The Creative Explorers project, which saw more than 113,500 people experience the project, was last week celebrated at an event at Nuneaton Town Hall.
Many of those who attended had helped organise the project, which was a massive success enjoyed by thousands of Borough residents.
Cllr Brady Hughes, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Culture, said:
“Over the past 18 months, Creative Explorers has transformed the way we engage with culture across our borough.
“It’s brought people together, not just to watch, but to make, to lead, and to shape their own stories. This programme invited our residents to move from being spectators to becoming creators of our civic future.
“More than 113,500 people experienced the programme as audience members and almost 3,000 participants got actively involved, whether through performance, co-creation, or hands-on workshops.
“In total, we delivered 299 workshops and engagement activities, and employed 186 artists, local, national and international.”
The Borough Council received £750,000 of funding for the scheme which helped people across the Borough access new opportunities to be involved in the arts.
Key Highlights from programme included:
- Milesians: The Coming of the Gaels – A spectacular outdoor show in Bedworth featuring international and local performers.
- GRIT’s Art on the Streets & Odyssey – Town transformed into a canvas of creativity; young people’s voices shaped performances.
- Community theatre produced directly from local engagement sessions.
- Imagine Bamboo – International collaboration with circus and sound installations; culminated in Riversley Park celebration.
- Babylon Gamelan – Interactive sound sculpture in Miners’ Welfare Park exploring potential for a regular arts festival.
- The Borough Mural Project – Youth-led public art in the town centre with professional artists.
- Creative Careers Week – Young people introduced their peers to careers in the creative industries.
- Teach Make – extending arts-rich T approach to learning into local schools and allowing teachers to learn through arts-rich practices as well as learning the techniques necessary to use these practices in their classrooms
Cllr Hughes said:
“Behind the scenes, this programme has been a true partnership effort.
“It was led by Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council in collaboration with Warwickshire County Council, supported by Arts Council England through the Place Partnership Fund, and backed by organisations like Big Local, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, and local businesses.
“To all of them, and to our delivery partners, GRIT, Imagineer, Artichoke, Shout Out for the Arts, Teach Make we say a heartfelt thank you.”
“Most of all, I want to thank the people of Nuneaton and Bedworth, our residents, our volunteers, our schools and our community groups for stepping up, getting involved, and showing what is possible when creativity is given the space to grow, this is only the beginning of what we can do together.’’
Peter Knott, Midlands Area Director at Arts Council England, said:
"We have been so pleased to support Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council’s Creative Explorers programme over the past 18 months, with funding from the National Lottery.
“As the first Place Partnership award in the Midlands, it has been wonderful to see more than 100,000 people engage with arts and culture in the region, showing what can be achieved through creative collaboration.”