New Living Heritage Fund to create two new cultural events/festivals in Berwick-upon-Tweed

Living heritage – characterised as the traditions, behaviours and activities passed down through the generations – is under threat. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) believes intangible cultural heritage (the things that help define us and where we come from) could be made extinct by globalisation.

Berwick-upon-Tweed is a town rich in cultural heritage with a variety of events, parades and festivals rooted in the past but kept alive by local volunteers. The town’s heritage, traditions and people are central to its identity and at the very heart of Berwick’s story.

About the Living Heritage Fund

To keep Berwick’s living heritage alive for generations to come, Create Berwick has launched a new Living Heritage Fund to commission two new cultural events or festivals for the town. We’re seeking a curator, artist-curator, producer, creative or cultural agency or company to commission a Berwick-based artist to work with living heritage festivals (and their community organisers) to produce an imaginative intervention that celebrates vernacular cultural heritage and excites audiences.

The Living Heritage projects are an opportunity to facilitate new partnerships and collaboration between residents and Berwick’s creative community. Working together, they will breathe new life into important living heritage assets.

The impact of the Living Heritage Fund in Berwick

The new cultural experiences in the town will:

• Engage local communities to participate in cultural activity
• Secure employment for creative practitioners and freelancers
• Attract visitors and audiences

The impact and legacy of the events/festivals will:

• Develop the capacity of community-led and not for profit agencies in Berwick upon Tweed
• Raise Berwick’s profile as a cultural destination
• Support collaborations between residents and the creative sector
• Contribute to place making and the wellbeing of residents
• Contribute to the sustainability of living heritage.

Available fee for project

The available budget for each event/festival is £10,000 (exclusive of VAT).

How to apply

The full Living Heritage Fund brief is available to download below. The deadline for submissions is 5pm on Friday 7th November 2025.

A final decision will be made and the successful candidate notified on Monday 24th November 2025.

If you would like to discuss this opportunity with a member of the Create Berwick team, please email Andrea Oliver, Create Berwick Manager, on andrea.oliver@northumberland.gov.uk