The Creative Sparks Clubs want to break down barriers many young people face when trying to access cultural events or activities. The clubs are being run in co-operation with local community groups or venues, and have been organised by Culture Start, a programme supported by a £1.196m Place Partnership award from Arts Council England through the National Lottery.
Culture Start is led by Sunderland Culture on behalf of a citywide partnership and will benefit more than 8,000 children and young people living in poverty on Wearside.
Four clubs have been announced, with a further Creative Sparks Club expected to launch in Hetton early next year.
The clubs are free for participants and are for children aged between five and 11 years old. Culture Start will also support participants with travel costs. Creative activities will be led by an experienced arts practitioner.
For the first six weeks, the clubs will deliver a mix of artists and artforms to give the young people the chance to try something new. Artforms include graffiti art, ceramics, puppet-making, animation, crafts, samba drumming, jewellery making and drama.
Three of the clubs will be:
- Hendon, run in conjunction with Back on the Map (starting on Tuesday, November 5 – 3.15pm to 5pm with a hot meal between 3.15pm and 3.35pm).
- Pennywell, run in collaboration with Hope4All CIC (starting on Thursday, November 7 – 4pm to 6pm with a hot meal between 4pm and 4.30pm).
- Downhill Centre, run in collaboration with Community Opportunities (starting on Monday, November 4, 3.30pm to 5.30pm, with hot food from 3.30pm).
There will also be a club running with one of the one of the project’s partner primary schools in Washington.
Culture Start Project Manager Michael Barrass said: “We’re excited to launch our Creative Sparks Clubs. The goal of Culture Start is to ensure all children in Sunderland have access to cultural and creative opportunities.
“However, we know some children face barriers—whether due to cost, transport, or other challenges — that make it difficult for them to take part in creative and cultural activities.
“By working with our local partners who are at the heart of their communities, we’re committed to breaking down those barriers and making sure those who are often left out of these activities have the chance to get involved.
“We know taking part in creative activities has many positive impacts on children, helping them to develop new skills and passions, as well as building confidence and supporting positive wellbeing. We also hope taking part will also encourage a lifelong love of arts and culture.”
Due to the nature of the Culture Start funding, places at the Creative Spark Clubs will be prioritised through the Culture Start eligibility criteria. The clubs in Hendon, Downhill and Pennywell each have an online registration form available at: https://www.sunderlandculture.org.uk/culturestart/
The initiative for the Culture Sparks partnership came from Sunderland MAC Trust working with Sunderland Culture. Their partners include Together for Children, Children North East, Gentoo, InspirED (Sunderland Local Cultural Education Partnership), North East Youth, Sunderland College and the University of Sunderland.