Creative Playground is driven by lots of different people. There are Playmakers (the volunteers who help decide what the programme is), the Core Consortium who are volunteers and form a governing body for the project, the Creative Playground staff team including freelance specialists and Community Connectors who are all employed by Creative Crawley (who manage the project). And then of course there’s you. The people who are interested in what we are up to but not yet involved.
Image by Ian Greenland 
Hello, I’m Sophie my favourite things to do are singing in a choir and walking my black and white dog Mossy. I grew up near Crawley and was a regular visitor to Tilgate Park and The Hawth. I now live in Croydon with my family including two lovely teenage daughters. My work background is in theatre and mainly focused on London so it is inspiring to be in Crawley planning and making excellent creative opportunities happen all over the town. I love meeting people and hearing about what they like to do. We are hoping this project will make Crawley an even better place to live and work so come and talk to us!
Hi, I’m Becky. I love swimming in the sea, mostly in Cornwall and Brighton, watching experimental performance stuff in unusual spaces, baking anything sweet – I even made a wedding cake last year!
I have a few friends that live in Crawley and my partner’s dad was a Builder and worked on building Crawley Town. I’m so excited to be working with Creative Playground as there’s such a buzz of possibility. Also, I thrive when making stuff happen with brilliant people and this is the best place to do just that!
Hello, I’m Louise and I love swimming in the sea, going to live performances and hanging out with my family and friends.
I was born and grew up in Crawley. I went to Ifield Community College and lots of my family still live in Ifield and Broadfield too.
I feel honoured to be able to focus my work on Crawley having been away producing contemporary artworks all around the UK and the world for a long time. It’s a privilege to work with the people of Crawley and the Creative Playground team to bring some creative, joyful togetherness to the town.
I am Sam. I have been working in Crawley on a casual basis for two years so I am really excited to be working on this project for the town. Before working here, I have worked in venues in London and toured the UK, Europe and the world as a Production Manager on dance and theatre shows. I am really excited to share my passion for creating work with as many people as possible and welcoming new people to the creative industries. Outside of work, I really enjoy going to live sporting and musical events and spending a lot of time outdoors in parks, in the countryside or in my garden.
Hi, I’m Erin. You’ll often find me in a pair of dungarees. On days off am happiest hunting out food markets and great places to eat, or seeking out an adventure, hiking up hills, exploring cities and coastlines. I grew up in the South East and love all the unique identities of the towns that make it up. I’m excited to be with the Creative Playground as I love working in hyper-local neighbourhood spaces and talking to new people. I look forward to working with you, and as many people in Crawley as possible, to create more spaces where people can play, exchange, be curious and inventive.
Hello, I’m Harriet. I love performing in my own time and taking part in local societies musical shows. I have two beautiful boys and we enjoy going for walks at different National Trusts, whatever the weather. I’m a Crawley girl, born and bred and have always been fascinated with theatre and the arts, so to bring more of this into my home town is something I am really passionate about! I’m excited to be a part of this wonderful programme and spreading the word about these amazing opportunities in Crawley with a mix of cool, fun and heartwarming projects.
Hi, I’m Ben. I am a massive music and gaming fan (one of these days I’ll make a company playlist…). Sadly, I do not own a dog (yet) but I adore Pugs and Labs. My work revolves around asset creation; I love being able to jump from static to moving image and I’m constantly excited by evolving art forms and styles, which is why the Creative Playground is a brilliant fit for me. We’re so often provided the opportunity to be varied creatively, no two projects are ever the same. Most importantly, the other members of the team are exceptional at what they do, so there’s never a lack of support and inspiration.
The Core Consortium are the governing body for the Creative Playground project. They are like a board. They give strategic direction and and financial oversight. They are representatives from a range of local organisations. They give their time for free. Manor Royal Business District is the lead organisation and accountable body for the project. Dave Watmore is the Independent Chair and Steve Sawyer, Executive Director, Manor Royal Business District, Toby Shaw, Chief Executive, Crawley Community Action, Hayley Drury, Crawley LGBTQU+, Deb Stainforth, Caridon House and Graeme Russell, General Manager, The Hawth Theatre form the consortium.
We work in partnership with local, regional and national organisations to achieve our aims.
Arts Council England is the lead funder for Creative Playground, providing support through Creative People and Places. This programme focuses on parts of the country where involvement in arts and culture is significantly below the national average. There are currently 39 Creative People and Place projects around the country and funding for Creative Playground is in place until March 2025
We are working with Crawley Town Centre BID on various projects taking place in the Town Centre.
We are working with Crawley Borough Council on various projects taking place across the town.
Crawley College give us an office on the second floor of the Longley II building. We are working closely with them to involved their staff and students in heling to shape the Creative Playground programme.
We’re part of Without Wall’s Touring Network Partnership for 2024-25 to tour high quality outdoor arts work across Crawley.
We are working with Brighton Dome & Festival to develop connections between their programme and the people of Crawley.
Applied Systems were kind enough to donate some screens for our office.
Metrobus supported our initial brand awareness launch campaign by giving us advertising space on their buses in Crawley.
We are a member of Gatwick Diamond Business to build connections, access knowledge and engage with local companies.
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Creative Crawley is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation: 1195308 VAT Registration No: 402232067, Crawley College, College Road, Crawley, RH10 1NR
