About Us
Creative Colchester is a partnership that represents and champions the cultural, creative and digital sectors, bringing together the major arts organisations, educators, businesses, freelancers and artists in and around Colchester. We aim to:
- Support the development of Colchester as a centre for culture, creativity and digital innovation, building a positive sense of identity
- Support young people and students to access training and careers in the creative and digital sector
- Support freelancers, businesses and not-profit organisations within the creative and digital sector to grow and thrive sustainably.
We do this through:
- Developing collaborative projects that build audiences, increase participation in creative activities and offer opportunities to emerging practitioners
- Working with schools and colleges to support young people interested in a creative career
- Providing support for freelancers and businesses to grow and thrive
- Giving strategic input to city-level initiatives and policy development
- Advocating for the importance of culture and creativity at all levels
The creative sector in Colchester
Colchester is home to a thriving and expanding creative, cultural and digital sector, employing over 5,000 people across the city and anchored by five Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisations – Firstsite, awarded Art Fund Museum of the Year in 2021, the Mercury Theatre, Colchester Arts Centre, the Colchester + Ipswich Museums service, and Signals.
Colchester is recognised nationally as a hub for creativity: by the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) as a Creative, Cultural and Digital Hub for North Essex, by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) as a creative cluster as well as being recognised in the government’s Industrial Strategy Sector Deal for the Creative Industries.
How we work
Creative Colchester is a Community Interest Company overseen by a Partnership Board representing the cultural, creative and digital sector in and around Colchester. The board includes:
- Representatives from all four National Portfolio Organisations in the borough
- Representation from the University of Essex and Colchester Institute
- Further board members (up to maximum of 15 board members in total) providing wider representation of the sector, including businesses, freelance practitioners, young and emerging professionals and non-NPO organisations.
Representatives from Colchester Borough Council and Essex County Council (including officers and lead members/portfolio holders), Arts Council England, and other key partners are invited to attend board meetings as observers and to contribute to discussion when appropriate but hold no decision-making role.
Our People
Dan Deller-Thompson
Programme Manager
Cameron Abbott Betts
First Thursdays Festival Producer
Hello! My name is Dan and I am the Programme Manager here at Creative Colchester.
I feel very fortunate to have had a varied creative career, first as a dancer and teacher, and more recently as an illustrator working in the animation industry. I am also a local cabaret performer and show producer, and the current Chair/event lead of Colchester Pride. Originally from Leeds, Colchester is now very much my home and I truly believe it is a wonderful city, with the most interesting and inspirational people, world class venues, and a welcoming creative community to be part of.
Creating opportunities for people and bringing people together is at the heart of everything I do, so I’m very excited to be a part of Creative Colchester!
dan@creativecolchester.org.uk
I am a festival producer and academic from Colchester. My journey in the arts began in 2015 as an actor and theatre maker for multi-award-winning physical theatre company Royal Kung Foolery. In 2021, I co-founded Colchester Fringe Festival and have been its director since its beginnings. I firmly believe in promoting culture and new artistic talent in our city, whilst actively looking to provide stages to art makers from all over the world to perform their work in Colchester.
cam@creativecolchester.org.uk
Our board
Hana is co-director of HAT Projects, an award-winning Colchester based architecture, urban design and planning practice working primarily in the cultural and community sectors. HAT Projects also developed and manage Trinity Works, a creative workspace hub in the centre of Colchester. Hana is a chartered town planner and co-chair of the Suffolk Design Review Panel. She was previously a board member of DanceEast and Roman River Music.
Anthony Roberts is Director of Colchester Arts Centre, which he has led for more than 30 years. The venue presents an eclectic mix of performance, championing new work, experimentation and innovation. Anthony is also chair of Frozen Light Theatre Company, a trustee of Bobby Baker’s Daily Life Ltd and acts in an advisory capacity for the arts partnership Hunt & Darton. He has worked extensively at the Edinburgh Festival where he has long campaigned for better access for artists and audiences with disabilities.
Sally is Director of Firstsite, winner of the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2021 award. Previously Sally was Head of Programme at Modern Art Oxford, Deputy Head of Culture for the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, Chief Curator for London Underground, Director of Media Art – Bath and Residency Programme Manager at Spike Island, Bristol.
Frank is Museums Manager for Colchester + Ipswich Museums and a trustee of the Colchester Museums Development Foundation.. He was previously director of Norton Priory in Cheshire, where he led a £4.5m redevelopment.
Ben is Head of FE Music and Performing Arts at Colchester Institute. He has extensive experience over many years in actor training and educational leadership.
Steve Goatman is an independent coach and contemporary performance producer with a specialism in working with neurodivergent creatives. From 2009-2016 he programmed and produced for Lakeside Theatre, University of Essex. In 2021 he co-founded Colchester Fringe Festival and from 2015-18 was Associate Producer for SPILL Festival, Ipswich. Steve currently works with a portfolio of independent and organisational clients and has raised over £2m from the ACE NLPG & DYCP funds to support creative projects. In 2020 he established Steve Goatman Coaching and has since accumulated over 500 hours coaching experience with clients from the creative industries, academia and third sector leadership.
Rachel is Director of Signals, a centre for creative digital learning in Colchester. Rachel has managed the company since 2007 and has many previous years experience of working in media, education and arts organisations.
Ben is Creative Director at the Creative Coop, a Colchester-based creative studio. They specialise in branding, design and web development and primarily work with social enterprises, community projects and organisations, charities and the public sector. With over 15 years of industry experience and 10 years as part of a worker-cooperative, he aims to grow Colchester’s creative network, and provide opportunities and connections for both individuals and like-minded organisations in the local area. Alongside facilitating social events, he is an advocate for worker-cooperatives and has provided speaker sessions for universities both home and abroard.
Tom is the founder of Constellation Marketing, a strategic marketing agency based in Colchester. For Tom, creating an effective marketing plan comes from a deep understanding of our clients. His greatest asset is his strategic insight, with his energy and creativity influencing both national and global campaigns. As part of the thriving Essex Knowledge Gateway ecosystem, he has helped dozens of SMEs and innovative tech businesses to launch their brand. The face of the business, he is adept at building strong working relationships with industry and academic stakeholders, as well as managing collaborations with suppliers.