We were invited over to Rotherham with Create NEL and a bunch of other local organisations for a Go See visit – and honestly, what a brilliant day it turned out to be. From the minute we arrived, it was obvious that Rotherham is doing something pretty special when it comes to putting children and young people front and centre. You can feel that this is a place that genuinely values its young people, not just in words but in action.
One of the real highlights was spending time with the Cultural Development Team at Rotherham Council – the powerhouse behind the Children’s Capital of Culture initiative. They’re an absolute force. The kind of team that doesn’t just talk about valuing children and culture… they really mean it. They’ve spent the past few years helping to leverage an incredible £10 million in funding for events, programming, traineeship programmes and more for young people and cultural development, and you can see the impact in every corner of the town.
What we loved most is how unapologetically bold they are. They’ve stood up, challenged, convinced, and kept pushing for what they know young people deserve. They’ve invested in what already exists locally too – backing the organisations, talent, creativity, and community spirit that was already there. And they were really clear: the success of Children’s Capital of Culture hasn’t come from one team alone, but from the strength of the partnerships and the dedication of everyone involved, including the young people themselves! It’s truly inspiring.
As we went from place to place meeting organisations and hearing their stories, we kept looking at each other thinking… this feels a lot like home. Rotherham and Grimsby share so much – strong communities, creativity quietly buzzing under the surface, and young people full of potential just waiting for the right spark. It felt like we’re on a similar journey, and Rotherham is a brilliant example of what can happen when you really back your young people.
The legacy of all of this is about shifting the perception of the place, which is what many of us are striving to do here in Grimsby.
Our itinerary was packed (in the best way), but a few moments really stuck with us:
- Skills Street: an interactive, hands-on training and careers experience designed to inspire children, young people and adults – where we climbed into a Boeing 747 simulator and got a glimpse of just how powerful hands-on, playful learning can be for helping young people imagine their futures differently. Thanks to James Beighton, we especially loved the concept of a ‘Edutainer’ (Educator + Entertainer)
- Work Wise STEM Fair at Gulliver’s Valley in Rotherham: buzzing with energy, curiosity and more, we were honoured to have a tour of the fair from CEO of Gulliver’s Valley, Julie Dalton who was had so much passion for creating positive opportunities for young people in the area. Plus, a bonus trip to the virtual North Pole… and Santa’s grotto, of course.
- The magical Grimm & Co: basically, storytelling heaven, complete with its famous slide – and yes, obviously I had to go down it. Grimm & Co’s Deborah Bullivant and team are the masterminds behind the famous Festival of Storytelling which saw the reframing of Rotherham’s narrative.
- A warm welcome from the team at Clifton Park Museum: where creativity, heritage, and community blend together beautifully. We were toured around the beautiful building and shown the impressive art exhibition ‘Self’ which was curated by young people from the town.
Everywhere we went, people were smiling and talking passionately about how they genuinely love the work they do with young people, and it shows! It was infectious.
Above everything else, it was just a great day out with fellow creatives and NELC organised by Create NEL. We learned loads, had plenty of laughs, met some brilliant people, and came away buzzing with ideas and inspiration for what’s possible for young people in our own area.
Huge thanks to everyone in Rotherham who welcomed us with such warmth. We came home feeling energised and excited – always the sign of a good trip.
Here’s to more days like this, and to championing young people and culture every step of the way.
