like community centres and Sure Start centres
Discussions took place about the need to consider everyone’s health and wellbeing and acknowledging that artists’ wellbeing is sometimes forgotten. This was particularly relevant for facilitators and artists holding space for difficult conversations or potentially traumatic thematic explorations. There were some great examples of companies working towards provision – including writing supervision time into funding applications.
A key theme that kept recurring was sustainability and how to navigate a system that is often short term, project-to-project. This felt particularly relevant for health and wellbeing as short term interventions that then end could potentially make situations worse for participants.
Social prescribing came up a few times and there was a feeling that this was a great idea but that the systems in place were complicated and hard to navigate. Members of the group expressed a feeling that at times we are speaking different languages.
There was discussion about the need to recognise the breadth of what counts as ‘creativity’. It was felt this was particularly relevant when working with young people and helping them to recognise when they were being creative; for example, computer games like Minecraft, making up songs
National Arts and Healthcare Network was referenced as a useful resource
Looking at what a cultural partnership could offer the main focus was connectivity and shared resources. This was broken down into:

- Shared resources – e.g. existing evidence for creative interventions,

- Contact Databases – connecting artists, academics, researchers, students, funders, NHS departments etc.

- Training, CPD and shared learning opportunities

Climate

Lots of questions raised in the discussions including:

How can we advocate to share good practice in reducing climate impact?
We have voices and skills in making them heard – how can we advocate for changing policy and behaviour of larger organisations? Discussed the power of working together to influence policy and infrastructure
Climate can be so low down on many people’s list of priorities, how do we raise it?
What to do about A.I. impact? The group discussed new tech and the impact on the environment. Could a partnership help educate on technology choices?
Examples were shared of good practice or climate focussed projects – Glasshouse giving a free metro ticket with gig ticket, Cap-A-Pie have lots of projects about climate change, an upcoming exhibition exploring rivers, ecology and international exchange at Newcastle Contemporary Art Gallery (Oct-Nov 25)
Talked about ideas like - working with local people/companies to minimise travel impact; organising festivals of education – sharing knowledge e.g. how to repair clothes; seeing empty shops as an opportunity – could create ‘repair shops’, repurposing textiles/electricals, community resource
Consensus that the best examples of small organisation action are about raising awareness
Having people interact with nature can do wonders
It’s such a big issue collaboration is essential - Individuals and small organisations struggle to see how they’re contributing to meaningful action.

A Newcastle Partnership could

Signpost to local suppliers / a directory of local resources to share/buy
A smart carbon calculator,
Create a ‘seat’ on the council for ‘nature’ (like in New Zealand)
Help to pool resources, share good news stories, help counteract overwhelm by showing people they can make a difference, sharing environmental policies to help develop practice
Help create a ‘policy’ that freelancers could sign up to. A lot of current advice is aimed at organisations

And just like that, an inspiring afternoon of provocation, reflection and discussion was coming to an end. Looking around the room as we came back together, it was clear that there was an energy and enthusiasm for the idea of a creative partnership and an understanding of the potential opportunities this could offer. Conversations were ongoing, people lingered in the room making plans and swapping details. And across the group discussions, there were key themes that stood out, even though each session had begun with a different starting point; the importance of physical space – both for creating work and for building relationships; the need for funding, resources and strategy to be long-term with sustainability built in and a desire for change – that if the status quo isn’t working we must be brave enough to look for new solutions.

For me, the biggest, recurring theme, was the idea of connection and collaborations. There were so many examples of great people, projects and companies but a sense that sometimes these don’t feel joined up – that whether through limitations of time, resources or knowledge we can feel as though we are working in isolation, or not to our full potential. Everyone in the room that I spoke to agreed that if we can come together, we can be powerful, we can have impact and we can make a change.