Corby and Wellingborough arts consortium secures further three year funding deal

A Corby and Wellingborough arts and cultural engagement programme will carry on working with communities for another three years thanks to a grant.

Arts Council England will invest a further £420,000 of National Lottery funding in the Made With Many programme, to allow their work to continue until the end of March 2025.

The funds available to Made With Many from Arts Council England now totals £974,000, including funds already secured, plus the additional amount announced today.

Helen Willmott, programme director of Made With Many, said: "We are thrilled that this additional investment from Arts Council England will enable us to continue the Made With Many programme across both Corby and Wellingborough, thanks to National Lottery players.

"We’ll be able to continue to offer a wide range of creative activities to communities, putting local people in the lead of their own cultural experiences and working with incredible artists to co-create new work.”

Made With Many is one of 39 successful projects to receive a share of £25.3m in new grants and £13m of previously awarded National Lottery funding, allocated in areas where involvement in arts and culture is significantly below the national average, as part of Arts Council England’s 2022 - 2025 Creative People and Places (CPP) national portfolio.

Made With Many has been part of CPP since 2014, formerly under the banner of Made In Corby, securing Arts Council investment of over £3.5m to date, through working as part of a consortium of local organisations led by Groundwork Northamptonshire.

As well as delivering highly popular outdoor events such as Grow Festival, Made With Many has been working throughout the pandemic to bring cultural opportunities to local people, both remotely and in-person, creating connectedness within communities.

Over the next few years, Made With Many will continue to support the delivery of Arts Council England’s Let’s Create strategy by helping local communities to enjoy the benefits of arts and culture across Corby and Wellingborough.

As well as regular creative sessions, support for local communities and artists to deliver their own activities, there are also some ambitious and exciting events being planned, which will give local people the opportunity to come together and celebrate.

Darren Henley, chief executive of Arts Council England, added: “These projects change villages, towns and cities for the better, helping people to lead happier, healthier lives.

"Our new investment means more people in more places across England will benefit from that magical spark of possibility, innovation and invention that only happens when culture and creativity becomes part of their daily lives.”