‘This is a place full of untapped talent and creative energy.’

An ambitious South Shields arts project is to continue thanks to a £10,000 grant.

These Streets is commissioned by The Cultural Spring which works across South Tyneside and Sunderland to increase engagement in arts and culture. The project is delivered by artist and producer Louie Ingham.

A £9,903 grant from the Belong Fund at Community Fund grant allows Louie to continue her work in Simonside and Rekendyke for another three months. The new funding, which will pay for activities at St Jude’s Church Hall in Rekendyke, is from the Community Foundation through its Belong North East Fund.

The idea is to create stories, artwork and cultured events rooted in Simonside and Rekendyke with contributions from local people.

One idea, Ride and Seek, is an audio artwork made with the Simonside Youth Centre’s Youth Voice and young adults from the two wards.

It was made with words and ideas from residents, with poetry from Tahmina Ali. The community collective also worked with sound designer Calum Howard to co-compose the music and sound with Martin Trollope at his Simonside recording studios.

Louie joked: “We’re hoping to get the track installed on the Number 18 bus.

placeholder image — “If Buses Be the Food Of Love, Hop On has been a food-based project in which we’ve worked with the Key Community Bus and a chef." | 3rd party

“If Buses Be the Food Of Love, Hop On has been a food-based project in which we’ve worked with the Key Community Bus and a chef, cooking on the top deck and co-creating a menu of food and creative workshops to feed the body and soul.

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“Meanwhile, our From Mine to Yours project has worked with Actions Stations to co-create a programme of artistic workshops which have developed residents’ creative skills.”

Louie added: “The first phase of our project has gone so well, and this new funding enables a regular weekly project at St Jude’s Church Hall in Rekendyke to be developed.

“This is a place full of untapped talent and creative energy, and we’d like to build on creative cohesion within the wards.”

As part of the project’s next phase, the These Streets community company meets at St Jude’s Church Parish Hall on Monday evenings, starting October 12.

A chef will help people create a two-course meal based on readily-available ingredients, while the rest of the group works with musicians, illustrators, writers and ceramic artists.

For more information email [email protected].