Who are we?

Creative Medway acts as a body that meaningfully represents the creative sector.

We are a Cultural Compact which is a new model developed by Arts Council England to support and enable strategic partnerships between the creative and cultural sector, communities and working alongside other sectors such as Higher Education, Under 18 education, Public Health and Business to embed creative solutions to specific place-based challenges.

The current appointed and elected Creative Medway team are:

Carol Stewart (Chair), David Stokes (Vice Chair Community Engagement), Janet Fischer (Vice Chair Connectivity), Jatin Patel (Vice Chair Creative People), Jon Davis (Vice Chair Shared Ambition), Tracy Brunt and Bryony Farrant-Davis (Shared Vice Chair Spaces and Places). Medway Council Public Sector Rep - Cllr Harinder Mahil, FE/HE Education Sector Rep - Catherine Richardson, School Aged Education Sector Rep - Nancy Hirst, Health and Wellbeing Sector Rep - Kelly Webb, Business Sector Rep - Gian Chahal ,Voluntary Sector Rep - Vacant, Diverse Communities Champion - Beth James (interim), Young People Champion - Vacant

Meet the board

Find out more about some of the Creative Medway team!

Creative Medway is made up of three parts:

Credit: Loop Dance ©Jason Pay
Creative Medway Loop Dance Ports, three dancers in a row in front of a large window.

COMPACT

Creative Medway Compact is at the core of the project delivery and is the group responsible for driving the strategic ambition set out in our Cultural Strategy (2020 – 2030). It’s a strong advocate for Medway’s creative and cultural sector at a local, regional, and national level.

But what is a Compact?

Compacts are partnerships set up to promote the economic and social value of investment in the creative and cultural sector. Our Compact is one of a growing number of Cultural Compacts set-up across England that have been initially funded by Arts Council England.

 

By investing in the cultural infrastructure and creative ecosystem of a place, we stimulate its ability to attract and retain talent. Compacts can support place-based approached to develop local talent and calibrate local creative enterprises. Alongside this, small amounts of investment can open up under utilised space for cultural activities and host early stage creative ventures, creating a positive feedback effect… Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia, Independent Chair of the Culture Cities Enquiry

    • Congress

    Creative Medway Congress is a broad group open to everyone interested in creativity and culture in Medway, recognising that this is a vital tool to support the values, vision and ambition expressed in our Cultural Strategy. The Congress will convene 1-2 times a year, alongside receiving regular information and invitations to activities.

    Credit: Icon Theatre ©Roswitha Chesher
    Creative Medway Icon Theatre Rehearsal. Three young people performing, with a young man in the middle raising his fist in the air with a smile on his face.

    TASK AND FINISH GROUPS

    Task and Finish Groups are convened to plan and carry out actions agreed at Creative Congress events.  

    Our current Task and Finish Groups between October 2023 and June 2024 are focussed on:

    1. Improving messaging and media coverage for creative activities
    2. Access and inclusion – less talk more doing!
    3. Promoting useful sector and cross-sector join ups
    4. Increasing environmental sustainability across the sector

    These focuses were shaped at our annual Congress event in June 2023.  We’ll be publishing updates on our blog and social media.  

    If you have a few hours a month and skills, experience or a special interest in any of the priorities please do use our contact form to get in touch.  

    A stipend is available for anyone whose time is not covered by an organisational salary.

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    Join us at our next monthly informal meet up.

    COMING SOON

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