Get involved - Start Thurrock

Apply for creative community support

Got an idea you think would be perfect to get everyone’s creative juices flowing? Whatever it is, from painting a mural to a family festival, why not apply for creative community support? As well as financial support to help you deliver your idea, we’ll work with you to make sure it’s a success.

Our core panel (made up of local residents from across Thurrock) will consider your idea (as long as it meets the criteria outlined in our guidance form), and if they think it meets our principles, you’ll get the thumbs up to make it happen. The potential is unlimited – all you have to do is let your imagination run wild.

Our Creative Community Support programme is open to all residents in Thurrock, so if you’ve got a creative idea that you’d like us to consider, read the guidance on our form which gives you more details on our process. If you think your idea is a go-er, download the form, fill in your details telling us more, email it back to us and we’ll be in touch.

You can find out more about our panel in our FAQs section.

The application window for Creative Community Support is now open. The next deadline for applications is the 29th October 2026.

For full information on how to apply, please click here to access the Guidance Information.

To start an application, please click here.

Join our Kick-Starter panel

We have Kick-Starter panels in Purfleet-on-Thames, South Ockendon and Chadwell-St-Mary. These panels help kickstart creative activities in their area, from sharing experience, knowledge and memories about the place to helping make an event happen. Do you care about making a difference in your area? Would you like to drop in for a chat with like-minded people to plan projects? Think you’d be a good fit for the panel? We’re always looking for volunteers who want to be involved. If there’s not a Kick-Starter panel in your area, chat to us about setting one up or join our core panel. Drop us an email now to express your interest.

I’d like to join the panel

Tell us about an upcoming event you’re holding

Holding a creative or cultural event in Thurrock you’d like us to promote on our ‘events’ page? As long as it fits with our vision for Start Thurrock, we’ll share it.

Just submit your event using our form below, including all of the details and an image. It can take up to a week for your event to appear so please make sure there’s enough time between uploading it our side and your event going live, so residents can plan ahead to come along.

Promote my event

Become a Thurrock Super Fan

Be the first to hear about exciting events and activities coming to Thurrock, as well as trips to brilliant creative experiences beyond the borough. Super Fans also have a say on what Start Thurrock does next – sign up free today to join the Start Thurrock tribe!

Sign up here