Meet the Northern Heartlands team and our dedicated board who are passionate about the work we do. The Team Katy Milne Creative Director Lyndsey Middleton Creative Communities Coordinator Northern Heartlands was founded in 2017, with Jill Cole as our first director. Her leadership rooted the organisation in its commitment to artists working deeply in communities over time - a foundation we continue to build from. Jayne Bradley Office and Systems Manager The Board Graham Young Chair Jane Hartley Trustee Tony Harrington Trustee Amanda Tutin Trustee Ben Tinkler Trustee Lucy Jenkins Trustee Chris Jones Trustee We Need Your Support Today! Donate

A Paul Hamlyn Foundation funded project challenging power structures and enouraging community members to collaborate and work together. Here you can find out all about our current projects. Turning the Hourglass Back to Past Projects “Turning The Hourglass” is funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation ‘Arts Access & Participation Fund’. We’re working with communities in the parish of Dene Valley and the village of Witton Park, listening to what local residents would like to see happen in their village, supporting exciting events such as the Dene Valley Winter Light Parade and a Hallowe’en Walk and enabling people to have the confidence to start making things happen for themselves. Both places are former 'Category D' locations: villages destined for demolition when the pits closed and deemed worthy of no further investment. We started working in Witton Park in 2021 and we've been working with the community in Dene Valley since 2018, building on work we began as a Great Place Scheme. Read about our approach to this work here in a report by artist/researcher Stephen Pritchard. Read the final evaluation report for Turning the Hourglass here. Project Gallery Witton Park: Halloween Story Walk Witton Park: Halloween Story Walk Dene Valley: One Winter's Night Witton Park: Halloween Story Walk 1/39 "Mayhem, Magic & Majesty" Dene Valley & Eldon Lane Festive Light Parade 2022 "One Winter's Night..." Dene Valley & Eldon Lane Festive Light Parade 2021 Thank you to our generous Funders: "One Winter's Night ..." finalist for North East Culture Awards 2022 "Best Event or Exhibition" We Need Your Support Today! Donate

Originally run by Northern Heartlands as The Four Clocks Project and now called Bishop Busy Hands, this 2 year+ project supports adults in Bishop Auckland to feel more connected and have improved mental health and wellbeing through arts and creative activity. creative health in bishop auckland Back to Health and Wellbeing Next Project Originally led by Northern Heartlands, The Four Clocks Project, now called Bishop Busy Hands, was a 2 year+ project supporting adults in Bishop Auckland to feel more connected and have improved mental health and wellbeing through arts and creative activity. Northern Heartlands worked in partnership with local Housing Associations, Social Prescribing Link Workers, Artists and Health providers to make this project happen. In 2024 we supported participants to become a constituted self-led group and move to its current location at Bishop Auckland Town Hall where it continues to thrive. Evaluation through Believe Housing’s HACT tool showed that the social return on investment for this project costing £9,400 was valued at £122,386 (a return of 1:14). To find out more about Bishop Busy Hands or to take part in sessions, please visit their Facebook page here: Facebook or contact bishopbusyhands@gmail.com As part of our weekly social prescribing programme at Four Clocks, professional animator, Sheryl Jenkins, helped the group to produce a short film using characters and drawings created by them to articulate how much the sessions had come to mean to them. Thank you to our generous Funders: We Need Your Support Today! Donate