News: £1m arts funding secured for Rotherham

Flux Rotherham has been awarded £1m by the Arts Council to deliver more grassroots-led cultural experiences.

Having secured £2m in 2019, Flux has been part of the Creative People and Places programme and co-creates community art projects and events across the borough.

The latest funding will cover the next three years of the programme that aims to bring together community, grassroots and cultural organisations as partners to take the lead in choosing, creating and taking part in creative and cultural activities. They empower local people to pursue the art they want, where they live.

Helen Jones, Programme Director at Flux Rotherham, said: "At Flux Rotherham, we’re aiming to craft programmes and approaches where art is within everyone’s reach. Deeply rooted in Rotherham’s community spirit, we’re using the power of the arts to co-create a cultural movement that celebrates diversity, nurtures personal growth, and builds lasting connections between people.

"I want to say a huge thank you to our communities, partners, artists, Community Steering Panel, and consortium for their creativity and generosity. Their collaboration and commitment make everything we do possible, and we’re looking forward to continuing the journey and shaping something truly special for Rotherham over the next three years."

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Flux has been involved with town centre events such as the Museum of the Moon and the Otherham light festival, the WE Wonder Festival at Wentworth Woodhouse and exhibitions at Clifton Park Museum, as well as being key attendees at the Rotherham Show.

The funding is made possible thanks to National Lottery players. Every National Lottery ticket purchased generates money for good causes and enables people in villages, towns, and cities up and down the country to get access to cultural experiences where they live.

Auriel Majumdar, Independent Chairperson at Flux Rotherham, said: "This is brilliant news for Rotherham. Over the last three years we’ve seen incredible creativity from people of all ages and backgrounds, and this new investment means we can continue to make culture part of everyday life across our communities.”

Rebecca Ball, Area Director, North, Arts Council England, added: “The Creative People and Places programme empowers our communities across the North to design and shape the cultural offer on their doorstep. Since 2012 we have seen the transformative impact of these projects on the people and places. I’m so happy that we are able to continue to fund this remarkable programme and I am delighted that from 2026 we will be welcoming four new projects in the North to the programme.

"I can’t wait to see how this investment will continue to inspire and engage. This programme would not be possible without the support of all the people who play the National Lottery, as it is thanks to them that we are able to fund this life changing work.”

Flux Rotherham website

Images: Flux Rotherham

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News: Rotherham reveals programme highlights for Children’s Capital of Culture 2025

A festival of stories, an open-air art gallery, and a retelling of the Magic Flute to create Rotherham's first opera are highlights of Rotherham’s landmark year as Children’s Capital of Culture in 2025.

The first season of the year-long programme will include large-scale events, workshops, classes and a few surprises along the way. Marking Rotherham’s tenure as the world’s first Capital of Culture, the year kicks off with Otherham Winter Festival, a free, world-class cultural experience in the heart of Rotherham town centre. February will see the return of youth music festival, Signals, while March will culminate in Roots: Rotherham Street Carnival, a parade filled with celebrations across the borough.

At a preview event before Christmas, leaders of the project took to the stage to make a series of announcements for 2025, including a new £1.12m investment from Arts Council England, adding to a £1m investment from South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority received earlier this year. There will also be a further commitment to employing and nurturing young creative talent in the borough.

Cllr. David Sheppard, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion and Neighbourhood Working at Rotherham Council, said: “This is a special moment for Rotherham and its young people. We have collaborated with children and young people from across the borough over the last five years, supporting and championing their talents and creativity and we couldn’t be prouder of the programme of events, festivals, activities, classes and experiences we’ve created together.”

Other festival year highlights announced included collaborations with the Royal Horticultural Society, National Gallery and Royal Ballet & Opera House, as well as Gallery Town, a reimagined outdoor art gallery from Flux Rotherham; House of Fun, a mischievous interruption at Wentworth Woodhouse’s historic mansion; a youth literature festival led by Grimm & Co; a touring film programme with Sheffield DocFest; a pop-up 3-day skate park, roller rink and parkour course; and a borough-wide urban sports celebration, which will include a baton relay across all 130+ schools in Rotherham.



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Grace Bower, 19 from Whiston, is one of the young people steering the festival year. She added: “There’ll be events all year round, designed by young people, like me, for the whole town to enjoy. I’m on the Youth Programming Panel, where young changemakers from across the borough collaborate and ensure our plans speak to the community. We’re buzzing to be shaping the future of Rotherham! 2025 isn’t just about one epic year - it’s about creating something that lasts and showing Rotherham’s young people that this town is full of possibilities. It’s about time we showed the world what Rotherham can do.”

Alongside the events and activities, the year will be supported by an extensive school Creative Learning programme, which will enable every child in the borough to take part. And this month, another six trainee spots are being opened up in the Children’s Capital of Culture employment programme, which gives young people aged 16-25 the chance to work in South Yorkshire’s creative industries, with more job opportunities for young people to be announced across the rest of 2025. Alumni of the traineeship programme have gone on to secure jobs at Netflix and Channel 4.

Rothbiz reported last year that £4.2m is set to be spent on the Children’s Capital of Culture Festival Programme. It is estimated that it will attract external funding in the region of £13.9m.

Rotherham announced its journey to become the world’s first Children’s Capital of Culture back in 2022. Since then, it has engaged over 260,000 people in youth-led activities, and employed 112 young people in creative industry traineeships.

Sarah Christie, Programme Manager for Children’s Capital of Culture, said at the event: “Children’s Capital of Culture is a reality because of Rotherham’s visionary children and young people, and a group of partners and funders who got behind their ambition.

“2025 is going to be packed full of colourful, creative events that celebrate Rotherham’s identity through the fresh ideas of our young people - but it’s not just a year-long festival. All our activities have the aim of developing children and young people’s skills, aspirations and future opportunities, improving their mental and physical health, and enabling them to feel prouder than ever of where they’re from – our wonderful borough of Rotherham.”

Rotherham Children’s Capital of Culture website

Images: Rotherham CCoC / James Mulkeen

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News: Art group to reimagine Rotherham town centre

A free festival in Rotherham town centre will feature a captivating trail of projection installations. It follows on from last year's popular Museum of The Moon event.

As part of the year-long celebration of the borough becoming the world’s first Children’s Capital of Culture, Rotherham will host a free Winter Festival from Friday 24th to Sunday 26th January 2025.

The government-funded programme, Flux Rotherham, which is boosting involvement in creativity and culture in the borough, has announced a unique collaboration with the renowned theatre company, imitating the dog. Chosen by Children’s Capital of Culture’s Youth Programming Panel, they have a key role in helping programme the year-long festival.

The vision is to imagine a place where nothing is quite as it seems; where the imaginations of young people have transformed the town, giving it an otherworldly twist. This is “Otherham,” a magical town where stone walls might open portals to new worlds, where you can order the weather with your coffee, and where kindness is delivered by fluttering butterflies. It’s both familiar and fantastical, a reimagined Rotherham that invites you to see the town through a new lens.

Flux Rotherham Programme Director Helen Jones said: “Last year over 10,000 people visited Rotherham Minster during the Winter Festival to visit The Museum of The Moon, which was amazing. But what people told us was they wanted a wider winter festival with more activity across the town, which is designed especially for Rotherham.

“This festival responds to that wish, and with imitating the dog and Grimm & Co. on board, plus the incredible imaginations of Rotherham’s children and young people, we hope to create a free, world-class cultural experience right in the heart of our town.“

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Simon Wainwright, co-Artistic Director at imitating the dog, added: ”We can’t wait to create Otherham for Rotherham’s Winter Festival. It’s a project we dreamed up after an inspirational visit to the town centre and Grimm & Co’s wonderful storytelling emporium; a visit which truly sparked our imaginations and formed the idea to let the city’s young people dream up a magical, unpredictable and out-of-step world. Who knows what we’ll end up creating but that’s the most exciting part – what stories could these buildings contain?”

Flux Rotherham has also confirmed that it will take over Gallery Town, an ambitious project driven by local businesses in 2012 to create the largest open-air Art Gallery in the UK.

It mainly focussed on sharing reproductions of art on buildings across the town centre by schoolchildren, students, local artists and internationally renowned masters. In more recent years, Gallery Town has created the large-scale Camellia Sculpture in All Saints' Square with support from Arts Council project funding.

Many of the original artworks are now deteriorating and need a refresh to contribute to the overall regeneration and visitor experience in the town centre.

New artworks are proposed for new sites such as Forge Island, along the riverbank development and around/within the new markets area.

A post from Flux Rotherham said: "We’ll focus on the creation of art locally led by professional high-quality artists- this would involve children and young people and adults in the community.

"The artworks would reflect a broader range of artistic output including words, digital and 3 dimensional. Collectively we’d look at Gallery Town as a curated evolving mix of murals, sculpture, wall based and other playful public artworks."

Flux Rotherham website

Images: imitating the dog

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News: Plans approved for new artwork in Rotherham town centre

Planners at Rotherham Council have approved plans for an eight metre high sculpture in Rotherham town centre but admit that it "may not be to everyone’s taste."

Camellia is a ground-breaking new artwork developed by internationally acclaimed sculptor James Capper. Commissioned by Gallery Town and jointly funded by Arts Council England and local businesses, Camellia is a moving sculpture which will feature petals that react to the movement of light.

The work was inspired by the camellia flowers brought to Wentworth Woodhouse in the eighteenth century, some of the oldest varieties known to exist in the UK.

Permission has been secured for the pedestrianised area of the town centre on College Street immediately adjacent to All Saint’s Square. Temporary permission is granted for three years and it is intended to site the sculpture permanently on the nearby Forge Island leisure development which is currently under construction.

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A planner's report approving the application, reads: "It is considered that the sculpture raises no issues with regards to the amenity of neighbouring occupiers or highway safety, the only material planning consideration would be visual impact.

"The location is highly sensitive in conservation terms being immediately adjacent to the Grade I Listed Rotherham Minster. However, the sculpture will clearly be read as a piece of public art and would be sited in this location on a temporary basis.

"The appearance of the artwork is subjective and may not be to every one’s taste. However, it is not a building, or a permanent structure and it is considered that it is acceptable in design terms to be sited in this location on a temporary basis. It is therefore considered that the sculpture would not harm the setting of the Grade I Listed Rotherham Minster or the Town Centre Conservation Area and would help to add visual interest to this part of the town centre."

Launched in 2011, Gallery Town’s mission is to rejuvenate and celebrate Rotherham’s cultural history by using art to encourage, inspire and offer opportunities to explore our local community. Since its inception, the project has successfully displayed more than 100 works of art, which can be found in more than 60 locations across Rotherham’s town centre.

Gallery Town website

Images: Gallery Town

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News: Funding boost for Rotherham's art and culture sector

Organisations bringing creativity and culture to Rotherham have secured a funding boost from Arts Council England.

The national organisation that champions and develops art and culture across the country has revealed details of its new national portfolio of funded organisations for 2023-26.

In Rotherham, literacy charity, Grimm & Co has extended its status as a “National Portfolio Organisation” for another three years, with £247,116 per year up to 2026.

ROAR (Rotherham Open Arts Renaissance) is also continuing as a portfolio organisation and has secured £71,735 annually for the same period, while Rotherham Museums, Arts and Heritage has been awarded £250,000 per year and joins the portfolio for the first time.

Grimm & Co, which is currently working on new premises in Rotherham town centre, said that the support provides core funding, critical support, partnership and much more for the next three years. It should enable them to maintain, develop and grow its programmes with children, young people and families across Yorkshire and the Humber.

This funding will support the core of the organisation which will enable the delivery of arts-based creative programmes provided to young people aged 0-18, from early years story-based sensory play to community outreach workshops to Arts Award training with older teenagers, and more recently, teachers’ creative delivery activities and programmes.

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Founding Director, Deborah Bullivant, said: "Grimm & Co have been fortunate to secure National Portfolio status and core funding for four years and this has enabled us to plan, develop and deliver an exciting and innovative programme for communities. We are overjoyed to hear that our recent application is successful, securing our core at a pivotal time for this charity, hurtling towards opening our new, enchanting story destination in 2023."

Chair of the Board, Sarah Dunwell, said: “We are elated to hear that our application to the Arts Council was successful. This enables us to continue to build our programmes, reach and engage communities and to secure our presence as the region’s one and only Emporium of Stories in Rotherham town centre at such a critical time for us.”

ROAR, which is also based in the town centre, said that the new funding "enables us to develop and deliver our unique programme of innovative and inclusive grass roots projects, transforming the town’s unique cultural life through creative practice."

Rotherham Council's Museums, Arts and Heritage service said that the funding "will enable us to continue our work using our collections, venues and spaces to engage with communities across Rotherham."

Arts Council England Chair, Sir Nicholas Serota, said: “As well as continuing our commitment to our many established and renowned cultural organisations, I am deeply proud of the support we will be giving to those new organisations which will help ignite creativity across the country. We are facing economic pressures at present but this funding is about an investment in our future. This portfolio will support the next generation of visionary inventors, makers, performers and artists. In particular, the growth of our funding for organisations that support and develop work for children represents a profoundly important long-term investment in our country’s talent.”

Grimm & Co website
ROAR website

Images: Grimm & Co

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News: Rotherham theatre prepares for reopening night

There has been a change of scenery at Rotherham Civic Theatre as a £200,000 revamp enters its final act.

Rotherham Civic Theatre has not traded since March 2020 due to Covid restrictions and is set to reopen in September.

Operators, Rotherham Council took the difficult decision to close the facility for the entire financial year but secured financial backing from the Government's £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund. £55,272 from the second round adds to the £131,644 secured from the first round of the Arts Council England administered fund.

The Council contracted Pacy & Wheatley Ltd on a £227,856.54 tender to carry out a refurbishment of the front of house and bar areas at the building on Catherine Street in the town centre.

Accommodating a range of touring and local musical, comedy and theatrical performances, the converted church was purchased by the Council prior to being converted into a theatre in 1960.

Jo Longwith, manager at Rotherham Theatres, said: "We took the opportunity to get work done with the intention that we were going to reopen as soon as we could. That kept moving further and further away and in the end we decided to take the opportunity to try and open in September of 2021 hoping that all restrictions are then lifted, but in that time, hope that we could get some work done in order to welcome the audiences back."

Damien Gwatkin, operations manager at the Civic, added: "It will help us and it will help the customers because the customers will have a better visitor experience. They’ll come in, they’ll see that there’s less queuing, there’s more open spaces, it’s more inviting. It will be easier for us. In a busy interval you’ve got 15 minute turn around, you’ve go to serve 356 people. Hopefully the changes that we have made will expedite that and everybody gets served in enough time, everybody gets some drinks and it’s just a more welcoming space."

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Local singer and songwriter, Lauren Housley, is the first scheduled show in September. Lauren, said: "I am completely buzzing to announce that I will be playing an actual LIVE live show in my hometown. We are playing the official re-launch of the Rotherham Civic Theatre and their first show since March 2020.

"[Recently released album] Girl From The North was written and recorded in our studio in Rotherham town centre, just five minutes walk from the theatre, so it feels like a full circle coming back and playing this album in this theatre with the full band! I think we all need this after the year we’ve had."

The revamp also gives operators more flexibility around what the building can host in the future. Leanne Buchan, head of creative partnerships and engagement at Rotherham Council, said: "I think this was about opening up the spaces and being more flexible so we’ve got 356 seats auditorium, and that’s brilliant, but it means that we can only take certain shows of a certain scale.

"The spaces that we’ve created in the bar and the new kind of performance area in the coffee shop mean that we’ve just got that bit of flexibility. So the one in the coffee shop is sort of 30 to 35 audience size and it’s a really flexible space you can show films on there. You can do puppet shows on there.

"It opens up the opportunity to do schools programmes that we’ve not really had before outside of panto and the one in the bar is a much more flexible and informal space so we can do things like comedy nights in there. We can do open mike nights in there. So on those nights when we don’t have a show in the auditorium it means that we can still have activities happening in the theatre."

Rotherham Theatres website

Images: Rotherham Theatres

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News: Grimm & Co secures Arts Council funding for expansion plans

Rotherham literacy charity, Grimm & Co has been awarded almost half a million pounds to support its plans for new larger premises in the town centre.

Currently based in a former pub in the town centre the Apothecary to the Magical sells wild schemes, evil plots, charms, curses and kitchenware. Above the shop, the charity runs innovative workshops for children in the local area, to unleash their imaginations and build confidence, self-respect and communication skills.

Rothbiz reported in September that proposals were approved that would enable the charity to expand into the former Talbot Lane Methodist Church.

The unique gift shop from Grimm & Co's current home will be recreated within a new huge story destination for families, including an independent bookshop and café with magical and mortal menu options. Three new classrooms created will provide the opportunity to reach more schools and children.

Deborah Bullivant CEO of Grimm & Co, said: "We are booked months in advance for our storymaking sessions, and at the moment, we cannot meet that demand.  This magnificent building will allow us to deliver workshops to three school classes at a time, with far more scope to reach children and young people across the county and beyond.  These are very exciting times and we can’t wait to show everyone our plans for the building.  They are stratospheric!"

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Grimm & Co have been awarded £499,999 in funding, allowing Grimm & Co to purchase the church building which closed earlier this year due to dwindling congregation numbers.

The renovations will allow Grimm & Co to increase their earned income and strengthen their financial position, making the charity less reliant on public funds.

Cllr. Chris Read, Leader of Rotherham Council, said: "Grimm & Co provides a wonderful environment to nurture the imaginations and the writing skills of children in the heart of Rotherham, helping to grow the hearts and minds of our young people. This investment will make a massive difference to a much-loved and well renowned Rotherham institution."

Chair of the board, Sarah Dunwell said “I am delighted that our charity can now forge ahead with our exciting plans for this wonderful, magical and rather large, story destination for this region’s families!”

Grimm & Co are working with their design team, Side by Side, architects Halliday and Clark and range of other agencies to realise the plans.

The aim is to have a grand opening in October 2020.

Arts Council England is the national development body for arts and culture across England, working to enrich people’s lives. We support a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to visual art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2018 and 2022, we will invest £1.45 billion of public money from government and an estimated £860 million from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country.

Grimm & Co website

Images: Grimm & Co

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