Future Formed
Waltham Forest Council are pleased to announce the accreditation of our ‘Blackhorse Collective’, one of the first nine Creative Enterprise Zones across London and a designated space to maintain Blackhorse Lane’s cultural identity. The Creative Enterprise Zones are one of the Mayor of London’s flagship cultural programmes, dedicated to ensuring that artists and creatives are supported to put down roots in local areas and giving them opportunities to grow their careers and businesses.
Waltham Forest was named the first London Borough of Culture by Sadiq Khan in 2019, in which creativity flourished and saw hundreds of thousands of residents get involved in events, projects and festivals. The Blackhorse Collective is one step in securing the legacy of the Borough of Culture and fostering a strong creative industry within Waltham Forest.
We had the pleasure of welcoming Justine Simons OBE, the Deputy Mayor for Culture and Creative Industries to Waltham Forest to launch the borough’s first Creative Enterprise Zone. Alongside the Leader of Waltham Forest Council, Grace Williams, they toured Soho Theatre Walthamstow, Big Creative Education, Blackhorse Workshop and Yonder, showcasing student performers, makers and creators and cultural hubs.
As the Blackhorse Collective, we wish to encourage creative growth in a variety of ways:
- Using Council powers to keep workspaces affordable for artists and creative businesses
- Giving expert business support to creative start-ups, including a platform for collaboration
- Connecting creating businesses to the local workforce through apprenticeship schemes, pathways to work and public skill sessions.
- Creating policy which benefits creative businesses
This long-term effort is to disrupt a cycle in which creative businesses make an area increasingly attractive to new residents, which risks pricing them out of an area they helped create.
Future Formed
Future Formed exists to help residents aged 16-30 into creative careers. The programme acts as a support mechanism for The Creative Industries Hub by offering Waltham Forest residents insight and exposure to the creative industries and aims to support participants into paid work. The program works with a variety of people from a diverse range of background to actively fight against the ‘one size fits all’ approach. This focus on a case-by-case approach helps to reflect the individual needs, ambitions, and availability of our residents.
In addition to this, Future Formed is designed to help grow networking opportunities and increase the confidence of residents entering the creative industries. These programs can include:
- Sector specific mentoring
- Paid work placements
- Networking and building relationships with high level creative professionals
- Supportive environments to discuss everything from building your CV and preparing for interviews and auditions
- Visits to shows and exhibitions with ‘meet the artist’ opportunities
Recent projects include:
- Workshops in product design with high end illustrator Willa Gebbie
- Paid placements on film and TV sets for Netflix and Sky TV
- Paid apprenticeship, studio space, and mentoring at Blink Ink animation studio
- Creating our very own podcast, ‘Oh Pod!’ created, produced and presented by Waltham Forest residents Jordan, Iman and Shakira
Paid placements training to become a performing arts facilitator
Since January 2022, Future Formed have created paid opportunities for over 100 residents and supported a further 120 intro training and insight into creative industries.
Sign up for the Future Formed newsletter and you will receive regular opportunities and advice alongside signposting to support services. If you’d like one-to-one support in helping achieve your creative passion, get in touch by emailing futureprogramme@walthamforest.gov.uk. You will receive:
- A one-to-one meeting to create a personal action plan
- Regular check-ins to support you in achieving your ambitions
- Helping with growing your CV
- Access to industry specific mentors where possible