Celebrating 6 Years of Elevator Arts

This year we are celebrating six years of Elevator Arts, and it’s been quite a year for growth and change. Over the past 12 months we’ve reached some significant milestones that we are incredibly proud of, and which give us real hope and excitement for the future.

A New Home

One of the biggest changes this year has been our move to a new office space.

Back in summer 2024, we moved into our first office in Leigh-on-Sea. Having a dedicated space helped support the growth of our team and gave us somewhere to plan, develop projects, and focus on the organisation’s future.

Towards the end of last year, we were offered an office space at Metal, based in Chalkwell Hall. Relocating to the beautiful Chalkwell Hall and becoming part of a creative community within another arts organisation felt like the perfect next step for us.

We are now happily settled into Workshop One at Metal, and it’s already starting to feel like home.

Looking Back at Our Sixth Year

Over the past year we have delivered a wide range of projects supporting young people, artists and communities across Southend and Basildon. Here are some highlights from our sixth year.

Creative Routes

Creative Routes strengthened Elevator Arts’ organisational capacity and contributed to a more confident, connected and skilled youth arts sector.

The project focused on upskilling facilitators, refining our creative methodology, developing new school CPD opportunities and taking a more strategic approach to our communications.

Although some activities were adapted along the way, Creative Routes achieved its core aims and created a lasting impact for Elevator Arts and the communities we work with.

BLAST Youth Theatre

This year also saw the launch of our second Blast Youth Theatre group in Basildon through the Ripple Effect project.

Blast Youth Theatre provides drama and theatre-making opportunities for children aged 8–12 with English as an Additional Language (EAL). The sessions offer a consistent and supportive environment where young people can build confidence, develop communication skills and explore their identities through drama.

For the first time, our Southend and Basildon groups came together to collaborate on a brand new show.

We continued our partnerships with Welcome to the UK (Southend), Signpost (Basildon), Towngate Theatre and Southend Theatres, and collaborated with professional artists including puppetry director Hannah Brailsford, designer Mikayla Teodoro and writer Kate Austen.

Together, the young people devised and performed an original play titled Found, inspired by their lived experiences. The creative process celebrated their cultural heritage and gave them a platform to share their voices with the wider community.

Found was performed at the Mirren Studio at Towngate Theatre (Basildon) and the Dixon Studio at the Palace Theatre (Southend) to audiences of families, friends and local residents.

Ripple Effect demonstrated the powerful role drama can play in helping young people overcome barriers, celebrate diversity and strengthen community connections. Participants left the project more confident, more connected and more visible within their communities.

Sound ON

This year marked our second year of Sound ON, delivering weekly arts and drama sessions with children who are experiencing homelessness.

In partnership with South Essex Homes, these sessions provide a vital creative outlet for children aged 6+, giving them the opportunity to express themselves, build friendships and develop confidence and communication skills.

Over the year, children created their own puppets and performed in puppet shows. At the start of this year, they worked together to design and build their very own Chinese Dragon, which was completed and celebrated during a special sharing event where participants showcased their work and enjoyed Chinese food together.

Thanks to generous funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, we are delighted to be continuing weekly sessions and expanding the programme with additional activities during school holidays in response to feedback from residents.

XPLORE: Excav8 and Zine Lab

This year we also launched two brand new projects, working with new artists and developing exciting partnerships.

Excav8

Excav8 was a 13-week project for home-educated young people led by artist Laura Trevail, with support from Jay Durkin.

Through workshops in museums, galleries and archives, participants explored history, identity and creativity using both traditional making and digital technology including BBC micro:bit and Raspberry Pi.

Young people met curators, conservators and other specialists, discovering global stories of cultural preservation before creating imaginative artistic responses. The project culminated in a public exhibition bringing together history, science, art and the participants’ own perspectives.

The impact was significant. Young people described feeling “happy, excited and needed”, while parents reported increased confidence, curiosity and a greater interest in visiting galleries and cultural venues.

We are thrilled to have received funding from Arts Council England to deliver another Excav8 project, which launched this February and now includes the opportunity for participants to complete an Arts Award qualification.

ZineLab

ZineLab was a 10-week programme for young carers led by artists Connor Turansky and Amber Merry.

Participants created their own professionally printed zine, celebrated through a private view attended by friends, family and library staff. Copies were later exhibited and made freely available to the public.

The zine captured the authentic voices of the young people, combining handwriting, drawings, sculpture and personal reflections — from emotional maps of Southend to “dream day” aspirations and abstract self-portraits exploring identity.

Participants also developed practical creative skills including bookbinding, augmented reality, 3D scanning, digital drawing and publication design.

Drama Intervention in Schools

In the autumn term we also delivered Be Bold, a 10-week drama intervention project with Year 6 girls at Chalkwell Hall Junior School.

The project aimed to support their confidence and wellbeing as they prepared for the transition into secondary school. Through theatre, writing and poetry activities, the girls were encouraged to share their ideas, express themselves creatively and support one another.

The project concluded with a sharing performance for teachers and parents. It was wonderful to see how much confidence had grown across the group, with participants feeling proud and accomplished after presenting their work.

Looking Ahead

Reflecting on the past year really shows us how far we’ve come. From launching new projects and partnerships to moving into our new home at Chalkwell Hall, it has been an exciting and transformative time for Elevator Arts.

We’re incredibly grateful to all the young people, artists, partners and supporters who have been part of our journey so far.

As we enter our seventh year, we’re looking forward to continuing our work with young people across Southend and beyond, connecting with new artists and partners, and developing even more creative opportunities for the communities we work with.

Here’s to the next chapter of Elevator Arts.

Download our 2024-25 Impact Report to find out more about our past year.