Developing a Network for Creatives in Tameside
“Tameside is very interesting place full of really cool people and cool stuff. The network can bring them together and get them to advocate for themselves.”
Tameside is a huge area, covering urban areas and more rural towns, and is teeming with pockets of creativity, but it still sees relatively low investment in the cultural sector. Five of 7 council owned cultural and heritage institutions have closed in the last 10 years and there is currently only one NPO residing in borough/
There have also been other iterations of a creative network of sorts run by the council in years past, but these have all petered out when funding stopped, and freelancers or council employees moved on from their roles. This past experience may be a barrier for some to re-engage.
Hannah Weston joined the local authority as the Arts and Events Officer in January 2024. She came from a commercial role in a gallery and recently completed her masters degree in Fine Arts. Hannah lives in Tameside
Through the research done by the council for its cultural strategy, the research done by RX as part of their Ambassador Programme in the borough and conversations Hannah has had with artists it was:
“…roundly agreed that a network is sorely needed to bring the disparate parts of the cultural sector together to collaborate, share resources and advocate for itself. However, the reality of getting buy in for the network and making at a success has been more uphill. Attendance and engagement are still low, although it is improving constantly as we build trust and get the word out, but it will take time.”
What’s happening?
Tameside network is currently a very open-ended creative network, which welcomes any and all creatives and creative organisations who live and/or work in Tameside. It is intended to be a welcoming and relaxed space to meet and connect with other creatives and creative sector workers, share resources and support, with some more instructive workshops on topics like bid writing too. The network moves venue around borough to be accessible to everyone at some point, and to build relationships with creative and community spaces around Tameside. The meetings are on a bi-monthly basis and are usually the third Thursday of the month, 6-8pm.
Since April 2024, 25 creatives have attended meetings, from 8 at the first to 14 in the most recent. The mailing list is also increasing in size quickly, starting with 2 and up 37 in August. In total, the network has attracted 115 Instagram followers.
Among the network’s early achievements is bringing people together so they meet and advocate for each other, which helps to build a more collaborative and cohesive sector. Another showed the importance of having a relevant ‘hook’ or subject – in this case writing winning bids, led by a skilled facilitator (a referral from GM Spirit’s Project Manager)
“The bid writing workshop went down well! Hosting the meeting at a venue that shared and pushed the network too really helped and brought in people from the surrounding area who weren’t aware of the network before this.”
Who’s involved?
Hannah says that at this early stage it is majority early-mid career artists, and there has been a good range of age groups at meetings, particularly the one in Denton, which saw under 30s, and a few LGBTQ and global majority creatives in attendance too, as those marginalised voices and viewpoints aren’t always as visible as they should be in Tameside. The spread of practitioners is mainly theatre production and performance, graphic design, fine art, textiles and dance. “We did have one aspiring young film maker at the last meeting too!”
“At least 50% of attendees work full time in an adjacent or unrelated field, often hospitality and retail, to subsidise their artistic practice. There are also a variety of freelance creatives, who run workshops and classes around borough as a key part of their income, often with these small companies or for the council.”
Through GM Spirt, Hannah is also part of a network of network leads.
‘The network above the network has been really good. Its been helpful to meet similar people in similar roles, to how we are working and how we are thinking. Jess is a very personable, organised facilitator. She is so on it with sharing information!’
Hannah and Nick Duke (featured in the Oldham Networks Case Study) have provided peer support to one another. At Hannah’s first event, Nick was one of only two attendees.
Learning:
Hannah describes this first year as a steep learning curve.
“I need to find ways to better understand what people want to see and get from the network. There will likely be an array of differing opinions, but now I need more data and online feedback forms and surveys. Saying my inbox and phone are open to a conversation about it aren’t gathering the depth or quantity of responses required. My next approach is to have a workshop to reflect on the ‘pilot’ year of the network in January 2024, where we will facilitate some reflection and feedback from attendees on the different kinds of meetings and workshops we had last year, and where we would like to go next in both the shorter and longer term.”
What does success look like?
Short term: spread the word so more people are aware of the network and more people regularly attend.
Build and retain a cohort of regular members who begin to collaborate and connect outside of meetings. When they feel something is lacking in the cultural landscape of Tameside, they come together and advocate for change, and can communicate on behalf of each other collectively.
Examine the possibility of blended meetings, to make the meetings accessible for people who can’t come in person.
Sustainability – how can the network outlast me and council funding? There are lots of ways to approach this, and I would like the network itself to take a lead on the process, although I think we may be a little way off that due to current engagement and confidence levels. I would like for us to write a term of reference to solidify the network’s goals and ethos, form a basic governance framework, such as an elected general secretary and treasurer. The network (not the council) could apply for funding to support network expenses such as room and speaker hire.
“In my head I think we should adopt a community choir mode, with a semi formal structure. Ideally the network would run itself, with member donations if external funding runs out.
