Northern Heartlands was originally one of 16 Great Place Schemes – funded jointly by Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund – which came out of the landmark 2016 Culture White Paper.  Our Great Place Scheme in Co Durham focussed on the more rural areas of the county as well as some of the towns and villages of the former Durham coalfield area.  Great Place Scheme 2017 - 2020 Back to Past Projects Northern Heartlands was originally one of 16 Great Place Schemes – funded jointly by Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund – which came out of the landmark 2016 Culture White Paper. Our Great Place Scheme in Co Durham focussed on the more rural areas of the county as well as some of the towns and villages of the former Durham coalfield area. We worked with hundreds of local people - listening to their stories, building confidence, valuing their hopes and dreams, increasing their sense of pride in their place and its heritage - and providing some innovative and exciting events and creative activities along the way. We also worked with a range of different partners at a strategic level, with an overall aim of building confidence and enabling the voices of our communities to be heard by those who make decisions on their behalf. The work included a series of Speaker & Discussion Events: creative conference sessions involving community representatives, decision-makers, artists, thinkers and the business community who were all invited to come together to share ideas on issues ranging from Neighbourhood Planning to Hill Farming and from Tourism to Placemaking. Our external evaluator described our Great Place Scheme as 'unique and ambitious'. Read the report here Project Gallery 1/29 Thank you to our generous Funders: We Need Your Support Today! Donate

Northern Heartlands is a community arts organisation based in south west County Durham. We work with the rural and isolated communities of Teesdale and Weardale, and in the towns and villages of the former Durham coalfields around Bishop Auckland, Shildon, Crook, Willington and Tow Law. We believe in the creative power of communities to bring about change. Our Mission Current Projects Our work is made possible by: Our vision is for strong, connected, and healthy local communities, where people are actively involved in shaping their lives and their environment Support Us And help our communities Donate Now Community member "Thank you for making this fab event happen."

Delivered in partnership with No More Nowt in 2024/25, Cultivate Commissions was designed to support creative practitioners to work with and alongside communities in County Durham to increase participation in arts activity, develop creativity and instil pride within communities. The goal of Cultivate Commissions was to bolster creativity in County Durham. Cultivate Commissions Back to Connected Communities Delivered in partnership with No More Nowt, Cultivate Commissions supported creative practitioners to work with communities in County Durham to increase participation in arts activity, develop creativity and instil pride within communities. The goal of Cultivate Commissions was to develop creative growth in the county. 20 artists/arts organisations received a commission. 2273 people directly took part in activity 12,608 people engaged with the project. "This project allowed me to finally build an idea that's been rattling around for a long time! It was a privilege to bring it to life in a bustling shopping centre and engage a diverse cross-section of the community. The unique setting inroduced me to new participants and brodened my understaning of audience engagement in non-traditional art spaces." [Artist] "This project has been my most ambitious participatory project to date...it has provided an opportunity to connect with new community groups and organisations, and to get to know Bishop Auckland through the eyes of its communities." [Artist] Outcomes included: Strengthened networks and partnerships, Increased creative practitioner and community confidence Increased participation in the arts 7 further artist commissions secured and 4 new groups established Next Project Read the full report on Cultivate Commissions here Cultivate Commissions is part of "Into the Light" , a transformative programme of creative, collaborative projects across County Durham. We Need Your Support Today! Donate