In a leafy corner of Willenhall Memorial Park, something quietly powerful has been growing. What began as a casual conversation during a walk through Fibbersley Nature Reserve has blossomed into a vibrant writing group rooted in creativity, community and connection to place.

Behind every great community project is a creative adviser - someone who brings expertise, fresh ideas and the confidence to make things happen. At Creative Black Country, we believe that supporting community groups with creative guidance leads to stronger, more impactful projects.

Creative Communities PODCAST: In Wolverhampton with Simon Suphandgali

Creative Communities PODCAST: In Sandwell with Stourbridge-based artist Ruth Turnball and Robert Bruce, CEO of the Dorothy Parkes Centre in Smethwick.

Creative Communities special series - PART 04: SANDWELL

Creative Communities special series - PART 03: WOLVERHAMPTON

CBC Creative Advisor Laura chats to illustrator Roots who supported the Friends of Abbey Street Park to design and paint a mural to brighten up a wall and celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

Creative Communities special series - PART 02: DUDLEY

Creative Communities special series - PART 01: WALSALL

CBC Creative Advisor Laura chats to David who shares how he collaborated with the team at the Creative Factory and how they set up a writing group.

This month we have relaunched our Creative Communities strand of support where communities are invited to try out something new; for example craft skills, setting up a choir, or starting a garden gallery with your neighbours. You can also use the support to ‘go and see’ something like a theatre show or visit a museum or gallery.

Imaginative sculptural birdhouses tell stories of migration to Birmingham and the Black Country.

Inspiring young people to work in the creative industries with ‘Creative Confidence Sessions’ Stourbridge Jobcentre was selected to become part of CBC’s Creative Communities programme in 2020 as part of the organisation’s new programme in Dudley.

U Island CIC and West Midlands based arts organisation Juneau Projects, have been working with families and individuals originally from Russia, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and the UK to create imaginative sculptural birdhouses that tell their stories of migration to the Black Country and their sense of home.

The team at Paycare, a Health Cash Plan and Wellbeing Training provider based in the heart of Wolverhampton, has donated £20,000 to Creative Black Country to help us to support 17 projects as part of ‘Creative Connections’ - our strand of work aimed at bringing joy to communities during the pandemic.

During 2020 CBC’s Creative Advisor for Sandwell, Richard, worked with Bally from the Sandwell Asian Mental Health Group to put together a calendar of positivity. With a tough year getting used to lockdowns and social distancing the members of the group worked in new ways online and via the phone to design and produce these positive messages to take us through the year ahead.

Join Creative Black Country on MONDAY 6th April at 4pm via ZOOM to chat, ask questions and find our more about submitting your idea to our Creative Communities Commissions.

Following announcements by the UK Government asking the population for increased social distancing, we would like to update you with our plans for the upcoming weeks.

This month CBC are heading to Smethwick to talk all things Creative Communities. We’ll be basing ourselves at the lovely Thimblemill Library for the afternoon to talk about our work in The Black Country, hear more about what you’re up to, see how we can connect and hear short Pecha Kucha 20x20 style presentations from some of our former supported groups and partners.

Laura Dicken is a photographer who works mainly in social documentary, and a Creative Producer. She mostly works with those who do not engage with, or are least likely to be involved with the arts for example, the homeless. She is also an Arts Advisor for Creative Black Country.