Proposed arts and community project · Fenland · 2026–2027

Common GroundA digital storytelling lab for Fenland’s unheard voices

Every place has stories. Not every story gets heard.

Common Ground is a proposed creative programme helping 16 Fenland residents find, shape and share stories rooted in their lives, identities and communities. Through four accessible workshops, individual creative support and a public digital exhibition, participants will turn lived experience into work that can be seen, heard and valued.

Review the full proposal

Funding request

£19,800

Duration

Nov 2026 – May 2027

Location

Fenland, Cambridgeshire

Participants

16 adults

Workshops

Four

Public outcomes

Exhibition and showcase

Funding route

Arts Council England

Status

Application stage

Common Ground is a proposed project currently seeking funding. Delivery dates, venues and partnerships remain subject to funding and final confirmation.

Five-minute review

A complete picture of the proposal in five minutes.

Common Ground is a small, focused, high-quality creative programme. It backs sixteen Fenland residents to make original work, with proper facilitation, real access support and a real public platform.

The idea

A digital storytelling lab helping Fenland residents create and share stories rooted in their own lives.

The people

Sixteen adults from across Fenland, recruited through trusted local partners and open to residents who feel underserved by traditional cultural spaces.

The artistic activity

Four practical workshops covering writing, audio, photography, film and digital storytelling, supported by individual creative time.

The public benefit

A curated digital exhibition and a public community showcase in Fenland, with participant-approved work made openly accessible.

The delivery model

Led by Tawanda Mukoko with Mukoko.Studio, working with local partners, freelance creative practitioners and community venues.

The funding request

£19,800 from Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grants over November 2026 to May 2027.

Participants

Workshops

Stories or outputs

Digital exhibition

Public showcase

Month project

Proposed project outputs

The need in Fenland

Why Fenland, why now.

Stories and creativity already exist across Fenland. Access to supported cultural production, digital storytelling skills and public platforms does not always follow.

Geography and access

Fenland is a large, dispersed rural district. Getting to cultural activity outside your immediate town is not always simple.

Transport and travel

Bus links between villages, market towns and cultural venues are limited, which shapes who takes part.

Digital confidence

Many capable, creative residents are not confident with digital tools. That is a barrier to making, not a lack of ideas.

Economic barriers

Paid-for creative courses, kit and travel add up quickly. Common Ground removes those costs for participants.

Visibility

Residents can feel unseen in the public stories told about their area. Local voices deserve to shape that record.

Routes to platform

There are few practical routes for a resident to move from a personal idea to a piece of work with a real public audience.

Common Ground makes culture with residents, not for them.

Indicative Fenland project area with a focus on Wisbech, March and surrounding communities.

Artistic vision

An arts project, not a skills course.

Common Ground uses accessible digital storytelling to help residents make original creative work. Each participant keeps authorship and creative control of their own story.

Story discovery

Interview and listening practice

Writing for voice

Audio storytelling

Photography and visual narrative

Short-form video

Digital collage

Ethical use of accessible creative technology

Editing and curation

The creative journey

01
Listen
02
Discover
03
Shape
04
Create
05
Refine
06
Share

The technology is not the art. It is the tool that helps the story travel.

Participant journey

What one participant experiences.

1
Discover and join
Simple, plain-language information reaches residents through local partners, libraries, community centres and word of mouth.
2
Welcome and access conversation
A private conversation before the first workshop to understand access needs, preferences and any support required.
3
Four supported workshops
Small-group sessions with clear pacing, printed materials and one-to-one help wherever needed.
4
Individual story development
Personal creative time between workshops, with check-ins and support from the project lead.
5
Editing and curatorial support
Shaping, cutting and polishing the piece alongside the participant, never over them.
6
Consent and final approval
A clear checkpoint where the participant decides what is shared, how it is shared and with whom.
7
Digital exhibition
A curated online space presenting participant-approved work with accessibility built in from the start.
8
Public community showcase
An in-person Fenland event bringing the work into the room with family, neighbours and local partners.
9
Continued access
Participants keep their finished work, creative resources and a personal copy of their story.

Prototype only — no data is collected.

Four-workshop programme

Four workshops. One story per participant.

Each workshop has a clear purpose, a creative activity, an access approach and a defined participant output.

Workshop 1

February–March 2027

Finding the story

Memory, place, identity, listening, story prompts and choosing the story the participant wants to tell.

Creative activity: Guided listening, memory mapping, story prompts and one-to-one conversation.
Accessibility: Quiet-room option, printed prompts in large text, no reading aloud required.
Participant output: A personal story idea, creative direction and consent preferences.
Facilitation approach: Small groups of four, gentle pacing, participant-led sharing.
Materials and technology: Notebooks, printed prompt cards, voice recorder for those who prefer speaking.

Workshop 2

February–March 2027

Shaping the story

Narrative structure, writing for voice, interviewing, image selection and planning the most suitable format.

Workshop 3

February–March 2027

Creating the story

Accessible recording, photography, audio, video, editing and digital production.

Workshop 4

February–March 2027

Refining and sharing

Creative feedback, editing, accessibility, captions, permissions, presentation and preparation for exhibition.

Digital exhibition

A public home for participant-approved work.

A prototype of how the Common Ground exhibition could feel. All titles below are illustrative — no work has been produced yet.

Audio

A place I remember

Illustrative example only

Written

The road that brought me here

Illustrative example only

Short film

What the water knows

Illustrative example only

Photography

Things we built

Illustrative example only

Audio

A voice from the Fens

Illustrative example only

Digital collage

Home in more than one place

Illustrative example only

Public showcase

One evening. One room. One community.

An accessible in-person Fenland event bringing participant-approved work into a shared space with family, neighbours, cultural organisations and local stakeholders. Venue to be confirmed with a local partner.

•Screening and listening stations
•Projected digital work
•Participant-approved readings or presentations
•Informal community conversation
•Invited family, residents, cultural organisations and local stakeholders
•Accessible presentation formats
•Consent-led photography and documentation

Inclusion, access and safeguarding

Common Ground is designed to be genuinely accessible.

Free participation

No previous creative or technical experience required

Accessible and non-technical language

Pre-project access conversations

Flexible ways to take part

Captioning and transcripts

Large-text materials

Support with digital tools

Travel and participation support within the budget

Audio-only, anonymous or non-public formats permitted

Right to withdraw work before publication

Clear consent checkpoints at every stage

Data minimisation and secure file handling

Photography and media consent

Respectful facilitation and referral pathways

No pressure to disclose traumatic personal experience

Participants decide what they share, how they share it and whether it becomes public.

Artistic quality and public benefit

What makes this a serious arts project.

01A clear artistic concept rooted in Fenland lives and landscapes.

02Full participant authorship over every published piece.

03Skilled creative facilitation from a small delivery team and guest practitioners.

04A structured development process across four workshops and individual production time.

05Quality editing and curation ahead of any public presentation.

06A meaningful public presentation combining digital exhibition and in-person showcase.

07Direct relevance to Fenland residents, places and communities.

08An open route in for people who may not normally access funded arts activity.

09A digital legacy accessible beyond the final event.

Delivery timeline

November 2026 to May 2027.

Proposed schedule, subject to funding and partner confirmation.

November 2026
Setup
Project setup, access planning and partnership conversations.
December 2026
Outreach preparation
Local outreach materials, partner packs and recruitment preparation.
January 2027
Recruitment
Participant recruitment, selection and one-to-one access conversations.
February 2027
Orientation and Workshops 1 and 2
Welcoming orientation, finding the story and shaping the story.
March 2027
Workshops 3 and 4
Creating the story and refining and sharing.
April 2027
Production and curation
Individual production, editing, curation and exhibition build.
May 2027
Exhibition and showcase
Digital exhibition launch, public showcase, evaluation and legacy handover.

Team and delivery credibility

Who is behind Common Ground.

Tawanda Mukoko

Project lead · Creative producer · Digital storytelling facilitator

Tawanda Mukoko is a Zimbabwean-born, UK-based digital product owner, project manager and creative technology practitioner. His professional experience includes digital product strategy, agile delivery, websites, platforms and digital transformation within complex and regulated organisations. Through Mukoko.Studio, he turns rough ideas, lived experiences and fragmented material into structured, accessible digital products and public-facing experiences.

Project lead

Creative producer

Digital storytelling facilitator

Digital exhibition designer

Delivery and evaluation lead

Proposed freelance and support roles

•Community engagement support
•Guest creative practitioner
•Access support
•Photographer or filmmaker
•Event support

Proposed freelance roles. No named individuals confirmed at application stage.

Partnership framework

The kinds of local relationships this project needs.

Proposed partner type

Community organisations

Trusted referrals and local knowledge of who is not currently reached.

Proposed partner type

Libraries

Neutral, welcoming venues and existing community touchpoints.

Proposed partner type

Adult learning providers

Access to learners with a strong interest in creative and digital skills.

Proposed partner type

Local cultural groups

Creative input, audience reach and showcase collaboration.

Proposed partner type

Community centres

Accessible workshop space and community networks.

Proposed partner type

Disability and access organisations

Guidance on adjustments and referrals of interested residents.

Proposed partner type

Migrant and resident networks

Reach into communities whose stories may rarely enter public cultural spaces.

Proposed partner type

Local artists

Guest sessions, creative peer support and mentoring.

Proposed partner type

Potential showcase venues

A public setting for the Fenland community showcase.

Outcomes and evaluation

A realistic framework, not invented percentages.

Outputs

• 16 participants recruited
• 4 workshops delivered
• 16 stories or creative outputs
• 1 digital exhibition
• 1 public showcase

Short-term outcomes

• Improved creative confidence
• Improved digital confidence
• Participant ownership and satisfaction
• New creative peer connections

Public benefit

• Exhibition engagement
• Public showcase attendance
• Partner feedback
• Local media and community reach

Longer-term legacy

• Reusable workshop framework
• Accessible templates
• New relationships between residents and cultural organisations
• A stronger case for further Fenland investment

Registration, attendance, workshop completion, creative outputs, participant feedback, before-and-after confidence, exhibition engagement, showcase attendance, partner feedback and reflective facilitator notes will all inform evaluation. Any numeric goals are described as proposed targets.

Working budget

£19,800, line by line.

Working project budget, to remain consistent with the final Arts Council application.

Common Ground proposed working budget totalling £19,800.
Line	Rationale	Amount
Project lead, creative production and facilitation	Design, planning, four workshops, individual support, curation and delivery across seven months.	£6,000
Guest practitioners and specialist support	Fees for freelance creative practitioners bringing photography, audio or film expertise into specific sessions.	£3,000
Venue, workshop and access costs	Accessible community venues in Fenland for four workshops, orientation and the public showcase.	£1,600
Equipment, software and digital production	Loan cameras, audio recorders, lighting, tripods, storage and modest software licences for editing.	£1,800
Participant access, travel and participation support	Travel support, small subsistence, care costs and access adjustments so cost is never a barrier.	£1,400
Digital exhibition and public showcase	Exhibition build, hosting, projection, listening stations, print signage and showcase production.	£2,000
Marketing, outreach and documentation	Plain-language outreach materials, partner packs and consent-led documentation of the programme.	£1,000
Project travel	Local travel across Fenland for partnership visits, recruitment, delivery and showcase.	£600
Evaluation, administration and contingency	External-facing evaluation activity, reporting, admin time and a modest contingency for delivery risk.	£2,400
Total		£19,800

The website supports the creative programme, exhibition and public access. It is not itself the main artistic outcome.

Risk and access

A credible risk register.

Fifteen risks with likelihood, impact, owner, prevention and contingency. Select a row for detail.

Environmental responsibility

Proportionate, practical, honest.

Local delivery within Fenland wherever possible.

Digital-first materials with minimal printing.

Reusable equipment across all four workshops.

Remote planning meetings where sensible.

Public transport and shared travel where practical.

Responsible file storage with clear retention rules.

A permanent digital exhibition rather than unnecessary physical production.

Legacy and sustainability

What Common Ground leaves behind.

A permanent or time-limited digital exhibition, depending on participant consent.

Participant-owned copies of their finished work.

A reusable four-workshop storytelling framework.

Accessible templates and creative resources.

New relationships between residents and local cultural organisations.

A tested model capable of being repeated in other Fenland communities.

A stronger case for further local arts investment.

Future funding has not been secured. Legacy plans are proposed, not confirmed.

Evidence room

Application readiness.

A live view of proposal materials. Personal, financial and identifying documents are held privately.

Executive summaryprepared

Project narrativeprepared

Artistic visionprepared

Participant journeyprepared

Workshop planprepared

Access planprepared

Safeguarding approachprepared

Timelineprepared

Working budgetprepared

Evaluation frameworkprepared

Risk registerprepared

Environmental approachprepared

CV and delivery profilein progress

Partner conversationsin progress

Letters of supportrequires confirmation

Venue confirmationrequires confirmation

Final application formin progress

Personal and financial documentsprivate

Reviewer decision summary

Why Common Ground deserves investment.

01It creates original artistic work with residents rather than for them.
02It reaches people whose stories may rarely enter public cultural spaces.
03It combines accessible participation with a credible creative process.
04It produces both personal outcomes and a visible public cultural asset.
05It leaves Fenland with a reusable model, digital archive and stronger creative connections.

Fenland is already full of stories. Common Ground gives more people the tools, confidence and platform to ensure those stories become part of its cultural record.