October newsletter – Big Funding News!

Start celebrating our funding for another three years!

Last week, we received the awesome news from Arts Council England that our application for a further three years of funding has been accepted!

Thanks to Arts Council England and The National Lottery, Start Thurrock will have a budget of – wait for it – one million pounds to keep working with you, the people of Thurrock, to bring creative ideas and events to life for everyone in the area. And bringing people together, exploring talents, finding new self-expression and enriching people’s lives in the process.

This funding award is a real testament to the support we’ve received from Thurrock’s diverse, vibrant communities and groups. From our partner organisations behind the scenes to local businesses who have been so generous; volunteers and participants who tirelessly give up their time to make projects happen; artists that have shared their skills or even if you attended one event as an audience member and gave your feedback – everyone has had a part to play in securing Start Thurrock’s future.

We’re very grateful for how you have all stepped up, had ideas, got involved and brought your best – this has been instrumental to the success of all our activities. Thank you.

Looking forward to even bigger, better and more exciting events for everyone in 2026-29!

Celebrating Black History Month!

Start Thurrock’s strength lies in how we collaborate with and celebrate creativity in all our communities, and Black History Month has us reflecting on the amazing Black-led and community-driven creative projects we have supported over the past 2 years.

It’s been hugely gratifying to work alongside and support so many exciting events – from the Windrush 75th celebration at Tilbury Cruise Terminal to the Celebration of Culture events via our Creative Community Support programme, Stand up for Diversity in partnership with Essex Cultural Diversity Project, textile workshops from local artist Grace Nambafu and of course the much-loved Afro Food Fest organised by U-turnships – and many more!

This month, on Wed 22nd October we enjoyed an awesome double-bill of Black-led events at the Thameside Theatre. First was Grandad Anansi – a much-anticipated, fun, uplifting stage performance about love, courage and letting go for primary schools and families.

This was followed in the evening by a performance of SHADES presents Through Their Eyes – a Lyrical Theatre event full of rap, singing, spoken word and good vibes written by young people, for young people.

We could really feel the energy shining through! An event we’ll really remember.

Start your Halloween festivities at Coalhouse Fort

Halloween might not be here yet, but there have been plenty of spooky happenings at Coalhouse Fort while artist Laura Trevail’s activities have been in full swing!

We’ve already been creeped out by a ghost story writers’ workshop; two artists’ sessions exploring the designs, atmosphere and heritage of the site; a fun scary photo portrait day that gave us the chills, and of course several tours of the Fort for visitors to experience the spaces usually kept under lock and key behind the gate.

Laura says, “I am so enjoying meeting you all over these past few weeks and seeing the Fort come to life with visitors pottering around and exploring. Please do join us for the rest of the tours – the parish church of St. Catherine will be open on the 29th too, with its long connection to the Fort. Do say hello if you see me around the park. I look forward to writing about this extraordinary place and sharing that with you. If you have a yearning to try a spooky story for yourself, have a bash at the ghost story competition – all ages and types of writing are welcome to get stuck in.”

Still to come is a final day of tours on 29th Oct (4 time slots, and booking is essential). And, of course, it’s not too late to get your entries in for the ghost story competition – deadline is 31st Oct, open to writers of all ages and experience.

Come along and get spooked out at this incredible historic location!

Book a tour here

Ghost Story Competition info here

Start building your appetite for Purfleet Pantry!

Over the past year we’ve been working behind the scenes with the Purfleet Pantry volunteers and service users from the community to redesign the Pantry and the work is starting to bear fruit! We hosted creative walks for inspiration, crafts and crust nights to generate ideas (while enjoying food together!) and drop-in workshops for voting on design concepts – and the volunteers have been pulling it all together beautifully.

The brief was to ensure the new design enabled the function of the pantry and shop to continue whilst exploring how it could be a more creative space – to make it more seamless, welcoming and cosy for visitors – and also allow for more creative activity to happen there in the future.

And we’re loving the plans! A sneaky peek at the designs and drawings shows a series of beautifully arranged spaces, with a stylish quiet side-room and a refurbished shop as well as the cosy cafe area. The choices for the stools, table surfaces, sign writing, artwork and colour scheme are also a delight. We hope every visitor will enjoy the new pantry as much as we’re enjoying seeing it come together.

We will have more exciting news to share with you next month about The Purfleet Pantry’s new look, as work progresses. Stay tuned for more announcements!

Start submitting ideas for the Creative Community Support programme!

Applications for Creative Community Support are open again – and you have until 31st Oct to get them in!

We’re interested in ideas to help Thurrock residents get creative and try something new. It could be anything from painting a mural to a creative workshop, a concert, a family festival, or something else! We can work with you to make it happen – and not just financially, our team can be on hand to help you bring your idea into reality through our contacts.

To apply, download the guidance doc (link below) and follow the link to the form. Once completed, email it back to us and our core panel of local Thurrock residents will consider it!

We can’t wait to see your ideas – let your imagination run wild 🙂

Apply now

Start sharing your skills!

Final call to all Thurrock artists and creatives – got a ready-to-go activity you want to bring to life? Come and be a part of Green Light – our exciting taster programme returning in February 2026.

Now in its third year, Green Light gives people in our communities chances to express themselves in new ways.

If you’re an artist or arts organisation, we want to hear from you. To get involved, please submit your ideas to us by Friday 31st October.

Full information on how to apply

Start being the first to know

Want to be the first to know about our latest events and unique activities?

Then sign up to become one of our Super Fans and be at the heart of everything happening with Start Thurrock!

Joining is free and we would love you to have your say on all the brilliant creative activities across our area. Don’t miss out – get involved and stay ahead of the crowd!

Sign up to become a Super Fan!