About Us
We want to ensure Redbridge is a place where people feel welcome, celebrated, and safe – bringing joy, community cohesion, and a better quality of life at a time when we all need it most. All for free, and all led by the community.
Colours of Redbridge is part of Creative People and Places (CPP), a national programme from Arts Council England, where local people decide what culture happens in their area.
Our Consortium Members
Colours of Redbridge is led by a group of organisations who work closely with local communities.
Our Timeline
Colours of Redbridge begins! Initially called Creative Redbridge, the programme is led by a Consortium (or group of organisations) made up of Community Action Redbridge (formerly Redbridge CVS), Friends of Loxford, Ilford Business Improvement District, Muslimah Sports Association, SPACE Studios, and the lead member Vision Redbridge Culture and Leisure. The programme receives just under £1m of funding from Arts Council England as part of their Creative People and Places initiative, one of the biggest artistic investments in the region.
Colours of Redbridge begins! Initially called Creative Redbridge, the programme is led by a Consortium (or group of organisations) made up of Community Action Redbridge (formerly Redbridge CVS), Friends of Loxford, Ilford Business Improvement District, Muslimah Sports Association, SPACE Studios, and the lead member Vision Redbridge Culture and Leisure. The programme receives just under £1m of funding from Arts Council England as part of their Creative People and Places initiative, one of the biggest artistic investments in the region.
Zainab Rehman is the winner of the Redbridge Design Challenge. Open to young people in the area, we launched a competition to come up with a name, logo and branding for the programme. Her winning design included the name ‘Colours of Redbridge’, distinctive illustrations, colour palette reflecting identity of the region and overall inclusive and celebratory tone. She since went on to get a job as a professional graphic designer. https://www.zainabrehman.co.uk/projects/coloursofredbridge
Zainab Rehman is the winner of the Redbridge Design Challenge. Open to young people in the area, we launched a competition to come up with a name, logo and branding for the programme. Her winning design included the name ‘Colours of Redbridge’, distinctive illustrations, colour palette reflecting identity of the region and overall inclusive and celebratory tone. She since went on to get a job as a professional graphic designer. https://www.zainabrehman.co.uk/projects/coloursofredbridge
We launch our ‘listening’ phase of the programme, speaking to over 1,000 local people in Redbridge to find out what they are interested in and what their priorities for the area are. Local artists, including Sadia Ur-Rehman and Rachana Vaja ran creative workshops to uncover people’s stories and create a comprehensive picture of what people in Redbridge actually want. The findings were published in an ‘Insights Report’ and formed the backbone of the rest of the programme.
We launch our ‘listening’ phase of the programme, speaking to over 1,000 local people in Redbridge to find out what they are interested in and what their priorities for the area are. Local artists, including Sadia Ur-Rehman and Rachana Vaja ran creative workshops to uncover people’s stories and create a comprehensive picture of what people in Redbridge actually want. The findings were published in an ‘Insights Report’ and formed the backbone of the rest of the programme.
We launch our We Can Create projects. Through an open application process, local community groups could apply for funding and support to develop their own creative projects. These ranged from a nature-based memory café for people with dementia to a published book of stories and culture from local women. All of the groups were new to arts and culture projects, and we also provided support to help them fundraise and continue their projects in the future.
We launch our We Can Create projects. Through an open application process, local community groups could apply for funding and support to develop their own creative projects. These ranged from a nature-based memory café for people with dementia to a published book of stories and culture from local women. All of the groups were new to arts and culture projects, and we also provided support to help them fundraise and continue their projects in the future.
We recruit our first set of Community Producers – local community members who help to turn the insights from the listening phase into actual projects that are delivered within their community. We ensure that the group are representative of a range of local voices from underrepresented groups in Redbridge. They turn out to be the absolute core of our programme and our biggest asset.
We recruit our first set of Community Producers – local community members who help to turn the insights from the listening phase into actual projects that are delivered within their community. We ensure that the group are representative of a range of local voices from underrepresented groups in Redbridge. They turn out to be the absolute core of our programme and our biggest asset.
We launch our Test Projects, developed by our group of Community Producers, and supported by artists from the Here We Share sessions. We produced nine projects in total, three in each priority area (Ilford/Loxford, Hainault/Fullwell Cross and across Redbridge to support people with barriers to access our projects). The projects included a lantern parade, new mural about the past and future of the area, and a languages café. These were experienced by over 50,000 people, and our Dance For Fitness project is visited by Wes Streeting MP, and Strictly starts Angela Rippon and Kai Widdrington.
We launch our Test Projects, developed by our group of Community Producers, and supported by artists from the Here We Share sessions. We produced nine projects in total, three in each priority area (Ilford/Loxford, Hainault/Fullwell Cross and across Redbridge to support people with barriers to access our projects). The projects included a lantern parade, new mural about the past and future of the area, and a languages café. These were experienced by over 50,000 people, and our Dance For Fitness project is visited by Wes Streeting MP, and Strictly starts Angela Rippon and Kai Widdrington.
We launch our Digital programme, aimed at 16 to 25 year olds in Redbridge. This is run by a group of dedicated Future Producers, also in the same age bracket. They design a programme of workshops based on audio design, including podcasting and soundscaping. They host a showcase at SPACE Studios in Ilford with DJing, audio workshops and algoraving (creating music and visuals in real-time by live-coding algorithms).
We launch our Digital programme, aimed at 16 to 25 year olds in Redbridge. This is run by a group of dedicated Future Producers, also in the same age bracket. They design a programme of workshops based on audio design, including podcasting and soundscaping. They host a showcase at SPACE Studios in Ilford with DJing, audio workshops and algoraving (creating music and visuals in real-time by live-coding algorithms).
We launch a new creative showcase in Redbridge called Rediscover Redbridge. The showcase is held at the Town Hall and features 30 organisations showcasing the work they do. Over 1,000 people come to the first event to learn about the different activities they can take part in, and to try something new. This is a way for us to help people know about all the different activities happening in Redbridge, many of which are free or low cost.
We launch a new creative showcase in Redbridge called Rediscover Redbridge. The showcase is held at the Town Hall and features 30 organisations showcasing the work they do. Over 1,000 people come to the first event to learn about the different activities they can take part in, and to try something new. This is a way for us to help people know about all the different activities happening in Redbridge, many of which are free or low cost.
We launch the Other Worlds programme, our three main artistic commissions that were developed by the Community Producers following the Test Projects. These projects are a disability-led street parade featuring the co-founder of STOMP, an immersive dining experience held at sunset on the rooftop of the Exchange shopping centre, and the world’s first electric Truck Art Truck which toured across north of the borough. We, once again, reach audiences of over 50,000 people and gain multiple news articles.
We launch the Other Worlds programme, our three main artistic commissions that were developed by the Community Producers following the Test Projects. These projects are a disability-led street parade featuring the co-founder of STOMP, an immersive dining experience held at sunset on the rooftop of the Exchange shopping centre, and the world’s first electric Truck Art Truck which toured across north of the borough. We, once again, reach audiences of over 50,000 people and gain multiple news articles.
We receive news that we have been successful in securing £1m of funding from Arts Council England to continue the programme for another three years. Ekota Academy and Age UK join the programme Consortium to help engage schools/youth groups and older people in the area. We celebrate at the Ilford and Redbridge Business Awards where we with the award for Social Value.
We receive news that we have been successful in securing £1m of funding from Arts Council England to continue the programme for another three years. Ekota Academy and Age UK join the programme Consortium to help engage schools/youth groups and older people in the area. We celebrate at the Ilford and Redbridge Business Awards where we with the award for Social Value.
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Our Values
We will listen, and try to understand people’s lived experiences. This will help to make our activities more culturally appropriate and accessible. We wish to be kind, thoughtful and approachable.
We will be honest about what the programme can achieve, and have published our business plan online so that everyone can see our approach. We understand that communities can be distrusting of outside institutions, sometimes due to past experiences. We will ensure clear communication and honesty to help build trust.
We aim to create opportunities for people to thrive, improve and grow. By taking part in one of our projects, we want community members to have a stronger feeling of their community voice and also develop their skills and ability to tackle day-to-day challenges.
We think that community views and lived experience are the key to our programme’s success. We will value all stakeholders and appropriately recognise people’s time and contributions.
Together, we want to build projects that really help to make a positive difference. Where possible we will try to improve the things that really matter to our communities rather than just our own objectives.
We want to be flexible in how we work. This will allow us to adapt to what our communities want and any changes in circumstances that they may be facing.
