21 YEARS OF EMPOWERING PEOPLE TO DREAM
Yesterday, 7 July 2024, Create turned 21 and officially came of age.
Although much has changed since 2003, my vision on starting the charity – of a world in which everyone has access to the educational, social and life-enriching benefits of the creative arts – has stayed the same. So too has the charity’s mission: of using the creative arts to connect, empower, inspire and upskill society’s most disadvantaged and vulnerable people, raising aspirations, building self-esteem, reducing isolation and enhancing wellbeing.
I’m proud that, since founding Create, we have delivered 14,797 workshops that have brought joy, skills, inspiration, connection and wellbeing to 46,382 of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children and adults across the UK. That’s equivalent to a convoy of 533 packed double decker buses!
Our 20th anniversary year has been a year of festivities, important developments and achievements. We celebrated our 20th birthday with a special event for our people; and produced a short film looking back on 20 years of creativity. It’s good to know that whilst so much has changed in that time, my face looks just the same!
One of my highlights has been launching programmes with two important new groups of participants: children looked after/ care leavers; and survivors of modern slavery. Seeing survivors’ incredible artwork displayed on the Piccadilly Lights screens in Piccadilly Circus to coincide with Anti-Slavery Day on 18 October 2023 was an emotional moment for us all, powerfully reflected by the participant who told us:
I AM MORE CONFIDENT AND FEEL PROUD THAT I CAN CALL MYSELF AN ARTIST!
– cREATE PARTICIPANT
Another was our ‘Feeding Creativity’ campaign with Jacksons of Yorkshire, which launched on three million loaves across the UK in July 2023. As part of the campaign, we ran a nationwide poll, which gave us further evidence for the importance of Create’s mission. 93% of Brits surveyed said that creativity is important to their wellbeing, while 28% and 27% respectively said that lack of inspiration and insufficient money were barriers to creativity. And that’s where Create comes in, providing free, professionally-run creative arts projects with those who need them most.
Through Jacksons’ sponsorship, we were able to run projects with young carers in four different locations, building on our extensive programme – first developed back in 2007 – with this group of selfless young people. We were delighted that this work was recognised with a prestigious Children & Young People Now Highly Commended award in November 2023.
Following the launch of our Manchester hub in 2021, we continued to expand our work across the North West and beyond, delivering more than 300 workshops from the hub during the year. One very special moment was our creative:connection music showcase at Manchester Central Library in October 2023. This gave 57 disabled and non-disabled young people the opportunity to share new music that they had created together earlier in the week with a group of our professional musicians. Part of Manchester Literature Festival, their stunning performance featured on BBC Radio.
Our 20th anniversary year came to an end with the launch of two important new initiatives that we have designed to shine the spotlight on the importance and value of creativity. Create Week took place from 1-7 July as a catalyst for individuals and organisations who are passionate about creativity to raise awareness of the benefits of the creative arts. We shared creative activities designed by seven of our professional artists. And it was inspiring to see so many individuals and organisations enthusiastically engage with our campaign, sharing their stories and highlighting why creativity is vital to their lives and communities.
On 2 July, we launched Create Conversations, our new series of talks conceived to spark meaningful discussions on the role of creativity in society. The first was focused on the importance of improving access to the creative arts and it was a privilege to explore this crucial topic with Jordain Edwards, Nicola Kemp, Caroline Mair and our Patron, Nicholas McCarthy.
I’m delighted to see a growing awareness of the unique and valuable benefits that creativity brings for both individuals and wider society. People need to create, and this is becoming more widely understood as the evidence for the impact of creativity continues to grow. The creative arts empower lives, offering hope, inspiration, skills and connection to others. And here at Create, we firmly believe that access to creativity is a fundamental right, not a privilege.
I am proud of the passion, commitment, drive and energy that our incredible staff team has shown over two decades. I am inspired by our pool of inspirational professional artists who deliver our workshops. I am delighted that year after year, 99% of our partner organisations have rated their Create programme “successful overall”. And I am humbled that our work has been recognised with 124 awards since 2012, including Charity of the Year (2020) and Digital Transformation of the Year (2021).
Above all, I am thankful to the incredible children and adults that we work with, who inspire and motivate me every day. As our Youth Ambassador, Abi, told me:
“Creativity lets me dream”.