Our Prosper North programme came to an end in 2021, but one year on the impact of this business support programme for cultural and heritage organisations across the North of England continues to reverberate.
Watch our latest videos with six organisations that took part in the programme to hear about their experience of receiving tailored 1:1 business support, as they showcase the successes they’ve had in their business development ever since.
The Culture House – The Auxiliary – Capacity Buildings
West Cheshire Museums – Norfolk Street Arts – Becconsall
From successfully securing social investment funding to navigating the Covid-19 pandemic, continue below to find out more about these incredible case studies!
The Culture House
Grimsby
The Culture House aims to strengthen Grimsby’s cultural offer by providing opportunities for everyone to enjoy and participate in a wide range of creative and cultural activities, from leading music events and imaginative street arts festivals, to community poetry projects and positive mindset programmes.
“The support and advice we received has had a really strong impact on our organisation…Prosper North has pushed us to ready ourselves for an NPO application.”
The Auxiliary
Middlesbrough
The Auxiliary project space consists of two galleries, six studios, a workshop and performance space. It is dedicated to the production and dissemination of experimental and sound art practices, through investigating local industrial heritage and the reimagining of Tees Valley as a site for invigorated creative industries.
“Being on the programme was invaluable…we were able to put together a really succinct business plan which was hugely helpful in us gaining more funding which we probably wouldn’t have been able to get previously.”
Capacity Buildings
Cleethorpes
Capacity Buildings aim to enhance the capability of voluntary and community groups and social enterprises in North East Lincolnshire to deliver their services across the borough through the provision of managed workspace with attached supportive infrastructure. Their initiatives, led by local residents, have included heritage research projects in partnership with neighbourhood groups.
“The lessons that we learnt gave the organisation an opportunity to stay sustainable and to keep operating [through the pandemic] which we probably wouldn’t have been strong enough to do.”
West Cheshire Museums
Cheshire
West Cheshire Museums manages a diverse group of local museums whose collections cover a huge slice of Cheshire’s history and tell the stories of the area’s people and places, from prehistoric times to the present day. Their ambition is to inspire their community and visitors to discover, explore and enjoy West Cheshire’s rich heritage, culture and history.
"We’ve been able to see how each site can work to its strengths…I don’t think we would have been doing that without some of the guidance that came through Prosper North.”
Norfolk Street Arts
Sunderland
Norfolk Street Arts CIC is a curator/artist-led community interest company supporting the development of artists and curators through facilitating spaces and mentoring, and permitting them to test and deliver creative practices. They are committed to Sunderland and its regeneration through culture, responding to the city and surrounding areas and developed to cater to the local community.
“Being able to connect with other cultural leaders as part of the Prosper North programme was really important for [our] wellbeing.”
Becconsall – Lancashire’s Living Museum
West Lancashire
Becconsall – Lancashire’s Living Museum is a new project creating an open-air museum, or heritage park, dedicated to the stories of Lancashire and the North West and particularly its development as the world’s first industrialised society. The venture aims to have a wide range of wellbeing and learning impacts and also contribute generally to the region’s proposition. The Project will be delivered through multiple phases over a period of several years.
"We've been successful in securing some capital to enable the delivery of our phase one infrastructure plan. This has come directly as a result of the programme."
The Prosper North programme was funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and delivered by Creative United in partnership with Key Fund, Bates Wells, and Social Investment Business.
To find out more about the Prosper North programme and to read the full evaluation report, click the button below.
Funders and Partners
