Case studies

Palmer Park library in East Reading supports a range of students, including learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities at nearby Reading College (run by Activate Learning) to gain, develop and improve customer service skills, offering a way of gaining skills in a real life environment, whilst ensuring that a public library service can still be sustainably provided.

The Reading Abbey Revealed project and the creation of the Abbey Quarter is Reading’s most ambitious heritage project for a decade.

Sheffield’s diverse freelance artists and creatives were seriously impacted by Covid lockdowns and the cancellation of arts events. National government support was often not available to them.

Throughout the pandemic Sheffield Museums focused on bringing collections, exhibitions and events to people online and in community settings. Museums by Mail was conceived to lift the spirits of those at risk of loneliness.

The Professors are an independent performing arts company, named for professing our knowledge and demonstrating our particular expertise in arts and collaboration. They are a group of learning disabled and non-disabled artists, create their own performances, films, installations, music, events, and exhibitions.

CreateSpace was a two-year partnership project of five cultural organisations across the West Midlands, working with art practitioners, to improve participant wellbeing.

Volunteering for Veterans is a wellbeing and conservation project for Veterans of the Armed Forces working on Birmingham Museum Trust’s (BMT) motorbike collection.

Sheffield Museums have a successful volunteering programme with over 200 volunteers who engage in research, events, creative workshops, heritage walks and gardening, and support volunteering for people with barriers to entering the workplace.

A partnership was formed between Blackpool’s Children's Services and Blackpool’s Grand Theatre. After consultation with young people experiencing life in care; the ‘Illuminate’ project was co-produced.

Showtown worked with youth organisation HeadStart and professional comedians to deliver Open Up the Mic, a 12-week course supporting young people aged 10-15 to develop their resilience, performance skills and confidence.