Child Friendly Creative City, was launched this week at Nottingham’s Primary Parliament.
Led by ChalleNGe, Nottingham’s Local Cultural Education Partnership, the transformative new programme aims to revolutionise how children and young people aged 0-24 in Nottingham access creativity and culture.
Bringing together 22 of the city’s leading arts, educational and cross-sector community organisations with £550,000 of National Lottery Place Partnership funding from Arts Council England, the initiative will ensure more children, from all backgrounds can access creative experiences.
The innovative three-year programme is set to improve access to museums, theatre and art across the city through workshops, events and activities, strengthening existing partnerships and creating new ones. Child Friendly Creative City will amplify young voices, boost creative confidence, and expand engagement with schools and educational settings to provide greater participation for all.
Child Friendly Creative City addresses access challenges and brings together expertise across Education, SEND, Mental Health, Environment, Early intervention, Community development and Arts and Creativity via 5 key strands:
- LOUD & CLEAR – to create truly youth-led cultural experiences, including local arts festivals, youth takeovers and collaborative summer programmes offering first time creative experiences.
- CULTURAL RUCKSACK – to establish cultural entitlement across all education settings in the city, collaborating with arts organisations to build cultural capital and entitlement for all school-aged children and placing young voices at the forefront of decision making.
- CREATIVE TASKFORCE – to provide better training for artists and teachers, while supporting the ‘art of belonging pledge’ for refugee children and developing projects to reflect local heritage, languages and diversity.
- NATURE CONNECTIONS – to improve wellbeing by connecting children with nature, building on local forest school networks, Nottingham Trent University and University of Nottingham environmental research and arts-based nature projects, while linking with other Child Friendly Cities around the world.
- CHILDREN’S FUND – to create a new collective fundraising scheme for children and young people to access arts and culture, using university research to track progress and better understand what children need.
Nottingham stands as one of the UK’s most vibrant and culturally rich cities, with its creative heritage spanning from the historic lace making industry to its thriving contemporary music scene. Child Friendly Creative City is partnering with iconic cultural venues across the city, including Nottingham Playhouse, Nottingham Contemporary and the National Justice Museum, encouraging a wider group of children and young people to explore these sites, some for the first time.
The programme launches as Nottingham works toward becoming a globally recognised UNICEF Child Friendly City, reflecting the city’s significant young demographic where 48% of residents are aged 30 or under and 27% are under 19 years of age. This young, dynamic population deserves access to the best cultural experiences their city has to offer.
For Nottingham’s children and families, this means transformational change. Children will gain confidence through creative expression, develop critical thinking skills through arts engagement, and build stronger connections to their community and cultural identity. Parents will see their children flourish as barriers to museum visits, theatre trips, and creative workshops are removed, including exciting pop-up activities held at the Victoria Centre this summer.
Child Friendly Creative City builds on six years of dedicated groundwork by ChalleNGe and has already demonstrated its potential through successful pilot programmes and partnerships. Nottingham-based charity Ignite! and Nottingham City Council have run highly successful Primary Parliaments [LO1] hosted in Nottingham Council House, where pupil representatives from primary schools explore local and global issues, working alongside cultural and educational organisations to ensure their voices are heard.
In a diverse city with 42.7% BME population, the programme ensures cultural programming reflects and celebrates this heritage. This investment comes at a crucial time when financial pressures on families and arts organisations have increased, helping more people make the most of creative and cultural opportunities in the city.
Families can discover more about Child Friendly Creative City at the Positively Empowered Kids Festival 2025 on Sunday 22nd June at Nottingham Castle. This fun-filled family festival day is designed for children aged 0-16 and packed with activities to help children flourish, thrive and improve their mental health. Programme partners will be on hand to share information about upcoming opportunities and how families can get involved.
More information: https://positivelyempoweredkids.co.uk/events/
Teachers and school leaders can meet Child Friendly Creative City partners at the Creative INSET and Cultural Rucksack Afternoon on Wednesday 16th July at Nottingham Contemporary. Open to every school in the Nottingham City to book and find out more.
Cathy Mahmood, Manager at ChalleNGe said: “At its heart, Child Friendly Creative City is about recognising that every child has a right to explore their creative side and celebrate their unique cultural heritage. By taking a child rights-based approach, together with our wonderful arts and community partners, we’re not just providing creative opportunities, we’re addressing real inequalities in access.
“Our goal is to ensure young people’s voices are heard across our city’s creative landscape and to build cultural capital and creative confidence, leading to a lifelong engagement in the arts.”
Peter Knott, Midlands Area Director at Arts Council England said: “We’re thrilled to be investing £550,000 into Nottingham through our National Lottery Place Partnership programme, which encourages local cultural organisations to come together to make a long-term difference in their area.
“All children should have access to the inspiration and joy that culture and creativity bring. This project will do just that. By putting children and young people at the heart of decision making, they will build confidence, pride in the place that they live and new skills that will benefit them for life. It will mark a real step change, helping more people to experience, connect and take part in creativity and culture on their own doorsteps.”
Nick Lee, Director of Education Services, Nottingham City Council said: “This is a timely moment for all schools to consider afresh their arts and creativity offer to pupils and communities. We will work with ChalleNGe to fulfil this ambitious mission and enable children and young people to thrive and belong in Nottingham, a city which values them and their influence on its rich arts and cultural resources”
Onab, Year 10 student, Junior Leadership Team, Nottingham Academy, Greenwood Academies Trust said: “Arts and creativity are important to us because they help develop skills and imagination. You can find out things about yourself that you didn’t know before; you never know what you might be good at if you never have the chance to try new things.”
Cassie Bradley, Nottingham-born actor said: “All young people regardless of education, class or background deserve support and cultural experience to develop their passions and talents. I’m excited that Child Friendly Creative City provides these necessary experiences and with it, the potential for wider, diverse views to take centre stage in our creative industry. I wouldn’t be an actor without schemes like these, they are fundamental in ensuring every child has the opportunity to thrive.”
Wayne Norrie, OBE and CEO Greenwood Academies Trust said: “The arts and creativity are cornerstones of the personal development and aspiration of all our pupils. The work of ChalleNGe and their arts partners has never been more vital to ensure all children can exercise their right to self-expression and nurture their talent and have the chance to impact the cultural and creative life of the City and beyond.”