Celebrating the impact of UKSPF in Sunderland
Creative organisations across Sunderland are using UK Shared Prosperity Fund investment to deliver ambitious, community-led projects that are transforming neighbourhoods and inspiring pride of place.
This quarterly round-up highlights just some of the creative activity supported during Summer 2025.
Since 2014, The Cultural Spring has worked across South Tyneside and Sunderland, working with inspiring local, regional and national artists to bring workshops, performances and subsidised cultural experiences, and leave a lasting legacy of communities interested in the arts.
The A Space to Create venues have been busy delivering creative activities and events for their local communities. These have included:
Box Youth & Community Centre took their young people on Go & See visits to cultural venues in Sunderland, to experience creativity that is happening across the city. The young people particularly loved going to the theatre for the first time and have helped choose which shows to see. Box Youth delivered their ‘Summer of Art’ - a series of creative workshops for their youth groups, culminating with an exhibition in late August.
Washington Millennium Centre held consultation sessions with their local community to explore what creative activities they would like to take part in, starting with ceramic workshops and with many more planned up to Christmas including macramé, mosaics and crocheting.
Sunderland Headlight took their service users to visit the studio of Incubate Printmaking in Ouseburn, to take part in an artist-led printmaking workshop.
Incubate Printmaking will deliver sessions to make printed t-shirts. Headlight are also planning a series of workshops including glassmaking and printmaking.
Emerging watercolour artist Nadeem Aslam was supported and mentored by community artist Lindsey Grieves to deliver watercolour workshops. Over the summer Nadeem worked with Young Asian Voices to deliver sessions for their young people, and with Sunderland Headlight to explore the wellbeing of painting.
ICOS (International Community Organisation of Sunderland) continued their sessions with artist Sabina Sallis, and in August took over the EXPO Pavilion on Keel Square to host an exhibition of their artwork, exploring Eastern European women’s stories of migration to Sunderland. The takeover included a day with the group hosting sessions in the Pavilion, including movement warmups, design and creation of a tablecloth and a sharing of a summer feast.
They are continuing their sessions and have formed a new collective called the Pierognie Collective.
Active Families delivered a ‘Mocktails not Cocktails Paint & Sip’ evening at Broadway Community Centre which saw an artist lead the group to create individual paintings. They have planned a further 2 events including foraging wreath making and glass fusion workshops.
Grace House are working with artist Michael McNally and their parent carer group to explore how they can co-create together. They are exploring drama and performance and how this can improve wellbeing. The sessions will run through to December.
Sunderland Training and Education Farm are working with their girls group to co-produce Halloween and Christmas events at the farm.
The A Space to Create Network has also facilitated a session where the venues were able to meet and hear from local funders, including Arts Council England, Sir James Knott and the Community Foundation North East.
For further information about joining any of the activities please contact the community organisations directly.