Tees Valley creative sector keen to deliver greater cultural impact

The Tees Valley creative arts sector is resilient and thriving with ambitions to deliver greater cultural and social impact across the region, a new report has found.

Commissioned by the Teesside University-led initiative, Creative Fuse Tees Valley, the independent report has found that small and medium-sized (SME) organisations in the cultural industries were keen to access more support and develop networks to enable them to survive and grow.

The report also highlights the important role of initiatives such as Creative Fuse Tees Valley in helping creative professionals develop the skills and expertise to grow their business.

The report was prepared by Counterculture LLP, a legal practice which provides strategic, business and legal advice to help cultural, educational and creative organisations plan, manage and thrive.

More than 40 arts organisations across the Tees Valley were interviewed for the report in order to find new ways to encourage cross-sector collaboration and identify opportunities to enhance and diversify products and services.

While the Tees Valley was generally seen as a supportive and forward-thinking area for creative professionals to practice, with an appetite for greater collaboration, the report highlighted the need for more facilities and venues for creative SMEs.

There was also a call for a better understanding of what the creative sector can achieve and greater funding for people and organisations operating within it.

Led by Teesside University, Creative Fuse Tees Valley helps SMEs and freelancers in the creative, cultural, heritage and digital industries to innovate and grow.

The project is a strand of the ERDF* funded, DigitalCity initiative, and part of the unique Creative Fuse North East partnership between the North East's five universities (Teesside, Newcastle, Durham, Northumbria and Sunderland).

With multiple industry partners and several strands of activity, Creative Fuse Tees Valley delivers comprehensive support and advice to cultural and creative organisation based in the Tees Valley.

Wendy Parvin, Business Development Manager for Creative Fuse Tees Valley, said: “We are delighted to see that the region’s creative sector is continuing to thrive after the pandemic.

“This report has helped validate the work that we have been doing to support it and help it grow.

“Perhaps the most exciting thing to come out of the report is a much deeper understanding of what growth and success means to many people involved in the creative sector.

“For the majority of those interviewed, growth is not purely about the size of the organisation or the amount of money they are making, it is about the impact they are having on people’s lives and on society.”

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