Theatre Hullabaloo, the children’s arts charity based in The Hullabaloo on Borough Road, Darlington have created baby play packs for families and babies in Darlington and in other parts of Tees Valley to play together.

The free Hullabaloo Baby Play Packs aimed at babies 12 months and under have been created with support from Darlington Borough Council, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, Middlesbrough Council and Public Health South Tees. Creative Darlington budget will enable many families in Darlington to get a pack in the near future if they haven’t already.

Miranda Thain, CEO at Theatre Hullabaloo says “We have really missed meeting the new babies who would usually be visiting us to play at The Hullabaloo. The COVID-19 restrictions mean that it’s been really challenging for those parents and carers unable to attend baby groups and classes. We hope that these Hullabaloo Baby Play Packs will allow parents and carers of new babies to enjoy some creative play time together at home”

“Play really is the work of babies as they are busy learning about the world, developing new skills every day. We hope these packs will mean that parents and carers will feel more confident about the how and why of play and we look forward to welcoming these lockdown babies to play at The Hullabaloo when it’s safe to do so again”

Packs include a mixture of creative toys and props and a Playbook packed with ideas for how to play creatively with your baby. They are accompanied by a series of short videos filmed by some of the artists who work regularly with Theatre Hullabaloo. Each film gives a short creative idea for how to use the items in the packs at home.

Elizabeth Archer, Service Manager, 0-19 Growing Healthy Service, Darlington says “We are delighted to be working with Theatre Hullabaloo and Creative Darlington to bring this creative offer to families with newborn babies across the borough and we hope that everyone will enjoy the emotional and developmental benefits of playing together.”

Baby Play Packs are being distributed across Darlington by local health visitors and families do not need to order a play pack as these are being distributed automatically by health visitors at pre-arranged appointments.

Creative Darlington and a business have supported Darlington for Culture’s fantastic small arts grants scheme, which offers grants of up to £500 to successful programmes delivered hereabouts. The scheme has supported a broad variety of activity to date and is currently open to new proposals.

Not so long back DJ Alan Rees – The Workhouse Sessions applied to support the costs of creating 5 new podcasts featuring guest DJs. The Workhouse Sessions are a group of local DJ’s who create a podcast to promote local DJ’s and music producers, and also DJ at local events including some of those at Darlington Market, Hash Bar and Walworth Castle.

It’s great to see their ambition shine through at a time which must be particularly challenging for many DJs. I can’t profess any particular expertise in this area (flashback to playing LPs at 78 RPM), but there appears to me to be a lot of art, skill, application, knowledge, experience (and magic) in a DJs practice.

I’m delighted Creative Darlington and Darlington for Culture are backing The Workshouse Sessions in creating 5 new podcasts and understand the DJs lined up are expected to be:

Carl Douthwaite – Mobile DJ, Darlington

Chris Ryan / Paul Stoker – Avalon, Darlington

Mike Stead – DJ / Phase One DJ Store, Darlington

Andy Lee – Remedy Festival DJ / Promoter and Producer, Newton Aycliffe

Smoove – DJ and member of NE band Smoove and Turrell

The podcasts will start on Friday 2nd October and will follow on every 2 weeks. They will be posted on Soundcloud and iTunes podcast, they will also be promoted on The Workhouse Sessions Facebook and Instagram pages.

Since starting in the Creative Darlington role on a fairly frequent basis I’ve discovered more about wonderful people who’ve lived here, and been inspired by those who are living or have had some connection with this place today.  I’ve also found out more about how the built and natural environment has or hasn’t changed.

It’s been great to work with artists, producers, companies and organisations and find out more about the place where I was born and grew up. From campaigning Quaker women, philanthropic publishers, admirable artists, selfless pilots, there are a plethora of positive people and places to laud.

As part of a new programme, Darlington Wonders …. Creative Darlington has recently asked a selection of artists living here to create new work, inspired by things, people or locations in Darlington past or present that they think are wonderful. We’ll be working with Lighting Cameraman, Jason Berge to share their work online in the coming months so watch this space if you’re interested in seeing what they create.

Jason’s lived in Darlington for around a decade having moved from Australia, and has played a part in some fantastic film projects while working with Darlington Media Group, including this poetry patchwork quilt of films incorporating Tell Her Story poetry created by Vane Women.

We’ll also be making a public call out asking you to get involved and share what/who/where you’ve found wondrous/wonder in this place and looking to share what comes back through an exhibition in the coming months or online, wherever works best in the current climate. People who agree to get involved will be entered into a competition (one entry to be drawn from a hat and offered a reward in Darlington).

• Lisette Auton – Writer, Performer and Creative Practitioner
• Jason Berge – Lighting Cameraman
• Syd Collumbine, Musician, who will be working with a Roger Wicks Songwriter (who I understand played in midfield for Darlington Football Club for a time back in the day, so I may have seen him with my dearly departed dad, let’s hope ‘their song for Darlo’ is a winner)
• Mike Jarvie – Writer, who I understand may be celebrating a particular building
• Rosi Thorton – textiles artist, who I understand may be celebrating a particular outdoor area in Town

We look forward to seeing their and your Darlington Wonders …. in the near future and hope you’ll answer the call out to ‘celebrate good things (here), come on’.

A short while ago Creative Darlington offered some support to artist, curator, explorer Paul Theo Murray to research a proposal for a programme of guerilla graffiti interventions in Darlington Town Centre betwixt July 2020 and beyond. The programme quickly secured media attention, including within The Northern Echo.

Various locations and themes have been explored, stencils, spray chalk and the magical ingredient of imagination were applied and the British summer played its part in the artworks journey.

The overall campaign has been co-ordinated and backed by Darlington Borough Council events service and promoted within the #LoveDarlo campaign.

Its been a pleasure to see a modest investment in the time of an artist we wanted to work with to research an idea, rather than invest their time at risk, bring a fully beautiful programme to fruition.

Unforgettable Experiences have put out a call out for service providers to work on a pilot programme they are leading, and Creative Darlington has offered budget to part support the fees of artists selected to work on the pilot programme and some preparation time.

We understand those selected will be paid at Artists Union rates, the programme will be delivered digitally. People who can devise and deliver programmes to engage adults living with dementia and neurological conditions, their loved ones and carers, through a programme of 12 x 1-hour sessions delivered weekly over a 12-week period are sought. 

All interested in applying are asked to read the Unforgettable Experiences brief and submit a proposal in response to Emma Hamlett at emma@unforgettableexperiences.org.uk by no later than 5pm on Monday 7 September 2020. Please contact Emma if you have any questions regarding this opportunity.

Creative Darlington is delighted to be backing this pilot programme and we hope there’ll be lots of interest.

On Friday 28 August 2020 I had the opportunity to explore Cornerstone Arts which was open for much of the following Bank Holiday weekend, sharing exhibitions, film screenings, comfy couches and elements of the unexpected (nice to find out more about the Vikings through a chat with a re-enactor). Cornerstone provided an opportunity to meet people and appreciate the creativity and community of Darlington.

The venue offers artists an opportunity to share their work and ideas onto both the high street and also within a space which felt a little like an indoor park in scale, with opportunity to walk about and explore work by artists who were both known and unknown to me.

I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next and wanted to pass on my thanks to everyone whose made this happen, and wishing Cornerstone Arts success in achieving further ambitions.

Counting the days until TeesDance Festival, happening on Instagram in two weeks’ time – find out all about our local dance artists and gain an insight into the creative industries

It’s here! The full line-up for TeesDance Festival, happening on Instagram from 1 – 14 August to celebrate our dance workforce across the Tees Valley

Call Out One

‘Our Place’ – a community Art’s Project for Darlington

Want to give meaning and purpose to your daily walk?

In these strange times, leaving the house at least once a day and getting some fresh air is so important to many of us. Join in a range of weekly creative tasks and really ‘see’ your surroundings; use these discoveries to reflect upon and speak of your life and experiences in Darlington.

Where do our paths cross or perhaps diverge? Who knows? Over the course of four online workshops (each lasting around one hour) we’ll explore and make. Our aim … to contribute to a bigger project ‘It’s All Happening Here’ and hopefully a live celebratory trail around the town. Our contribution… possibly a piece weaving together footage of Darlington captured through street view, overlaid with spoken word gathered from letters, poems, diary entries or just fragments of thoughts. Creation for the curious!

No special skills or prior experience required. All ages and backgrounds welcome. How much, and how often, you join us is up to you. No cost involved.

Email Hannah at ourplacedarlo@gmail.com with any questions you have or to register your interest.

Call Out Two

Call Out Three

Darlington Society of Arts have been sharing their work during lockdown through their website.The Arts Society are certainly seeing Lockdown as an opportunity to make work and share, in their words ‘Remember every cloud has a silver lining.’

Members have been invited to create work responding to a common stimulus or to post work they have created during the lockdown period. This has been a great way of sharing the practice of the group and encouraging ongoing creative engagement.

Be sure to head over the the Arts Society website to have a look at what they’ve been creating and sharing digitally.

Creative Darlington supported Conversations in Painting: Fiesta MK 2 in 2019. It’s great to be able to celebrate this project and view the overall project within the project catalogue, available to view online at here