10/02/2024
Dear Creative and Cultural Community we will close at 4 pm today for the last time in Prospect Centre. The centre and surrounding buildings have been sold, and we are about to be evicted again, along with all community and charity-based organisations from the corner of King Edward street all the way to Brook Street. We received 2 weeks' notice and have only a few days left to get out.
We need to find a place to go at least to tide us over, and plan a way to get our program of community support back on track as quickly as possible, and we have been working hard for the last few days to find that new location.
As The Creative & Cultural Organisation we currently house several projects that are all to be displaced with us, plus our own Community Hub, Climate Engagement Centre, HIP Gallery, group meeting space, recording studio, rehearsal room, and sustainable arts supplies store. All users of these services, please get in touch if you have any artwork, books, equipment or other items stored with us, as you will need to arrange collection. Our current exhibition “I Am Impact” must also end today, after being a great success, as celebrated in The Guardian.
We had a fabulous 30th anniversary year last year and coordinated over 100 community events across the Humber region including the graffiti retrospective exhibition Beyond Words, the fishing heritage exhibition, Humber Eco Fest, HIP (Hull Independent Photography) Festival, Humber Eco Conference and more. We grew healthy organic food in partnership with PATT Foundation, Pan Galactic & Koru in our Permaculture Garden and gave it away in the CEC for our community, and partnered with Active Humber and Hull Friends of The Earth to support cycling, skating and nature walks. Engaging approximately 60,000 people in positive community action.
By doing what we do as unfunded volunteers, we increased resilience, skills, knowledge, health and face-to-face connections for the community, celebrating those who are making a difference independently with creativity and determination for us all.
It is time to leave our 33rd shop unit and it is sad to see that five of the last six we were moved on from are still empty and have been for years now. When we find somewhere new we will let you know. The Creative & Cultural Organisation is not a building, it is a community and together we will continue creatively making a difference, one way or another.
Here's our website with contact details, where future events will be revealed: https://www.creativeandcultural.co.uk
Thank you for being part of it and continue thriving.
Alan Raw
Voluntary CEO
