GPLD Chapter One

GPLD’s four-year journey has travelled many roads and many miles through some magnificent landscapes and creative communities. Often challenging but always rewarding it has opened lots of new doors (and gates!) and we have met some wonderful people, sharing and exploring together how we connect to the heritage and creativity of this beautiful area.

We have encouraged open conversations, nurtured relationships, incited debate and challenged mindsets, taking risks in our delivery by not using tried and tested routes but by piloting new ways of working. Our provocations, often borne through young people’s creative expressions, have inspired us to think, live and work differently.

GPLD’s ambitious programme and approaches, including the piloting of new business models; experiential learning techniques; targeted funding commissions; creative projects; digital platforms and diverse events and festivals has injected vitality, passion and fresh ideas into the rural creative industries of the Lakes and Dales. We’ve promoted the region’s culture and heritage in new and dynamic ways; engaging younger audiences, and creating and nurturing opportunities for co-design and production through new cross-sector partnerships and creative collectives. It’s helped us influence stakeholders to include young people’s needs and voices in their strategic thinking and planning, and promoted the positive effects of cultural democracy.

We have explored and constructed new ways to experience the Lakes and Dales, offering group and individual support and guidance, developing knowledge and confidence to help young people connect, create and sustain skills for future careers and wellbeing. By providing real opportunities to develop new work and shape their own practice, we continue to encourage collaborations to champion the value of creative careers for growth and recovery, promote diversity, providing digital platforms and leading on new working groups so young people are heard and represented in rural cultural communities.

These sustainable long-term relationships and networks of young creative champions are already steering GPLD’s legacy. A new energy and underground movement of young professionals and creatives is emerging and changing the way we think and live. GPLD has encouraged and initiated this thinking, helping to reimagine rural creative communities and enhancing the culture of the area through a policy of collaboration and pilots.

But this is just the start of a new narrative – the first chapter in our story of change and we are embracing our legacy and shaping our social impacts to continue this story working with our funding partners Craven District Council; South Lakeland District Council and the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District National Parks, ACE and NLHF so that through our learning and the voices of young people new chapters will unfold and the story will continue to be told.

Chapter two is already underway with planning for ‘Nurturing Creativity’ one of our new projects funded by ACE and we can’t wait to tell you all about it in the next issue!