Take a Part

04/06/2026

We're running a series of free mindful collage sessions designed to support mental wellbeing.

Join artist Aga across June, July and August and take time to slow down, reconnect and use creativity as a tool for self care.

These sessions have been made possible thanks to support from the The Rank Foundation

01/06/2026

🍂 Supporting the Future of Community-Led Creativity Across the UK 🚀

We are proud that Take A Part CIO’s journey and insights helped inform the newly released Esmée Fairbairn Foundation Mid-Strategy Review: Community-led art and creativity (May 2026).

Carried out by DHA Communications, this report highlights the incredible impact that core, unrestricted funding makes when we genuinely trust communities and local artists to lead.

Instead of just looking at numbers-heavy outputs, this review shows how local practice can directly inform funding strategy and national policy.

Since 2020, EF have shifted towards a more community-led, place-based approach to arts funding - supporting work that brings people together, strengthens communities, and creates space for creativity, joy and shared action ✨

The review highlights the difference that core, unrestricted funding can make and reinforces the importance of trusting communities and local artists to lead.

The review challenges foundations and the wider funding ecosystem to do more to back vibrant, confident places by:

📣 Championing community-led creativity over transactional metrics.
🔗 Connecting people and sharing deep learning.
🌱 Supporting stronger networks and R&D across the sector.

We are also thrilled to see our community’s brilliant creative work visually woven into the report, with imagery from our Green Orchestra and Travelling Museum of Communities featured to show what vibrant practice looks like in action! 📸✨

It reinforces a fundamental TAP principle: meaningful change must be locally desired, community-led, and creatively delivered to achieve real sustainability and legacy.

A massive thank you to the research team and to Esmée Fairbairn Foundation for their ongoing commitment to treating grassroots organisations as vital strategic thinkers. We love working with EF!

🔗 https://lnkd.in/e-5AEHnM

29/05/2026

"What happens when we treat our neighbourhood soundscape as a form of meditation? 🧘‍♂️✨

Earlier this week, families from the East End spent some time with the brilliant artist duo Wabkin doing exactly that. This workshop wasn't just about making art- it was a collective moment to slow down, practice deep listening, and regulate our nervous systems through creativity. 🎧🎨

By tuning into the everyday sounds around them, families explored how those moments could be represented as drawings, remixing them into a fabulous collaborative artwork. It was the perfect chance to be fully present, connect, and turn listening into an act of collective care.

Moments that prioritise community wellbeing like this are made entirely possible thanks to our incredible funders, partners, and collaborators. Thank you for investing in the edges, where space is held for real healing and connection. 🖤

Arts Council England The Rank Foundation Livewell Southwest The National Lottery Community Fund

27/05/2026

How do you measure the true heart of a community without getting lost in a spreadsheet? 📊✨

A massive challenge for any creative placemaking project is translating hyper-local, organic creative moments into the rigorous civic metrics and national learning that funders and investors need to see.

It’s an absolute tightrope balance between statistics and storytelling. But when you get it right? It becomes a powerhouse tool that ensures everyone—from the funder to the doorstep resident—feels immense pride in the work.

TOMORROW at 10:30am, we are diving deep into our Pride in Place Bootcamp Module 4: Evidencing Community Impact: Making Change Visible.

We are unpacking how to design creative, community-led evaluation frameworks that keep the authentic voice of local residents at the absolute heart of your project. No boring, text-heavy clipboards—just genuine, relational evaluation that people actually want to engage with.

What we are covering over the next 90 minutes:

🎁 Values + KPIs: How to seamlessly entwine your funder's targets with the actual, lived values of your community.

🪩 Creative Capture: Fun, accessible, and non-traditional ways to engage people in sharing their own stories of change.

💸 Funder Fluency: Exactly what investors, partners, and local authorities want (and need) to hear from your placemaking projects.

Let’s stop making evaluation an afterthought and start making community impact visible. 🛠️❤️

⏱️ Last call to join us!

📅 Thursday, May 28, 2026

⏰ 10:30am – 12:00pm

🛒£40

👉 https://www.ticketsource.com/take-a-part/pride-in-place-bootcamp-module-4-evidencing-community-impact-making-change-visible/e-vgdmry

22/05/2026

✨ Reflecting on 'Critical Hope' for Creativity & Wellbeing Week ✨
Yesterday, we had a fantastic morning with the Creative Health Network in Plymouth, diving deep into this year's theme of 'Critical Hope'. It was a powerful reminder of why we do what we do.

We're excited to support wellbeing through creativity across our programmes in the East End of the city. For us, this looks like:

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Quality family time that strengthens connections.

🤝 Opportunities to learn more about, and bond with, our neighbours.

🌱 Getting out into nature together to reset and recharge.

In every one of these spaces, we see and feel the transformative power of creativity on mental and emotional wellbeing. A massive thank you to our brilliant partners and funders who champion this vision and make this vital work possible. Together, we're building healthier, more connected communities. 💙

The Rank Foundation Livewell Southwest East End Development Trust Ltd Arts Council England The National Lottery Community Fund Age UK Plymouth Dance

21/05/2026

We are very proud of the conversations and learning-filled moments that made up 8 mentorship sessions for those working in the socially engaged arts sector. All the videos and the knowledge is now available to access via Katkatha Youtube page. This is also linked in our bio.

Swipe to find the schedule for our SEA Directory Launch seminar taking place online on 23rd May. You can register for it via link in our bio.

21/05/2026

Welcoming world-class international insight to our board! 🌍🎨

We are incredibly proud to announce that visual artist, researcher, and academic leader Jaana Erkkilä-Hill has joined Take A Part as a new Trustee!

Jaana brings a breadth of international experience to our governance team. She is a Professor of Visual Arts and the Vice-Dean of Research at the Faculty of Art and Design at the University of Lapland in Finland. Dividing her time between Finland and South Devon, she has a thirty-year artistic career spanning printmaking, large-scale installations, and extensive multilingual publishing.

Crucially for Take A Part, Jaana’s core research focuses on artist pedagogy and artistic thinking as a powerful vehicle for societal change. She is a passionate advocate for the measurable, life-changing impact that socially engaged art has on both individuals and grassroots communities.

Having Jaana’s incredible research expertise and deep belief in community-led social practice on our board is an absolute game-changer for us as we continue to test, learn, and expand our work.

Please join us in giving Jaana a huge welcome to the Take A Part family! 🤝🎉

19/05/2026

Join our partners and us this half term in a free workshop for families, super fun and working with the amazing WABKIN this is a session not to be missed!

Join artist duo WABKIN for another chance to explore collaborative drawing in a fun and playful way.

19/05/2026

Welcome to the board, James McQuaid! 🏛️✨

We are absolutely thrilled to introduce one of our newest Trustees at Take A Part.

James brings a remarkable career dedicated to finding innovative ways to unlock the power of cultural assets, ranging from historic houses and monastic libraries to nature reserves and public swimming pools.

For James, pushing the sector forward isn't just about managing assets, it's about the people who give them meaning.

In his own words:

"I have realised that the key to good, sustainable outcomes is to get into meaningful relationships with people, where true curiosity, respect, appreciation and care prevail. This is how I have arrived at Take A Part, where I feel so aligned with their values and practice. I believe Take A Part is leading an approach to placemaking that helps define the true power of culture in society, putting people first. I am thrilled to become part of their story."

James’s commitment to building deep, respectful, and caring relationships is at the very heart of how we work, and we are so excited to learn from him and have his strategic guidance on our ambitious journey ahead.

Give James a warm welcome in the comments! 👇

14/05/2026

We are beyond proud to announce that Take A Part has been selected for the international “Democracy in Action” project!

Out of 392 organisations across 40+ countries, TAP is one of ONLY three selected to participate in the upcoming “Grassroots Culture for Youth Climate Action” workshop in Izmir, Türkiye. 🇹🇷

Why this matters:

This isn't just a trip; it’s a global platform for our Ocean City Influencers' work and our creative climate justice methodology. We’ll be sharing how our work in Plymouth empowers youth to lead on climate justice, helping to shift the cultural narrative around the environmental crisis.

The Big Goal:
The outcomes from our sessions in Izmir will feed directly into COP31 in Antalya this November. We are taking the voices of our Plymouth's next generation of climate justice leaders straight to the world stage! 🎤🌊

Huge thanks to and the European Union’s Horizon programme for recognising the power of grassroots action.

Congratulations to our fellow selected partners:
🇬🇷 Οργάνωση Γη-Organization Earth (Greece)
🇧🇬 Foundation for Entrepreneurship, Culture and Education (Bulgaria)

Plymouth ➡️ Izmir ➡️ COP31. Let’s go! 🚀

And follow .city.influencers on Insta to see all their fantastic work as their creative and climate justice leadership continues to grow.

📩 For more information about the research, feel free to contact the research team at: [email protected]
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The “Democracy in Action” project has received funding from the European Union under the HORIZON-CL2-2024-DEMOCRACY-02 programme under grant agreement No. 101178843.