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Find out about work and training opportunities as well as connect with the County Durham Artists Network. Artists' Space Click on one of the options below to see resources and opportunities for Artists! Training Opportunities Artist Call Outs Resources See creations from previous workshops in the gallery below! 1/15

Our mission is to engage and support people and communities by using creativity to develop agency, build social capital and foster individual potential. Our vision is for flourishing places, where people use creativity to gain confidence, explore what matters, express their views and contribute to society.  About us / Our mission / Our mission Our vision Strong, connected, and healthy communities, where people are actively involved in shaping their lives and their environment. Our mission To engage and support people and communities by using creativity to develop agency, build social capital and foster individual potential. We achieve this mission by: recognising that each place we work in, and each community we work with, is unique working with creative practitioners in everything we do ensuring we always work collaboratively with communities always reviewing, learning from, and adapting our approach and sharing our learning with others supporting artists and creative practitioners to reach their full potential working in partnership Our values We are: Committed to what we do, to each other and to those we work with Trusted by each other and by those we work with Dignified in our own actions and by respecting the dignity of everyone we work with Ambitious for ourselves, for our organisation and for the places, the communities, and the individuals we work with Authentic in all of our actions Humble in respecting and valuing the opinions and beliefs of others Northern Heartlands’ vision, mission and values have been developed by our staff and board, and are regularly reviewed to ensure that they remain robust, relevant and representative of our work. More about us... Our mission Our team Our story 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” was funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation ‘Arts Access & Participation Fund’. We worked 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 worked with the community in Dene Valley from 208 to 2022 , 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"

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:

Meet the Northern Heartlands team and our dedicated board who are passionate about the work we do. About us / Our team / Meet our team Katy Milne Creative Director Lyndsey Middleton Creative Communities Coordinator Jayne Bradley Office and Systems Manager Louise Kelly Freelance Social Media 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. Our Board Graham Young Chair Lucy Jenkins Trustee Ben Tinkler Trustee Tony Harrington Trustee Chris Jones Trustee Amanda Tutin Trustee Jane Hartley Trustee Sharon Simpson Trustee Become a trustee Play a vital role in guiding our vision. Learn more More about us... Our mission Our team Our story We Need Your Support Today! Donate

View current contract opportunities for Artists to work on projects supporting communities in South West County Durham. Home / Opportunities Artist call outs Here you will find Artist call outs for projects we are delivering. We have no open opportunities just now. Keep checking this space and follow us on our socials to hear about any upcoming opportunities. More opportunities... Artist call outs Resources We Need Your Support Today! Donate

Podcast Brianna & Madison Hosting Inspiring Women

A new heritage trail through Bishop Auckland Bishop Auckland heritage Back to Past Projects "On the Map" co-created by textile artist Gillian Arnold with local schools and members of the community BISHOP AUCKLAND HERITAGE TRAIL.pdf CLICK IMAGE FOR BISHOP AUCKLAND HERITAGE TRAIL AUDIO Scan this QR code to find out more about Bishop Auckland history and heritage

Terms of Use I’m a terms of use section. I’m a great place to inform your visitors about the nature of your website and how it may be used by visitors. Add details such the type of information and content you publish, or any additional features like taking online payments or collecting emails for a newsletter. Transparency helps build trust with your website visitors, so take the time to write an accurate and detailed policy. Use straightforward language to gain their trust and make sure they keep coming back to your site! We Need Your Support Today! Donate

Find out about the diverse range of projects we are currently working on throughout South West County Durham! Strategic Partnerships Back to projects Text needed, images and/or logos We Need Your Support Today! Donate

A project funded by the Green Recovery Challenge Fund to engage local people in the special flora of Teesdale in County Durham and educate about how we can protect it. Creativity in Crisis Back to past projects BLURB Project Gallery Green Man Project Green Man Project Willington Open Door Church6 Green Man Project 1/16 Thank you to our generous Funders: We Need Your Support Today! Donate

stories and memories from ukraine Back to projects We’re delighted to be hosting ‘Stories and Memories from Ukraine’ on our website. OLEK DEV, based in Kyiv when war broke out back in February 2022, has spent his time recording memories and traditional stories from some of the older generation who have remained in the city throughout the Russian invasion. The project provides a way for Ukrainians here in UK and across the globe to listen to some lovely authentic Ukrainian voices – and for those surviving the turbulence in their own country to share stories from happier times. Here's the link to hear the authentic voices: Memories of Ukraine Here are the verbatim tranlations by Olek: Lyudmila Hryhorivna Galena Fairy Tale Ivasyk Telesyk Elena Vladimirovna Zinaida Pavlovna