Create King’s Lynn, a new cultural programme for the town of King’s Lynn is beginning through a powerful partnership between arts and health leaders, made possible by Arts Council England Place Partnership investment alongside funding from the Geoffrey Watling Charity.
Rooted in a shared commitment to wellbeing, connection and place, Create King’s Lynn brings together cultural organisations, health and social care partners, and community networks to place creativity at the centre of how people live, connect and thrive. The partnership recognises the role of arts and culture not only in creative expression, but in supporting mental health, reducing isolation and strengthening community resilience.
The £250,000 investment enables a two year programme of artist-led activity, public events and community collaboration, designed to grow from local lived experience and build lasting relationships between culture, health and place.
Primary intentions of Create King’s Lynn include:
- Embedding arts and creativity within health and wellbeing approaches, supporting better outcomes for local people
- Enabling artist-led, community-rooted work that responds to King’s Lynn’s stories, challenges and potential
- Increasing access to high-quality cultural experiences, particularly for communities facing barriers to participation
- Supporting local creatives, skills development and new commissions
- Building sustainable cross-sector partnerships linking culture, health, regeneration and education
- Laying foundations for long-term cultural confidence and pride in King’s Lynn
Natalie Jode, Executive Director at Creative Arts East the lead organisation for Create King’s Lynn said: “King’s Lynn has outstanding contemporary cultural assets and a strong, joined‑up commitment to tackling health inequalities. Create King’s Lynn is about bringing these strengths together – aligning arts, health and education to improve quality of life for people in lasting and meaningful ways. Creative Arts East is proud to help catalyse this new, collaborative way of working across the town.”
First public event: The King’s Lynn Nine
The start of Create King’s Lynn will be marked by The King’s Lynn Nine on 10 May at 5pm; the first in a series of contemporary public events unfolding across the town throughout the programme.
Premiering as part of Norfolk & Norwich Festival 2026, The King’s Lynn Nine is an intergenerational collaboration between Bootworks Theatre Co. and a group of local nine-year-old children.
The year they were born, President Trump was inaugurated for the first time and fidget spinners were everywhere. Since then, it’s been an eventful nine years; a new pope, five Prime Ministers, a climate change emergency, COVID-19.
Join the young cast who share their touching and humorous thoughts on the world they live in and their ambitions for what comes next.
The event is taking place in The Workshop at The Old Library, and will run for 1-hour. Tickets range from £10-12 with discounts for concessions.
To book, visit: https://nnfestival.org.uk/whats-on/the-kings-lynn-nine/
Adam Taylor, CEO The Workshop at The Old Library said: “Our involvement reflects a belief in King’s Lynn’s future – where creativity, care and community are deeply connected.”
Images: The King’s Lynn Nine, [Credit: Luke Witcomb] &Norfolk and Norwich Festival Lock Up