The continued expansion of creative and heritage activities in North East Lincolnshire through Create North East Lincolnshire has given a massive boost to arts projects in the last 12 months, and made a significant contribution to enriching the lives of local residents.
Create North East Lincolnshire (NEL) was launched in September 2023 with the support of funding from Arts Council England, National Lottery Heritage Fund, North East Lincolnshire Council and supported by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Create NEL connects and champions heritage, arts and culture with other sectors for skills, jobs and opportunities, providing tools for growth and success. It aims to support creative and heritage practitioners through grants for projects and development for projects ranging in scale from hundreds of pounds to supporting multi-million-pound investment.
In 2024/25 there were 45 successful funding bids supported by external funding, which leveraged in £5.35m in culture and heritage funding into NEL. In addition, the Create NEL programme enabled significant opportunities for people across NEL to engage with heritage and culture on their doorsteps.
Three major highlights of the programme have included the Culture House led Edible Grimsby & Our Future Starts Here, alongside Festival of the Sea, totalling audience figures of more than 11,000 people.
Our Future Starts Here, alongside a new event Beach of Dreams, starts tomorrow, Saturday 24th May, for a week-long programme of activity, including the main spectacle on Monday 26th May where Cleethorpes beach, near Brighton Slipway, will be transformed into a sea of 800 silk flags, each one representing hopes, dreams, and stories for the future of our coast.
Visit What’s On – Our Future Starts Here to help you plan your bank holiday Monday in Cleethorpes! Book on to specific Beach of Dreams activities here: Beach of Dreams – Cleethorpes Tickets, Mon, May 26, 2025 at 10:00 AM | Eventbrite –
The Paint the Town Proud programme led by Creative Start has completed its 14th mural, ‘We Love Cleethorpes’ on the Central Prom with more on the way this year. To complement the murals, Creative Start have created a colouring book and tote bag with designs by Kev Atkins and Kath Smith. Both items are now available to purchase online: Paint The Town Proud Online store.
347 workshops and support sessions, 115 drop-in conversations and a creative careers conference were among the events supported in 2024/25 to promote creative working in NEL.
Twenty-three creative and heritage practitioners were also supported through CreateNEL with funding of £49,607 for development opportunities such as mentoring, peer visits, courses or workshops, exploring new areas of creative work with comments from those funded:
‘I’m truly grateful for the opportunity this funding has given me! It reinvigorated my practice, pushed me out of my comfort zone and enabled me to develop incredible new skills’ Natasha Morley.
‘This has given me the time and space to develop my own skills and use different mediums. In turn, I am able to work towards an exhibition from work produced whilst on residency’ Diane Brookes.
‘Through meeting other creatives and helping with their projects I have clearer vision of the space I want to carve for myself and others and this has been a vital take away for me personally’ Ronnie Nightingale Timofejeva.
In 2024/25, eight large projects (up to £7,500 each) were supported with a total of £57,522 and fifteen small projects (up to £1,500 each) were allocated grants totalling £29,245. Analysis of the impacts of the CreateNEL programme highlights the effect of grant funding on a huge variety of projects and events which have taken place in the last year, with 54% of funding going to new recipients.
Project grants provided 3,763 hours of employment for local creatives with many local suppliers being utilised too and 451 volunteers were engaged in various projects.
Visual and public arts, theatre and performing arts, and music made up a large proportion of the projects supported by CreateNEL in 2024/25 totalling 61%.
Organisers and participants in CreateNEL grant-supported events across the year have shown their approval with positive messages, detailing both the impact on the community as a whole and on minority groups. Here’s a snapshot of what they said:
“Love seeing communities and talented people come together for such a great mood-boosting cause,” – ‘The Harold Gosney Video Archive’, Grimsby, Cleethorpes and District Civic Society.
“Several parents have said these sessions have helped us all as a family to escape into a calm world of creativity.” – ‘Art Up and Recycle’ Louise Drakes.
“It was amazing, we had a fantastic time and despite being in a wheelchair I was included and made to feel actively engaged. Living alone, it’s important to be able to get out and about in the community.” – Edible Grimsby,
“I want to have a job that involves music in the future, particularly performing (it), so to meet and talk to a local music artist was really inspiring and informative.” – Our Future Starts Here.
“What an absolute fantastic addition to Cleethorpes. Well done to everyone involved, I love it.” – Paint the Town Proud mural entitled ‘We Love Cleethorpes’.
“He said how much the ceremony helped him and how supported, welcomed he felt and the power of a shared connection with people who’d he never met before. He loved the whole experience,” – ‘Water Bodies’, Louisa Chase.
Cllr Hayden Dawkins, NELC Portfolio Holder for Culture, Heritage and the Visitor Economy, said: “These grants are a wonderful opportunity to help members of the local arts and creative community to bring their work to a wider audience.
“This report shows the impact the funding has had over the last 12 months alone in supporting some amazing arts and heritage projects, which have not only given pleasure to those who attended them but have also boosted our local economy.
“CreateNEL is providing a huge boost to the expansion of the arts programme and the creative talent we have in the borough, and I urge people to get involved with creative events and activities on their doorstep.”
To find out more about support for creative and heritage projects in the region visit
Home – Create East Lincolnshire
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