We've long believed that Gloucestershire's charities, community groups and social enterprises are stronger working together than apart and we are delighted to share that we are one of nine VCSE organisations, alongside NHS Gloucestershire and Gloucestershire County Council, who've come together to launch the Gloucestershire Infrastructure Collaborative.

Sir Nicholas Serota went home this week with a ceramic sheep under his arm.

It's not the kind of thing you'd expect the Chair of Arts Council England, and former Director of the Tate, to leave with. But it's exactly the kind of detail that keeps drawing him back to Matson.

How do you live your values? What happens when you get it wrong?
And who gets to hold you to account? We hear from Mel our Co Director for Data, Learning & Impact.

How joined up local alliances create new opportunities in communities…this one in Gloucester with Culture Matson.

Exciting Create Local news for 2026, read on to find out more!

A brand new toolkit to help you sort your board out - so everyone on your board knows what they're doing and you've got the paperwork all sorted!

Cost: £95 (includes bonus support for Sept/Oct)

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Ready to be inspired? Discover how a pioneering group in Gloucestershire is transforming the landscape of health through collaboration. The HCT Co-lab isn't just a programme; it's about building a fairer, healthier future, together.

The HCT Co-Lab is a personal development programme all about creating the conditions in Gloucestershire for fairer health. Amy Aitkens, one of the HCT Co-lab participants, reflects on her time on the programme.

Pippa, CG’s founder and director and Naomi Draper, CEO and Artistic Director of GL4, attended the Creative Health APPG ( All Party Parliamentary Group) hosted by Stroud MP Simon Opher. Read Pippa’s key takeaways.

Create Local is Create Gloucestershire’s transformative programme that addresses the unmet demand for arts, culture, and creativity in Gloucestershire, particularly in communities that have historically received limited public funding. It connects artists with individuals who are passionate about enhancing the creative fabric of their area, and collects data to showcase the transformative impact of community creativity, paving the way for increased investment and decision-making by the local community.

Welcome to Lucy J Turner, the newest member of the CG team who is our artist in residence on the Healthy Communities Together Co-Lab programme.

Image alt-text: Co-lab participants Alan, Kia and Sophie in a lively discussion.

In Spring this year two Gloucestershire secondary schools took part in a new creative programme called ‘Create Your Future’ (CYF). It was designed by Abi Nicol, founder of Creative Communities, an arts organisation based in Cam & Dursley, supported by Create Gloucestershire and funded by NHS Gloucestershire’s Integrated Care Board.

Create Gloucestershire stands firmly against all forms of racism and discrimination and believe the diversity and creativity of our communities is to be welcomed and celebrated. As an infrastructure organisation our job is to bring people together to listen and respond to what they need.

The Art Road Trip van will in Gloucestershire from 13th - 28th July. with opportunities for people to get involved with the road trip in 4 locations around the county. No need to book, just drop in!

The first Art Road Trip events have taken place in Derry/Londonderry in Northern Ireland, kicking off a year of arts activities which will be wendign their way to Gloucestershire this Summer.

In 100 days the National Gallery will begin a year long celebration to mark bringing people and paintings together for 200 years, called NG200. And Create Gloucestershire and partners are taking part in ‘The Art Road Trip’ bringing the celebrations to communities in Gloucestershire!

Last week Culture Matson had its second visit from Sir Nicolas Serota, Chairperson of Arts Council England. The group ‘got out the good biscuits’ before sitting down and talking through the amazing journey they have been on in the last 5 years.

Pippa Jones, CG’s founder and director was speaking at the Culture, Health & Wellbeing (CHWP) Alliance Conference in Barnsley as part of a panel convened to discuss how arts organisations and the health sector can work better together.

This is the first in a 2 part series of blogs from a conversation where Pippa and Debbie look at the story of Culture Matson. In this blog they look back at how Culture Matson came about and how the group has developed.

In 2023 Culture Matson started a trial to develop a ‘Community Chest’. A community chest is a shared investment fund that supports health and wellbeing and joins up money from the NHS, local authorities, and other sources. Read how members of Culture Matson met the challenge of running a community chest to collectively decide how best to use the money for their neighbours.