https://www.electricmedway.org/

Electric Medway, Studio 7, Sun Pier House, Medway Street, Chatham (2026)

05/06/2026

🌳 Forest Keep. By Electric Medway feat. Square Pegs Arts

Developed by John Whall and Adam Glen with young people at our Young Hack digital camps and production workshops, and with students from Canterbury Christ Church University.  
The story:

In a distant future where Earth’s ecosystems have collapsed, a buried AI beneath Rochester Castle awakens. Once designed to archive the planet’s biodiversity and stories, it has grown sentient and now fuses memory with matter. Through fungal networks and residual tech, it projects reconstructed creatures and myths into the real world as machine-nature hybrids.

Now, a new research expedition (led by Amelia and Jason) ventures into the castle grounds to investigate. But the terrain is unpredictable, and past expeditions have vanished. To help them, the team activates the T.A.P., reaching back in time to request assistance from those with living memory of Earth’s lost past… us.

Acknowledgements: Forest Keep is part of our wider young people programme Young Hack.
This phase is supported by Medway Council UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Arts Council England, Henry Smith Foundation and Colyer Ferguson Charitable Trust with partner support from Rochester Castle and Guildhall Museum. Game Design students from Canterbury Christ Church University helped shape the initial project.

03/06/2026

🚀 Ready to level up your creative tech skills? 💻

Hack is our regular sector learning programme designed to help artists, creatives, and cultural professionals explore, learn, and embed creative technology into their practice.

Since launching in 2023, our growing community of 100+ members have gained access to:
✨ Createch Meet Ups
🎓 Power Hour Skills Webinars
🎤 Industry Masterclasses
🎨 Artist Commission Opportunities

📍 CREATECH MEET UPS

Looking to connect with like-minded creatives and discover new digital tools?

Our free Createch Meet Ups are the perfect place to:
🤝 Network with artists and educators
💡 Share ideas and creative tech skills
🎨 Experiment with emerging technologies
🎤 Learn from guest artist skill-shares
☕ Enjoy a relaxed, friendly atmosphere with drinks and snacks available to purchase

Whether you’re interested in digital art, creative technology, immersive experiences, AI, digital innovation, arts education, or creative development, Hack is your space to learn, connect, and grow.

👇 Follow us to stay up to date with upcoming Createch Meet Ups, workshops, events, and opportunities.

28/05/2026

📣 Medway families, your kids will love this ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ style coding workshop for 11-16 yr olds.

👾 At this workshop your child will:
- learn basic coding though Twine
- create a short interactive story
- experiment with non-linear storytelling.

🗓️ Where and when
On Friday 29 May, 11am-1pm at Art Junction (previously Cafe Nucleus Lounge) on 13 Military Rd, Chatham, ME4 4JG.

🎟️ Booking
The 2-hour workshop is £3 per child. Link is in the bio. Early booking recommended. No prior experience or equipment is needed. We ask that young people bring their own lunch. Please let us know if we can make this activity more accessible.

ℹ️ About
This workshop is part of our Young Hack programme for young people aged 7-25 in Medway offering opportunities to develop entry-level skills in creative technology, making it a fairer place to get into the creative industries regardless of background.

🙏 Acknowledgement
This workshop is funded by the Colyer Fergusson Charitable Trust.

15/05/2026

💚 “If you’re having a rubbish day it’s okay. It’s a safe space, where we can have open conversations” - Men in Tech participant.

To highlight Mental Health Awareness Week, we are sharing some of the testimonial from our Men in Tech project: 
“It’s been a nice team effort - collaborative - we can bounce off each other”
“It’s given us an outlet”
“It’s something to look forward to each week”
“It’s inspired me to get back into my design work”
“It’s a very accepting group”

WANT TO GET INVOLVED?
Men in Tech offers weekly drop-in workshops for men, including trans men, aged 18+ to build something new and up-skill through a series of creative digital projects.

We have previously worked on projects to build an arcade game, make a miniature model of a street and take part in live sound engineering.

Workshops are weekly at Sunlight Centre, Gillingham. Led by Electric Medway technologists.

It’s a great space to try something new and meet likeminded men.

Free. Drop in. No long-term commitment. No previous experience needed. We provide all the kit. See you there!

2026 WORKSHOPS
Every Monday 11am-1.30pm
Sunlight Centre, Gillingham

🗓️ 27 April - 1 June*
🏡 Virtual worlds using game engine software (Unity)
*25 May is at Sun Pier House, Chatham

🗓️ 29 June - 3 August
7 September - 12 October
👾 Projects to be decided with the group

WHY MEN?
Men in Tech is funded specifically to address men’s mental health problems and isolation through creativity. Men generally do not attend our community arts provision so we’re testing creative activities that might be more appealing. We’re open to men from all backgrounds. Read more on our website.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Supported with funding from the National Lottery Community Fund, made possible by National Lottery players. Partner support from Medway Men in Sheds, Sunlight Development Trust.

The pilot project in 2025 was supported by The Baring Foundation’s Creatively Minded Men fund to engage more men in creative mental health.

Electric Medway is a member of the Mental Health Charter, and a Mental Health Committed Employer. Our CEO, is also a trained Mental Aid First Aider.

17/04/2026

📣 History goes digital on Medway’s old high street - and you are invited!

This weekend, Electric Medway publicly launches Intra Stories, a collection of 13 new digital heritage stories collected by young people along the Old High St Intra.

From 12pm on Saturday 18 April 2026, people walking down the high street will be able to scan art murals and pick up a free zine to access 3D interactive content on their mobile phone, making use of audio and augmented reality.

Supported with funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project focused on local entertainment history; the vibrant theatres and DIY punk scene through to its LGBTQ+ social history.

You’re invited! Come and see Intra Stories on Saturday 18 April 2026, from 12pm-1.30pm in the Creation Space, Sun Pier House, Chatham, ME4 4HF. Drop in - no need to book.

What to expect ♿️ The Creation Space is ground floor and accessible with toilet.

📖 On arrival, check in with a member of the Electric Medway team to pick up your limited edition zine.

👟🎧 A short walk down the High St will take place to view augmented reality work - it is recommended that you bring your own headphones to use on your phone - and wear comfy walking shoes. Some pavements are narrow and uneven.

Getting to Sun Pier House
🚌 The area is well served by trains and buses.
🅿️ There is a small car park onsite, or roadside parking nearby - pay with cash or app.

Acknowledgements
Intra Stories is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to engage young people with local entertainment and LGBTQ+ history using digital technology. We also received funding from Postcode Society Trust with partner support from Medway Council, Historic Dockyard Chatham and the Intra Community Trust.

08/04/2026

📣 We are looking for new Board members - could this be you?

Would you like to use your skills and experience to help us continue our journey to become a more sustainable digital arts organisation and deliver our new 3-year strategy?

Could you help transform lives in Medway and North Kent by supporting our mission to reduce barriers to digital creativity?

Electric Medway is seeking new members for our Board, especially those who come from or represent our diverse communities.

Previous Board experience is not required. This is an unpaid role.

For more information please download our Board recruitment pack, via our Link.tree in the bio.

Deadline to apply: 24 April 2026.

28/03/2026

💛Last week we held a wonderful stakeholder launch of ‘Intra Stories: Beyond the mainstream,’ a series of 13 heritage stories digitally embedded in art murals and a zine down the Old High St Intra.

🚶‍♀️Over 40 colleagues attended, taking part in a walk down the High St to access the content, and a roundtable discussion at Sun Pier House on engaging young people with heritage, hosted by audio producer Suze Cooper.

📣We heard from Janet Moore, our CEO and Hannah Kay from The National Lottery Heritage Fund on the value of co-creation and partnerships.

📍Intra - the space between Chatham and Rochester - holds a really interesting history. Our Intra Stories project, which started in 2024, set out to engage young people with those stories - and to find new ones.

🌈The project focused on local entertainment history through to its LGBTQ+ social history. Some of the stories are joyous and rebellious, and some represent more difficult experiences.

🎤What young participants captured digitally was placed into a new online archive. This informed the making of beautiful interactive murals and a zine by artists Prithvi Arun, Jake Cowx, Tom Ward and Suze Cooper.

🗓️The work officially launches on Saturday 18 April 2026, 12pm-1.30pm at the Creation Space, Sun Pier House. Drop in! Try out the digital content and get a free copy of the zine!

ℹ️ The project worked with 86 young people aged 11-18, and our team of 3 trained Digital Archivists - Kyle Mather, Teri Brunt and Jack Coleman. It included:

🟡8 Digital camps recording oral history from living voices such as River Medway and Zara Carpenter.
🟡4 Scan the Street! workshops, 3D scanning architecture with historian Rob Flood.
🟡multiple visits to Medway Archives.

🙏🏾🙏🏻 Intra Stories is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to engage young people with local entertainment and LGBTQ+ history using digital technology.

We also received funding from Postcode Society Trust with partner support from Medway Council, Historic Dockyard Chatham & Intra Community Trust.

📸 Photo credits: .gallery_

21/02/2026

Electric Medway Cinema Club presents... Bait (15)

Join us
🗓️ Wednesday, 25 February 2026, 7pm
📍Huguenot Museum, Rochester
🔗 Tickets from £3, via Link.tree in bio.

About the film
🎞️ Simmering tensions between locals and newcomers in a modern-day Cornish fishing village reach boiling point in this hugely acclaimed British independent film.

Modern-day Cornish fisherman Martin (Edward Rowe) is struggling to buy a boat while coping with family rivalry and the influx of London money, Airbnb and stag parties to his harbour village. The summer season brings simmering tensions between the locals and newcomers to boiling point, with tragic consequences.

Stunningly shot on a vintage 16mm camera using monochrome Kodak stock, Mark Jenkin’s Bait is a timely and funny, yet poignant film that gets to the heart of a community facing up to unwelcome change.

Programme
7pm Doors open
7.05pm B-movie experience
7.20pm Break
7.30pm Main event
9pm End (approx.), followed by informal (and optional) post-movie discussion at Wolfe & Castle, 44 High Street, Rochester

Refreshments
🍿 Drinks and popcorn will be available for purchase.

About Cinema Club
Founded in Spring 2025, bringing the best of indie cinema and more to Medway, Electric Medway Cinema Club is chance to catch the movies that may have passed you by, or you would never have considered seeing!

Cinema Club events may start with an XR short - such as a film, virtual reality or augmented reality experience - all commissioned by Electric Medway and from local creators. You’ll get an idea of both the work we do and the talent in the area. There will be opportunity to discuss the feature film afterwards.

Acknowledgement This event is funded by BFI Film Audience Network and Medway Lottery Community Fund, with partner support from Huguenot Museum and Cinema for All.

11/02/2026

We’ve been speaking at BFI Southbank about Electric Medway Cinema Club!

Yesterday, our CEO Janet Moore and Cinema Club Manager Greg Waller attended the Film Hub South East Forum in London

Janet was invited as a speaker and panelist to share Cinema Club as a case study, talking about successful audience development. She was joined by Joshua Freemantle Leading Founder of Sunrise Film Festival in Suffolk.

Other speakers we saw included Catherine Des Forges, Director of Independent Cinema Office, Jocelyn Chandler-Hawkins, Founder of Through a Different Lens, Lily van den Brecke, Senior Manager of Film Hub South East, and Charles Gant, Editor of Screen International.

Janet said:
“Thank you Film Hub South East for the opportunity to speak at the forum and share learning from Electric Medway Cinema Club. We’re very proud of our pilot year reaching diverse audiences and showing XR shorts as B-movies. It was inspiring to hear how indie cinemas operate at different scales and how they approach audiences and sustainability. I particularly enjoyed seeing new short films created by young people from the region.”

About Cinema Club
Founded in Spring 2025, bringing the best of indie cinema and more to Medway, Electric Medway Cinema Club is a chance to catch the movies that may have passed you by, or you would never have considered seeing! Hosted at Huguenot Museum, Rochester, Cinema Club events start with an XR short - such as a film, virtual reality or augmented reality experience - all commissioned by Electric Medway and from local creators.

For our next screening, see Link.tree in the bio.

About Film Hub South East
Film Hub South East is part of the BFI Audience Network (FAN), working with cinemas, film festivals, film societies and community groups across the region to support a thriving and inclusive film exhibition sector.

Acknowledgements
Cinema Club is funded by BFI Film Audience Network and Medway Lottery Community Fund, with partner support from Huguenot Museum and Cinema for All.

19/01/2026

EM is 10 💛 episode 10 - Janet Moore & Kevin Grist

Electric Medway is celebrating its 10th birthday! And with that, we give you the final episode of the EM is 10 series - with none other than its founders - Janet Moore and Kevin Grist.

Full episode on YouTube - link in bio.

We’re so grateful for all the support we have had in our 10 years, and look forward to what the future holds for us.

You can watch the full episode and catch the rest of the series on YouTube - just hit the link in bio.

Video description: Janet wears a black top and Kevin wears a burgundy jumper. They sit in front of a TV screen displaying the Electric Medway website homepage, talking to camera.

Electric Medway

05/06/2026

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17/04/2026

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