After 10 years of the Creative People and Places programme, we have been marking its impact and success over the past decade, helping more communities enjoy high quality cultural experiences.

With £108 million investment nationally in the programme since its launch through Arts Council England in 2012, Creative People and Places projects have empowered communities across the country to take the lead in deciding what creative activities they want and need.

The projects have a wide-ranging, positive impact on individuals and communities in parts of the country where involvement in arts and culture is significantly below the national average. There have been over 10 million engagements with the programme – 86% of which are from groups with low to medium engagement with arts and culture.

And since May 2013, Transported has been a part of that journey.

To celebrate the occasion and as we ourselves head into our tenth year, we’ve been reflecting on what we’ve learned on the journey so far.

Our long-standing Director, Nick Jones shared his thoughts;

In your CPP place, you also need partners for the long haul to make strategic change. We’re grateful to all of the key partners that have guided us and provided their voice.

And the voice of the place is central to designing projects that resonate with people. Especially our target audience who are those that don’t engage, that think (or recognise) that much art is elitist, not relevant to them or their circumstance. Our projects aim to turn those views on their head by giving them a new approach to art.

History, heritage and the character of the place is crucial to giving volume to that voice. We have aimed to have achieved this are in our projects such as:
– Illuminate (an annual winter parade)
– ARTeFACT (an upcoming physical and digital public art trail)
– Etched in Time (a public art trail)
– Hanse Banners (art banners created with a heritage-focused community group)
– Field and Dyke (bespoke to the place commissioned new folk music)
– On Your Doorstep (photography project)
– Boston Buoys (public art trail)
– Dolphin Lane Heritage Mosaic (public artwork)

We have also learned over our almost ten years, that the CPP funding and strategy allows us to deliver in clear phases:

1. To first time engagement, tasters, stumble across on the street, “give it a go”.
2. Then a period of maturation – skill development, confidence, comfort, enjoying other benefits, friendship, company, exercise,       health and wellbeing, self-esteem connectivity, making a contribution.
3. Amplifying impact – fostering ambition, empowering “can do” attitude
4. Influencing policy ambition and strategy

Thank you Creative People and Places, thank you to lottery players for all of the support and creativity you’ve helped us to bring over the years.

From 2022 – 2025, Arts Council England is investing £38.3 million in Creative People and Places through National Lottery funding, so more communities can choose the creativity and culture on offer in their local area.

Arts Council England is committed to supporting Creative People and Places projects in helping ‘everyone, everywhere’ enjoy creativity and culture as part of the Let’s Create strategy.