Suzanne Hudson is a NWFed Member who manages the Children, Young People and Families team across Oldham’s Heritage, Libraries and Arts Service. Suzanne applied for funding from our small grants scheme to attend the Arts for All Family Arts Conference in Leeds on Thursday 29 February 2024. Here, Suzanne explains why she applied for a small grant and the benefits it has had for her organisation.

As a Senior Development Officer at Oldham Heritage, Libraries and Arts, I manage a team responsible for programming activities, exhibitions and school sessions across our venues. Despite some of us working for Gallery Oldham and/or Oldham Library Service for a number of years, we are a relatively new team that was formed following a restructure. We are keen to learn and develop our work to ensure that we are offering the best possible service to visitors, which is one of the reasons why I applied for funding from NWFed to attend the Arts for All Family Arts Conference at Leeds Playhouse in February 2024.

As the UK’s largest family arts and culture conference, the event brings together community and family support professionals to explore how we can ensure opportunities for arts and culture are accessible for all families. Our team felt that the conference would be a great way for us to expand our knowledge of the whole sector and meet some useful contacts who may be able to offer insights to develop the work that we do.

I was really pleased when our application for funding was approved by NWFed and we received £225 towards the cost of attending the conference. In February, I travelled to Leeds ready to learn. The theme of the conference was ‘no family left behind’ and the focus from my perspective was looking at how we could make access to cultural activity across our Heritage, Libraries and Arts service easier for families who are struggling. This is something that is very important to us in Oldham, given it is one of the most deprived towns in the UK.

As well as breakout sessions, the day included talks from some motivating and inspirational speakers like author Joseph Coelho and storyteller Richard O’Neill. The talks and sessions were eye-opening and there were some striking statistics shared, including the fact that 29% of children are living in poverty and that one in five children cannot afford basics such as clothes, travel, and access to activities.

The talks and sessions were also practical – some of my key takeaways were that:

  • We should focus on commonalities instead of adding more differences to the pile
  • No activity should identify, exclude, treat differently or make assumptions about low income families
  • The problem isn’t getting children to be imaginative – it’s providing a space for it to bloom without fear of ridicule. Be brave when planning and less structured
  • Do not be disheartened if teenagers do not enjoy your session, they are learning what they enjoy
  • Age is subjective! Talk to people and find out what they would like to see in your venue. It’s about rediscovering the creativity you had in childhood.

I felt especially motivated by the final keynote speech from Derri Burdon, Chief Executive of Curious Minds, who spoke about our work as being a positive force for good, that is shaping future audiences and a more diverse workforce.

I came away from the conference with mixed emotions – feeling sad about the number of children living in poverty, the lack of money in our sector and the way that the arts is viewed, yet also more empowered and motivated to tackle these issues. Our work has never been more needed, and we are helping children and families to flourish. Some people still need convincing about the value of the arts and it’s exhausting, but we must carry on fighting. Access to arts and culture is fundamental to a great childhood and a life well lived, and I am proud to be part of the mission!

I am so grateful for the funding which made it possible for me to attend. It gave me a space away from work to think clearly about how we can make our programme more inclusive. It was great to see how others are overcoming barriers and reassuring to share stories. Also, with budgets being tight, it was a help to us financially. Conferences like this are so important but often fall to the bottom of the list of priorities, so it was brilliant that I was able to attend with the help of NWFed and share my learnings with our team in Oldham.