Supporting grassroots creativity in Whitley and Church wards

This new report from Creative Lives documents our place-based project in Reading from April 2023 to March 2025, commissioned by Reading Borough Council using UK Shared Prosperity Funding. 

The project focused on supporting grassroots creative activity in the Whitley and Church wards, which face particular socioeconomic challenges including lower educational attainment, higher rates of self-reported poor health, and a higher proportion of residents not working.

Through a comprehensive three-phase approach, Creative Lives has successfully mapped, supported, and connected local creative groups to build a more resilient creative ecosystem. The project has demonstrated the transformative power of community-led creative activity in addressing isolation, improving wellbeing, and strengthening community identity.

Key achievements include:

• Mapping 170 local creative groups and creative practitioners in Reading
• Distributing nearly £50,000 in grants through a progressive funding model
• Enabling 174+ creative workshops reaching approximately 1,900 participants in total
• Featuring 10 grassroots creative groups on BBC Radio Berkshire
• Delivering 6 bespoke networking events and 20+ one-to-one support sessions
• Building partnerships between diverse community organisations

You can download the report 'Creative Lives in Reading' here