Resources on culture, community and creativity from our partners

Read the latest report on volunteering in Gloucestershire. It summarises a countywide engagement programme, led by voluntary, community, health and care organisations working together, which involved several thousand local people, groups and organisations in improving the volunteering experience.

Whether you’re managing volunteers, planning a volunteer programme or just want to understand the picture better, the right evidence and guidance can make a real difference. We’ve gathered reports, toolkits and good practice guides on volunteering, from the NCVO’s Time Well Spent research and a toolkit for small and medium-sized arts groups, to guidance on age-friendly and inclusive volunteering, and the latest report on volunteering in Gloucestershire.

Great organisations and useful resources

Below are some of the useful links to find out more about the routes and pathways into this sector.

An interactive Nature Recovery Network map for Gloucestershire, with a citizen science programme that lets people map and monitor the county's habitats.

A website showcasing Stroud District's green economy, innovation and the businesses and projects already based there.

Nature based practice and simple craft activities to support physical health and mental wellbeing.

A place offering high-quality, innovative creative opportunities for the arts and cultural sector, connecting them with global thinkers in sustainability and wellbeing.

A hybrid online and physical hub connecting people to community initiatives that tackle climate change, fight social inequality and build a sustainable future for Cheltenham.

The Regeneration Repair Cafe: bring broken small electricals, textiles and knives, and pick up repair skills from the volunteers.

A family-owned vintage store on Albion Street, Cheltenham, selling vintage clothes including reworked and screen printed garments.

A gallery and shop with a plant-based café at 197 London Road, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, combining sustainability with community and creativity.

Craft and sewing workshops that recycle old clothes and repurpose fabric scraps, run by Trudi Price.

A free seasonal companion for artists, independent creatives, community practitioners and producers, gathering toolkits, templates, wellbeing practices and case studies.

A self-paced programme with carbon literacy training and a peer network, helping board members prioritise environmental goals in governance.

Artworks by artists and scientists that use data drawn from nature as an art material, plus a taxonomy for describing data as art.

Redesigning online culture for a zero carbon web by applying sustainable design principles to digital, cutting the carbon footprint of their first website conversion by 82%.

A slower, quieter and more intimate form of activism that uses handicrafts to encourage critical thinking and compassionate correspondence with power-holders.

An initiative by theatre-makers to move theatre towards sustainability, with three volumes covering productions, buildings and operations.

A mass participation art project building a solar power station across the rooftops of North East London through a grassroots Green New Deal.

An annual festival using workshops, exhibitions and performances to give families the confidence to create on a budget and to advance public awareness of sustainable living.

Kate Raworth's Doughnut of social and planetary boundaries: a compass for meeting the needs of all within the means of the planet.

The UK State of the Sector Survey was conducted between February and April 2023, to help understand more about the creative health sector in the UK. It was conducted as a collaboration between CHWA; the Wales Arts, Health & Wellbeing Network; Arts Health & Wellbeing Scotland; and Arts Care (Northern Ireland). 

At Barnwood’s Annual Public Meetings in November 2021, over 50 participants came prepared to discuss the following in small groups:

• What Small changes would they like to see happen in Gloucestershire, maybe in a specific area, or requiring a small amount of money?

Read a new briefing produced by Julie’s Bicycle, which draws on new data, insights and case studies of good practice to help you navigate environmental impacts and opportunities in the emerging digital landscape - covering: Environmental considerations and digital technology’s carbon footprint / Data and projections for energy use in the digital industry / Good practice case studies from artists and organisations / Recommendations for planning and measuring impact.

While talent and creativity can be found everywhere, access to the money, markets and networks needed to succeed cannot. The result is lost opportunities for individuals and communities as well as a cost to the national economy.