Arts community gets a boost in the Tees Valley with £2m council funding

A £2m Arts Council project is heading to the Tees Valley.

Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council has revealed the funding news, to see a project called ‘Borderlands’ deliver a four-year programme of community-based art projects.

The scheme will run across Middlesbrough and Redcar & Cleveland wards of Brambles and Thorntree, North Ormesby, Grangetown and South Bank.

Councillor Karen King, deputy leader of Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council, said: “This is wonderful news for Redcar and Cleveland and our partners in Middlesbrough.

“It is vital that there is opportunity for all and this funding will bring cultural projects to many people who may not otherwise experience activities which will enrich their lives.”

Schemes, like Borderlands, will help build public engagement and play a role in the Tees Valley’s 2025 City of Culture bid.

The funding has been provided by National Lottery-funded Arts Council England’s Creative People and Places initiative. This aims to increase artistic engagement in communities which have a traditionally low involvement in the arts.

Karen added: “We believe there is huge potential for developing the cultural offering across Redcar and Cleveland and working with the Arts Council over the coming years will provide an opportunity to widen participation and build on plans we have in place.”

Borderlands is a partnership of the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art and supported by the likes of Tees Valley Combined Authority, Teesside University, and Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation.

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