Cultural Spring to keep puting art in the spotlight thanks to £1m grant

A popular arts project has been granted £1million to continue and extend its award-winning work in South Tyneside and Sunderland for three more years.

- by Gazette Reporter

The annual Summer Streets music festival in Sunderland started as a Cultural Spring project.

The Cultural Spring has been increasing the number of people taking part in arts and culture activities in both places since 2014.

The project is funded through Arts Council England's (ACE) Creative People and Places (CPP) programme which has announced £42million will be invested in 45 programmes for the three years 2026-29.

The CPP programmes deliver grassroots-led cultural experiences in areas where involvement in arts and culture is below the national average.

Emma Horsman, Project Director at The Cultural Spring, said: “We're thrilled to have been given this vote of confidence by ACE and look forward to continuing our work in South Tyneside and Sunderland.

“For more than ten years now, we've helped change the way arts and culture are viewed in both places.

"More people are experiencing arts and culture than when we began, and more people within our neighbourhoods feel empowered to help their communities take decisions about what artistic and cultural activities they'd like to see locally.

“Increasingly, we're also helping and developing local venues to realise their potential within their communities, while continuing to be a key source for work and inspiration for artists and arts practitioners within South Tyneside and Sunderland-and the wider region.

“What we're particularly proud of is the legacy we are creating in our communities and the arts organisations and practitioners we've helped develop, such as We Make Culture, Southpaw Dance Company and Dominic Wilcox from Little Inventors.