The Re-centre programme puts culture in the hands of the local community.
Salford has been awarded up to £750,000 as part of Arts Council England’s largest ever Creative People and Places (CPP) Portfolio, which sees £42 million invested in 45 programmes from 2026–29, to deliver more grassroots-led cultural experiences in areas across England where involvement in arts and culture is below the national average.
Re-centre will unlock the potential within people, reactivate places that matter, mobilise and amplify artistic activity and insights across the rapidly evolving city of Salford. By championing neighbourhood differentials and artistic excellence, Re-centre will empower the people of Salford to decide what they want to see and experience, producing the culture which is important to them. The partners driving the initiative are University of Salford, Salford City Council, Lowry, Salford Community and Leisure (SCL) and Salford CVS.
CPPs bring together community, grassroots and cultural organisations as partners to take the lead in choosing, creating and taking part in creative and cultural activities. CPPs are empowering local people to pursue the art they want, where they live.
This funding is made possible thanks to National Lottery players. Every National Lottery ticket purchased generates money for good causes and enables people in villages, towns, and cities up and down the country to get access to cultural experiences where they live.
Professor Nic Beech, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Salford, said:
“As an anchor institution for Salford and a proud civic university, we are privileged to lead the Re-centre Consortium, collaborating with partners across the city to deliver this important work which will inspire, empower and foster local pride. Re-centre will support communities and amplify seldom-heard voices across our city to create, make, reshape and distribute new and existing arts and cultural experiences across Salford.”
Paul Dennett, Salford City Mayor, said:
“Thank you so much on behalf of the City of Salford to everyone involved in the Re-centre bid. My thanks and sincerest appreciation must also be conveyed to Arts Council England for selecting the City of Salford’s bid within what has clearly been an exceptionally competitive Creative People and Places programme. I really look forward to working with colleagues to deliver excellent, quality and impactful outcomes for the City of Salford and our residents, families and communities.”
Steve Hassall, Salford Community Leisure CEO said:
“This award is fantastic news for Salford. We are excited to see how the city’s diverse communities will shape their own cultural and creative opportunities thanks to this investment from Arts Council England, and the change that this will bring about to people’s lives, voices and wellbeing.”
Rebecca Ball, Area Director, North, Arts Council England, said:
“The Creative People and Places programme empowers our communities across the North to design and shape the cultural offer on their doorstep. Since 2012 we have seen the transformative impact of these projects on the people and places. I’m so happy that we are able to continue to fund this remarkable programme and I am delighted that from 2026 we will be welcoming four new projects in the North to the programme. I can’t wait to see how this investment will continue to inspire and engage. This programme would not be possible without the support of all the people who play the National Lottery, as it is thanks to them that we are able to fund this lifechanging work.”
About:
Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. Our vision, set out in our strategy Let’s Create, is that by 2030, we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish, and where every one of us has access to a remarkable range of high-quality cultural experiences. Between 2023 and 2026 we will have invested over £467 million of public money from Government, alongside an estimated £250 million each year from The National Lottery, to help ensure that people in every part of the country have access to culture and creativity in the places where they live. Until Autumn 2025, the National Lottery is celebrating its 30th anniversary of supporting good causes in the United Kingdom: since the first draw was held in 1994, it has raised £49 billion and awarded more than 690,000 individual grants. Visit our website to learn more about our work.
About Re-Centre consortium:
Our consortium is led by University of Salford in partnership with Salford Community Leisure, Lowry, Salford CVS and Salford City Council. We have come together to reappraise cultural provision across the whole city, aiming to unlock what we already have for more people, thereby creating better balance and representation across Salford.
The University of Salford is located in the heart of Greater Manchester. We have almost 30,000 students, 2,000 staff and a global community of over 200,000 alumni.
We pioneer exceptional industry partnerships, leading the way in real world experiences by preparing students for life. We are proud to be at the heart of the world-leading innovations around social change and economic development that have defined Salford and Greater Manchester since the industrial revolution and transformed it into the thriving city region it is today – a place where ideas are formed that shape the world. Our Campus Connectivity Plan (CCP) is the major redevelopment of our teaching spaces and public areas and the most ambitious development of our estate to date.
Salford City Council is committed to creating a fairer, greener, healthier and more inclusive city for all. To achieve this vision, it has set out seven interconnected priorities as the focus for our work from 2024 to 2028.
Find out more about our ambitions and how we intend to deliver them in our corporate plan, This is our Salford aims to build on past successes and continue to find new and innovative ways to improve residents’ lives.
Salford continues its remarkable story of transformation with already much to celebrate as a city – more well-paid jobs, new affordable and social homes, thriving local schools, award-winning green spaces, iconic infrastructure, cleaner transport, more integrated health and care and a vibrant cultural scene.
Salford Community Leisure (SCL) is an inclusive not-for-profit organisation dedicated to providing high-quality leisure, cultural and wellbeing opportunities for the people of Salford. From Gyms and Swimming pools, to Libraries, Museums, Galleries & Community Centres, SCL offers a wide variety of services for recreation, health, learning, and creative expression.
Steve Hassall, CEO Salford Community Leisure said:
“This award is fantastic news for Salford. We are excited to see how the city’s diverse communities will shape their own cultural and creative opportunities thanks to this investment from Arts Council England, and the change that this will bring about to people’s lives, voices and wellbeing.”
Proudly rooted in Salford, The Lowry is here to spread the joy of art and creativity, and give space to different views, voices and opinions. As a registered charity, every penny we earn goes directly back into our community, nurturing local talent and fostering the creative professionals of tomorrow. Welcoming more than 900,000 visitors a year, our diverse program—featuring theatre, dance, musicals, music, comedy, visual arts, and more—reflects the vibrant spirit of our city. Whatever your here for, we’re here for it!
Jenny Riding, Director of Learning and Engagement at Lowry said:
“Lowry is delighted for Salford and our local communities that the partnership has been awarded up to £750,000 for the Creative People and Place programme. Re-centre will enable more people to access creativity and culture on their terms and will further embed creativity across the city of Salford, improving equity, access, inclusion and ambition. Lowry is looking forward to using our experience, knowledge and connections to help create more creative and cultural activities with and for the people of Salford.”
Salford CVS is the city-wide infrastructure organisation for the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector in the city of Salford; providing specialist information, advice, development support and opportunities for influence and collaboration. We provide support for organisations to establish and develop including training for their staff, volunteers and trustees. Via our Volunteer Centre, we provide support for individuals who want to volunteer and assistance for organisations with developing their volunteering programmes. Salford CVS has a long and proud history of making a difference in Salford – we were established in 1919.
We play a strategic role in the Greater Manchester city-region, where we are founder members of the GM VCSE Leadership Group, created in response to devolution. We are founder co-owners of the 10GM partnership (www.10GM.org.uk), alongside Action Together, Bolton CVS and Macc; and work closely with all of the local infrastructure organisations in Greater Manchester.
Alison Page, Chief Executive of Salford CVS, said:
“We’re delighted to see the Creative People and Places programme come to Salford, providing a unique moment for communities to lead in shaping arts and culture in the city. We know through our work supporting communities and VCSE organisations that there are so many wonderful opportunities to put people at the heart of cultural decision making. We can’t wait to see what community led creativity it unleashes.”
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