Arts Council England

21/08/2026

Creating spaces for creativity, connection and community. 🎨

With funding from National Lottery Good Causes, Creative Crawley is helping shape a stronger cultural future by turning underused spaces into places where artists, young people and local communities can come together to create, collaborate and share ideas.

Through workshops, exhibitions, artist development opportunities and partnerships across the town, the project is demonstrating how investment in culture can support local priorities, strengthen community connections and create opportunities for people to take part in creativity closer to home.

By bringing together residents, businesses, educators and cultural organisations, Creative Crawley is building the foundations for a sustainable and inclusive creative future.

Swipe through for a closer look. 👉

💬 As part of the Government's call for evidence on National Lottery Good Causes funding, you can share your views on what matters most and the difference funding like this can make to people and places across the UK.

Have your say 👇
https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/national-lottery-good-causes-fund-what-matters-to-you



Image credit:

1: For Us by Pearl Makayi, Creative Crawley Window Gallery, West Green Studios, Jan - March 2026. Photo © Ian Greenland.

2: Connections (Version #1) 2016 – 2025 by Simon Edwards, Creative Crawley Window Gallery, County Mall Shopping Centre, March 2026. Photo © Simon Edwards.

3: Creative Crawley, Closer to My Dreams, Chad Taylor. Photo © Leyla Guler.

4 and 5: Invasive Species by Tracey Graham/Rubbish Artist, Creative Crawley Window Gallery, County Mall Shopping Centre, April – June 2026. Photo © Ian Greenland.

6: For Us by Pearl Makayi, Creative Crawley Window Gallery, West Green Studios, Jan - March 2026. Photo © Ian Greenland.

7: Together we are a Garden by Beth Williams. Photo © Beth Williams.

8: Connections (Version #1) 2016 – 2025 by Simon Edwards, Creative Crawley Window Gallery, County Mall Shopping Centre, March 2026. Photo © Simon Edwards.

13/08/2026

Empowering young people to tell the story of their community. 🎥

Thanks to National Lottery Good Causes funding, artist and filmmaker Harry Lawson worked with young riders from Stepney Bank Stables in Newcastle to reimagine Byker as the Wild West.

Over two years, participants explored local history, identity and belonging through filmmaking, photography, public art and exhibition-making.

The project helped young people develop new creative skills, build confidence, and see themselves reflected in their local cultural landscape. Scroll to explore the impact of the project from the view of participants and partners.

💬 What matters to you when it comes to National Lottery funding?

This project is just one example of how National Lottery players help people and communities to develop and express their own creativity, and strengthen their connection to the places they call home.

As part of the Government's call for evidence on National Lottery Good Causes good causes funding, you can share your views on what matters most and the impact funding like this can have in communities across the UK.

Find out more and have your say 👇
https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/national-lottery-good-causes-fund-what-matters-to-you



📸 Image credit:

1 and 2: Stepney Western, installation view at Newcastle Contemporary Art (2025)

3: Amelia Read Photography (2025)

4: Harry Lawson, Stepney Western (2025)

5: Amelia Read Photography (2025)

6: Harry Lawson, Stepney Western (2025)

7: Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen (1970). Courtesy of AmberSide Collection.

8: Amelia Read Photography (2025)

9: Amelia Read Photography (2025)

06/08/2026

📢 Have your say: Help shape the future of National Lottery Good Causes funding.

The government has launched an open call for evidence about how National Lottery Good Causes funding is spent, now and in the future. This is open to everyone, and you can talk about the creativity and culture that matters to you. 🫵

It is focused on making sure that National Lottery Good Causes funding:
- invests in what matters to the public
- empowers people in local communities

📝 TAKE PART
Responding online should take 10 to 20 minutes, and you can share what National Lottery funded work you’ve made, seen or been involved with.

Find out what National Lottery investment has done in your community 👇
https://nationallottery.dcms.gov.uk/data

Respond online 👇
https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/national-lottery-good-causes-fund-what-matters-to-you

Since the very first draw on 19 November 1994, the National Lottery has generated over £53 billion for good causes, supporting communities and transforming lives across every postcode in the UK. And thanks to National Lottery players, we’ve been able to invest more than £2 billion in the last 10 years alone – supporting thousands of people and projects.

We want to make sure creativity and culture continue to benefit communities across the country in the best way possible – and adding your voice now will help to do that.

Image credit 📸
Brighter Sound © Rebecca Oliver

15/07/2026

💬 ‘We’re restoring pride…we’re restoring memories for those who can remember it…so they can tell their grandchildren ‘I walked under this.’

From an exhibition of the entire Rugby collection, to the restoration of the Churchill Memorial Screen, Museum Development Midlands grant funding has been supporting World War II heritage activities across the Midlands.

Watch this Museum Development video to find out more: https://bit.ly/4fcmKdb

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

🥳

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

13/07/2026

Have you got your application in for the Fantastic for Families Awards 2026? 👀

The deadline is Wednesday 15 July at 11.59pm.

Did your organisation deliver brilliant creative experiences for families and/or older people between 1 April 2025 – 31 March 2026?

The Awards celebrate outstanding cultural experiences from across the UK, with three categories:
Best Family Arts Activity 🏆
Best Age-Friendly Outreach 🏆
Audience Impact and Innovation Award 🏆

Apply today 🔗: https://bit.ly/3SS5Bg8

On the hunt for the best family arts activities and age-friendly outreach initiatives from across the UK! Apply by 5pm Wednesday 16 July

09/07/2026

🎊 We’re celebrating eight decades of public investment in creativity and culture, as we turn 80 this summer! 📖

To mark the occasion, we’ve published Made in England: Art and Culture in Changing Times – a collection of essays, insights and creative contributions from artists, cultural leaders and critics.

The book explores the role art and culture play in people’s lives and in communities across England, and looks ahead to how creativity might shape the next 80 years.

With original illustrations by Chris Riddell, and an introduction by our Chair, Sir Nicholas Serota, Made in England features contributions from:

◾ Carlos Acosta
◾ Naomi Alderman
◾ Simon Armitage
◾ Victoria Adukwei Bulley
◾ Ann Dinsdale
◾ James Graham
◾ David Harewood
◾ Darren Henley
◾ Nigel Higgins
◾ Lubaina Himid
◾ Sarah Housley
◾ Sam Jackson
◾ David Joseph
◾ Dave Moutrey
◾ Daljit Nagra
◾ Jacqui O’Hanlon
◾ Amanda Parker
◾ Jess Prendergrast
◾ Bobby Seagull
◾ Professor Jack Stilgoe
◾ Annabel Turpin
◾ Jo Verrent

You can download the eBook or PDF for free, or buy the paperback from Comma Press.

Get your copy 👇
https://bit.ly/4aH1tWg



Developed with, and published by, Comma Press.
Illustrations © Chris Riddell.

08/07/2026

Congratulations to our National Portfolio Organisation GemArts as it prepares for its 10th anniversary Masala Festival taking place across Newcastle and Gateshead on 13-19 July. 🥳

Over the last decade, the festival has become a much-loved fixture in the North East’s cultural calendar, bringing the finest South Asian arts and culture to venues across the region every summer.

Highlights of this year’s festival include a new solo show created by Gaurav Bhatti; Mughal Miniatures: The Awakening, a striking outdoor dance performance inspired by Indian and Persian miniature art; Bijlee / बिजली / Electric – where Bollywood, Ghazal and Qawwali classics will be reimagined through contemporary club edits and the festival closes with the return of the spectacular Mini Mela.

Find out more: https://gemarts.org/



Image credits:

1. Mughal Miniatures - 18 July - Credit Simon Richardson
2. GemArts Mini Mela
3. Through the Lens Exibition - Anna Miller
4. Care Work Exhibition - Nayeema Ahmed

12/06/2026

We are deeply saddened by the death of David Hockney, one of the most influential artists of our time. Our thoughts are with his friends, family and colleagues.

A statement from our Chair, Sir Nicholas Serota:

"David Hockney was an artist of constant invention. From his early pop works to his iconic paintings of California pools, to his Yorkshire landscapes and the abundance of nature that he discovered in Normandy, he explored how we see the world and how we relate to one another.

"He was full of humility about his achievements but his work was admired across the world, with nearly a million visitors to his exhibition in Paris last year, and his legacy is immeasurable. He was, quite simply, a great artist."

Image credit: Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture event Painting the Sky © David Lindsay

04/06/2026

Now open for applications 📢

Developing Your Creative Practice supports individual creative and cultural practitioners to focus on career development.

📆 You have until 2 July to make your application.

Take our ‘Am I ready to apply?’ quiz to find out if now is the right time for you to apply and take a look at our guidance before starting your application.

Find out more and apply now 👇
https://bit.ly/4e1EuWx

Image credit: London Arts and Health / Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance

29/05/2026

From funded Friday writing sessions to award-winning success! 🙌

In 2023, Marcia Hutchinson received £13,100 through our Developing Your Creative Practice fund to focus on her debut novel, The Mercy Step.

Fast forward to today, she has won the 2026 Discover British Book Awards and has been shortlisted for the 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction, alongside being named one of the Observer’s best new novelists of 2025! 🥳

We were thrilled to meet Marcia and hear how this support helped her turn an idea into an extraordinary debut. Watch the video to find out more. 🎥