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 difference we make to communities in South West County Durham, what the Arts can offer and why our work is important. The Difference We Make "I felt like I was really part of something very special." FOR INDIVIDUALS We know that taking part in creative activities can improve people's confidence and wellbeing. Evaluation of our 2021-2 Thriving Communities wellbeing programme found statistically significant improvements in participants' life satisfaction and sense of doing worthwhile activities. Read the full evaluation report (2022). Participants in our projects often tell us they feel more confident and happier. People with chronic mental and physical health conditions tell us the activities can help to improve their quality of life. "The group is more family than friends. I feel more confident and fulfilled, and have something to take my mind to a happy safe place. Something I want to get out of bed for." Creativity in Crisis participant feedback (2020). IN COMMUNITIES Our staff and board are all local to this area and care about it passionately. We listen to people and work with them to create the culture they feel is important, which has been everything from a Christmas tree to an opera about regeneration. As well as performances, events and installations, our projects have supported people to start their own choirs, gardening projects and community groups. We also support the local economy by employing local artists, businesses, community groups and venues. Watch a film about our work in Dene Valley (2021) People tell us the creative activities make them feel differently about where they live: "It was lovely seeing the community engaging in a positive way. It was also evident that the local people share a real passion for the area." More Than Viable participant feedback (2019) FOR ARTISTS Participatory and community-led creative practice requires skill, technique and experience. We value the amazing artists and creatives we work with, and aim to support emerging artists, giving people opportunities so they can make a living in this rural area. We work with local artists as much as possible, we pay Artists' Union recommended rates, and we provide training and networking opportunities to help build careers. Watch a conversation between participatory artists about so-called 'hard to reach' communities (2020) "[The training] helped clarify my thoughts about my work and express myself more clearly. It introduced new ideas about how to price applications and who I could apply to." Artists' Training & Development Network, participant feedback (2021) WORKING FOR CHANGE We know that change doesn't just happen from the grassroots, and that many of the issues people face are due to policy decisions made far away. This is why we work to improve connections between the arts and non-arts sectors, and share our learning about working with communities. We sit on regional groups and networks, our performances and films have been shown to policy makers and funders, and whenever possible we bring people face-to-face, so that those who make decisions can speak directly with those are affected by them. Watch the film of a project that brought together farmers and conservationists (2021) Our partners and stakeholders have included the Town and Country Planning Association, Durham County Council, Failte Ireland, North Pennines AONB, Natural England, Durham Dales Health Network, Tees Esk and Wear Valley NHS Trust, Durham University, Newcastle University, Believe Housing and Visit County Durham. We Need Your Support Today! Donate

Connect with the County Durham Artists' Network and view presentations from previous netowrking and training sessions. Artists' Network Back to Artists' Space Throughout April - September 2021, Northern Heartlands hosted the County Durham Artists' Network. These weekly, free sessions were a chance to hear from fellow creatives, regional arts organisations and take part in professional training sessions. Below is a collection of presentations that were delivered throughout during our meetings. The Creative Adventurer's Survival Guide East Durham Creates Website Fundamentals for Creatives Teesdale Artist Network Durham County Council Cumbria Arts and Culture Network Beamish Museum Northern Saints Trail Durham 2025: City of Culture Culture Durham Federation of Small Businesses Arts Council England The Network also received a number of training sessions to support the work of artists. These were delivered in a mixture of online and live sessions. Below you can find presentations from some of the training sessions. Website Creation and Development for Creative Practitioners Defining Your Why Finding and Getting funding for Arts Projects Q&A with Arts Council England If you are an Artist or Creative Practitioner and would like to be added to our Artists' mailing list, get in touch with other Artists or hear about new training or commission opportunities, get in contact by emailing info@northernheartlands.org We Need Your Support Today! Donate Thank you to our generous Funders:

Find out about the diverse range of projects we are currently working on throughout South West County Durham! Health and Wellbeing Landscape and Environment Connected Communities Past Projects Projects We Need Your Support Today! Donate

Northern Heartlands’ Landscape & Environment strand celebrates the rich natural heritage of south-west County Durham, connecting communities with their surroundings through creative collaboration Landscape and Environment Back to projects Budding Botanists Creatively Connected Cuthbert's Moor We Need Your Support Today! Donate

Setting the Scene is part of the Creative Catalysts project taking part in Witton Park and Coundon between June and September 2024. Setting The Scene Back to Connected Communities Setting The Scene, aimed to encourage participation, the expression of ideas and ignite curiosity. Artists Ronan Devlin and Dominic Smith worked in collaboration within the community to creatively test ideas and explore how local networks can support and define the present and future identities of these communities. By co-creating a programme featuring audio material, newspaper spreads, walks and local events, the project highlighted and helped connect the unique qualities and creativity of the people of Coundon and Witton Park. Click the book to read the final report for Setting the Scene Click the book to add your details to the Northern Heartlands Creative Directory 10 workshops, walks and eventswere delivered to engage communities, 2 final events at local community centres engaged local musicians and children to play, providing space for celebration and community interaction The project culminated in distributing approximately 4000 newspapers throughout Coundon and Witton Park, containing images from community workshops, QR codes linked to audio stories, and reflections from community members Click the headphones to listen to the audio pieces that were created for each page of the newspaper Click the image to see some of the creative activity that took place in Setting the Scene Click the image to read Setting the Scene newspaper Thank you to our generous funders: We Need Your Support Today! Donate

Policies Data Protection Policy Web.pdf Complaints Policy Web.pdf We Need Your Support Today! Donate

We began life as an Arts Council and Heritage Fund Great Place Scheme in 2017. We have now become a registered CIO. Our History We began life back in 2017 as one of England’s 16 ‘Great Place Schemes’. Jointly funded by Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Scheme was designed to pilot new approaches to local investment in arts, culture and heritage. Northern Heartlands’ ‘great place’ was the south-west corner of County Durham; an area comprising the Area Action Partnership districts of Teesdale and Weardale (rural, isolated villages and hill farms), Bishop Auckland & Shildon, and the ‘Three Towns Partnership’ of Tow Law, Crook and Willington (small towns and surrounding settlements of the former Durham coalfield). Over the three years, projects ranged from small one-off workshops to a major new community opera created with local communities in partnership with Opera North. A small grants scheme supported by County Durham Community Foundation saw 47 projects developed by community groups. Approaches ranged from an innovative 18-month project commissioning an artist/researcher to work with hill-farmers to harness their views and voices, to ethnographic engagement with a cluster of small, neglected settlements in the Dene Valley Parish – once destined for demolition under the infamous Category D scheme when the pits closed – and supporting a major outdoor arts event in the former coal-mining town of Willington where, prior to Northern Heartlands’ engagement and as one young person succinctly put it, “nothing ever happens”. At the end of the Great Place Scheme, it was clear to us that this work had only just begun. Our evaluation revealed that our work had a profound impact on our communities, including: increased pride in the area increased confidence in themselves greater connection to the heritage and culture of the area as well as having a positive impact on health and wellbeing At the end of 2019 we made the decision to establish Northern Heartlands as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in its own right. Going forwards we will continue our work primarily in the south-west corner of County Durham, building on existing relationships with communities as well as striving to forge new ones in order to continue the work we have begun. We Need Your Support Today! Donate

Our mission is for flourishing places, where people use creativity to gain confidence, explore what matters, express their views and contribute to society.  Our Mission... ... is to engage and support local people and communities by using creativity to develop agency, build social capital and foster individual potential. Communities and the artists we work with are at the heart of what we do. We know that people are the real experts in where they live, the issues they face and what needs to change, so we always start by listening. We trust in the skills and knowledge of creative practitioners because we have seen the incredible results, both artistically and for the lives of people who take part. We are committed to supporting the careers of artists in our region. The principles that guide us are set out below, with creativity at the heart of what we do. Our process is a circle because we know that change takes time and trust is hard to earn – so we are in it for the long term with the people, places and artists we work with. We are experimental, we are always trying to learn from successes and failures, and we share that learning. We want to extend understanding between people and across sectors. Our Vision OUR VISION is for strong, connected, and healthy communities, where people are actively involved in shaping their lives and their environment. We strive to achieve our Vision and 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 Way of Working Our Values WE WILL BE: 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 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 Our Way of Working We Need Your Support Today! Donate

Latest News All Posts Search jaynebradley8 Jun 19, 2023 1 min We're now an NPO! We're really excited to be starting on journey as an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation for 2023-26. It promises to be a time... 7 views 0 comments Post not marked as liked We Need Your Support Today! Donate

Sat, 13 May | TCR The Hub Curious Youth Challenge Calling all LGBTQIA+ 11-19 year olds! Up for a Creative Youth Challenge? Join Curious Arts at Barnard Castle and take part in a day filled with creative activities to help you find and build your Tribe! Click the RSVP button to reserve your FREE place! Registration is closed See other events Time & Location 13 May 2023, 10:00 – 16:00 TCR The Hub, Shaw Bank, Barnard Castle DL12 8TD, UK About the event Join Curious Arts at Barnard Castle and take part in a day filled with creative activities to help you find and build your Tribe! Through workshops led by LGBTQIA+ artists across the North East, we will explore the theme 'Find Your Tribe' and what that means to you. Come along, and help build a community in a supportive and creative environment. Click RSVP button to register your FREE place. Show More Share this event

There’s Nothing Here... We can’t find the page you’re looking for. Check the URL, or head back home. Go Home