‘Creative Pathways in the Shire’ was planned as a two-year project, funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) through the Volunteering Futures programme run by Arts Council England (ACE). It was managed and led by the ACE National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) Ledbury Poetry Festival, working with the Herefordshire Cultural Partnership.
The aim of Creative Pathways was to introduce between 60 and 120 volunteers, particularly young people and those who face barriers, to digital, micro and hybrid volunteering opportunities across Herefordshire’s cultural organisations, to provide them with transferable skills and to create change in the cultural organisations involved.
Since the Covid pandemic, the number of people volunteering had decreased and this project intended to address this. It aimed to improve the ability of organisations to recruit a broader range of volunteers and, in particular, to provide skills and opportunities for Herefordshire’s young people.
As the project grew the objectives expanded to include two further projects called Young Reviewers in The Shire and Work in Culture, as well as offering 1:1 mentoring.
Young Reviewers in the Shire offered people aged between 16-30, living in or near Herefordshire the opportunity to learn how to write arts, culture and heritage reviews by providing free tickets and mentoring.
Our Young Reviewers attended events at Borderlines Film Festival, Ledbury Poetry Festival, Royal Shakespeare Company, The Market Theatre, Malvern Theatres, The Courtyard Theatre and the National Trust.
Work in Culture offered training, mentoring and opportunities for people looking to get experience working in the arts, culture and heritage sectors.
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