No More Nowt

29/10/2026

What does Peterlee mean to you?

Your stories, your memories, your words. We want to hear them!

Today and Friday, join at Castle Dene Shopping Centre for Peterlee: In Our Own Words - a brand-new creative project celebrating the people and stories of Peterlee.

What makes Peterlee feel like home? Is it the people, the places, the memories, the things that make you proud?

Drop by for a chat and share whatever comes to mind.

We'll bring your words together with local performer Celia Grace to create a brand-new song for Peterlee, celebrating the voices of the people who live and work here.

Find them opposite Argos, Castle Dene Shopping Centre

10am-1pm, Thursday 29 & Friday 30 October

FREE to take part - just drop in!

Come and be part of it. We'd love to hear from you!





Durham



📸 Von Fox | Film & Photography | North East

27/10/2026

PETERLEE, WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

What does 'belonging' in Peterlee mean to you?
Is it the people? The places? The memories? The things that make you proud? Or something completely different?
On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of Half Term, we're welcoming Unfolding Theatre to Castle Dene Shopping Centre for *Peterlee: In Our Own Words*, a brand-new creative project that's all about YOU and your town.

We're collecting stories, memories, thoughts, poems and even the odd rhyme to create a brand-new filmed performance made from the words of people who live and work in Peterlee.

You don't need to be a writer, a poet or a performer. You don't even need to know what you want to say! Just pop in for a chat and tell us what Peterlee means to you and from that, Unfolding Theatre will be working with local performer Celia Grace to create a song for Peterlee!

📍 Opposite Argos, Castle Dene Shopping Centre, Peterlee
📅 - 10am - 1pm - Wednesday 28, Thursday 29 and Friday 30 October
🎟️ FREE to take part. Just drop in!
Image Credit - Chris Bishop

15/10/2026

Digital Artists Residency Commission is now OPEN 🌱

💸 Commission Budget:
£20,000 in Total.

🔍 We're seeking an artist, collective or organisation to explore the power of community co-created hope.

🌍 We want to pivot from fear-driven climate fatalism to a celebratory, hands-on reimagining of the future. Rather than paralyzing people with apocalyptic climate predictions, we’re looking for artists to work with an empowering grassroots invitation to construct a localised world where people would genuinely love to live.

💭 Digital artists / multi-disciplinary creatives are encouraged to dream with Co Durham communities to discover what a *socio-technical digital residency can be and achieve with community-powered climate solutions.

*Socio-technical: refers to the interrelation between the social aspects of people and society and the technical aspects of organisational structures and processes. The foundational idea that an organisation performs best when both its social system (people, culture, values) and technical system (tools, technologies, processes, rules) are designed and improved together.

🙌 Our biggest problems need big ideas and new solutions. We have a generational opportunity to establish a new momentum for a more sustainable, community-focused and creative future that is more closely in sync with nature. But is the actual reality of our present standing in the way? Let’s find out...

🔗 FULL BRIEF LINK HERE: https://nomorenowt.org/digital-residency-commission-we-are-hope

🔔 Applications close: 16th November 2026

Looking forward to seeing your ideas!

01/10/2026

📣 THE FUTURE IS OURS TO CREATE - COMMISSION NOW OPEN 👀

👎 The young people of today are living in tough times, facing a pandemic, austerity and divisive politics that threaten to divide our communities.

✊ However, we strongly feel that County Durham has a tradition of rallying together in solidarity, compassion and support, particularly in hard times.

🤝 We have a responsibility to offer respite, a space to heal or a place to support communities during these hard times.

⏰ The Future is Ours to Create is a programme that takes its slogan from a banner created by young people with artist , now part of NMN’s collections, echoing our previous projects engagement with young people across County Durham.

🙌 This programme is about distributing power to young people locally to tell stories about their present context, their hopes for the future and things that matter to them, making a youth identity in County Durham that belongs to them and that goes beyond the well-known heritage of our place.

💸 Commission Budget:

£20,000 in Total.

We expect the artist or organisation to work with a minimum of two youth groups in County Durham, which can be from the following list of youth groups we have worked with; however, we welcome the opportunity to engage with new communities.

🔔 Applications close:‍ ‍26th October 2026

🔗 Head here for details and how to apply > https://nomorenowt.org/opportunities-autumn

Looking forward to seeing your ideas!

27/07/2026

📢 A REMINDER OF OUR CURRENT COMMISSIONS CLOSING SOON 👀 - x1 £20,000 and x5 £1,000 ARTIST OPPORTUNITIES.

Artists, creative collectives and permaculture practitioners - we have two fantastic opportunities to fund innovative. In order of closest application deadline, please consider if your practice could be a great connection with the following:

✊ 1. Owtside the Lines & Redefined: Radical Acts of Growth.

Applications close: Friday 31st July 2026, 5pm (this coming Friday) 🔔

Commission Value: £20,000 in total

We are looking to explore a programme of work where the main practices are growing, sharing food and permaculture in community hubs across County Durham. We are looking for a socially engaged artist where horticulture and permaculture is part of their practice.

This commission is inspired by the initial work in North Durham with Quaking Houses, where we hosted an R&D phase of this work. The main objective of this commission is to connect people within the community, specifically sanctuary seekers and resettled individuals and families connecting with the community centre. We want to explore how permaculture, growing and connection to the outdoors can enable communities to connect on a deeper level, and create stable, lasting connections with people and their locality.

By radical, we mean acts of social change, of resilience and resistance in the face of challenging times but the acts may be as small as a hot meal or a chat or as big as changing somebody's living circumstances for the better. This commission is all about shining a positive light.

📝 Head to our website for details and to apply 🔗 https://nomorenowt.org/news/commissions-closing-soon

✊ 2. Imagination Infrastructure Seed Commissions.

Applications close:‍ ‍Monday 3rd August 2026, 12pm midday.

Commission Value: Five commissions of £1,000 in total

At our 13th July Imagination Tour event, participants spent time imagining different futures, asking bold questions, sharing experiences and exploring what might become possible when creativity is placed alongside community organising, collective action and local leadership.

15/07/2026

14/07/2026

The £1,000 Imagination Infrastructure Seed Commissions are open for applications. 💭🔔

Together with our creative community, we've been spending time imagining different futures, asking bold questions, sharing experiences and exploring what might become possible when creativity is placed alongside community organising, collective action and local leadership ✊

🤔 Whilst events like this can be powerful catalysts, we are interested in what happens next...

💭 How do ideas move beyond conversations?

💭 How do moments of inspiration become practical experiments?

💭 How do artists and communities begin to test alternative ways of working, organising and creating change?

💸 To support this next stage, we are offering x5 £1,000 seed commissions that will enable individuals, groups and organisations to develop and test ideas emerging from the themes and conversations explored through the event.

🔗 READ MORE/APPLY > https://nomorenowt.org/opportunities-imagination-seed-commissions

🔍 These commissions are intentionally small.

🧪 They are intended to create space for experimentation and learning. We are interested in supporting people to trial an experiment in Imagination Practice. Imagination isn’t just about dreaming of different futures but can also about creating the conditions to explore them. Through these commissions we want to support practical acts of imagination that help people rehearse, test and experience alternatives in the present, here in County Durham.

🙌

09/07/2026

The £20,000 artist commission for ‘Radical Acts of Growth: Owtside the Lines & Redefined’ is OPEN for applications and enquiries until Friday 31st july.

Full details here: https://nomorenowt.org/opportunities-june-2026

Context:

In the past 5 years, communities have faced a pandemic, austerity and divisive politics that threaten to divide our communities. However, we strongly feel that County Durham has a tradition of rallying together in solidarity, compassion and support, particularly in dark times. We have a responsibility to offer respite, a space to heal or a place to support communities during these hard times.

No More Nowt is looking to explore a programme of work where the main practices are growing, sharing food and permaculture in community hubs across County Durham. We are looking for a socially engaged artist where horticulture and permaculture is part of their practice.

This commission is inspired by the initial work in North Durham with Quaking Houses, where we hosted an R&D phase of this work. The main objective of this commission is to connect people within the community, specifically sanctuary seekers and resettled individuals and families connecting with the community centre. We want to explore how permaculture, growing and connection to the outdoors can enable communities to connect on a deeper level, and create stable, lasting connections with people and their locality.

Timeline:

🗓️ Deadline for Submissions Friday 31st July, 5pm. Submissions to be electronically emailed to [email protected]

💬 Shortlisted artists / organisations will be interviewed week commencing 17th August 2026

🌱 Commission begins September 2026

🥣 Delivery of all outcomes should take place by April 2027

09/07/2026

🔔 GRAB THE LAST TICKET for the Durham stop of the IMAGINATION TOUR 👋 💭

🫵 JOIN US for the Durham stop in the IMAGINATION TOUR (we've released more tickets due to popular demand) 👀

🌱 Help us explore — What if Creativity Could be Used to Catalyse Social Change? 🤔

We’re inviting you to Redhills, the Pitmen's Parliament, for the County Durham stop on the York & North East Imagination Tour, with author and imagination activist

🔗 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/outside-the-lines-york-and-north-east-imagination-tour-tickets-1990166587838 (Free)

This is a day of immersive, participatory encounters bringing together place producers, artists, changemakers and community leaders from across the County, with a full day of talks, chances to explore Imagination Practice and a panel discussion.

Hosted by and in collaboration with the , this event creates space to sit with uncertainty and change whilst we explore imagination practice as a tool to create social change in the context of County Durham and our varied communities.

Through talks, workshops and creative experiences, we’ll ask bold “What if...?” questions about the futures we might still choose, shaped by care, justice and collective possibility. If Imagination Practice is something new to you, then this is the perfect introduction into how it can be used as a practical tool to help people unlock new ways of thinking, doing and seeing their world.

In the first half of the day, author and imagination activist Rob Hopkins will lead us in an exploration of imagination practice, before we break for lunch. We’ll then move into grounding imagination practice within our communities with the help of organisations like , and .workshop 🫶

The day will close with the launch of a number of 👀 seed project commissions 🌱 designed to kickstart imagination practice and the ability for communities to find imaginative ways of starting, developing and sustaining change in partnership with creatives.

11/06/2026

⏺️🎤 DJ & MC workshops for young people in SEAHAM:

Join DJ A.D.S .d.s_music and MC Fred for a chance to mix tunes, produce your own music or get on the mic.
BOOK NOW: There's just 10 places available so call or pop in to Eastlea Community Centre, Seaham, to book your/your young person's place on the project 👀👍

📲 Phone Eastlea Community Centre: 0191 581 2399

👀 WE’RE LOOKING FOR 10 YOUNG PEOPLE IN SEAHAM TO LEARN NEW DJ & MC SKILLS FROM
HIP HOP & SONGWRITING PROS.

🗓️ Weekly workshops will take place at Eastlea Community Centre, Stockton, Rd, Seaham SR7 8DX.

⚠️ Again, there are only 10 max spaces for these workshops so please book now to save your space.

More info:

Come along each week to either mix music on the decks, produce a song, dive into samples or get on the mic to practice your MC skills with some of North Easts most respected and connected musicians in this scene.

Sessions running: July 17, 14, 21, 28, August 1, 15, 22, September 29 andd October 6 - lots of sessions for young people to build their creative skills, scene and confidence.