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Be Heard! is a survey to find out what people who live in Peterborough do in their spare time for fun. We are particularly interested in what creative, arts, heritage and culture activities they do or go to, and what places they may visit.
It is being run by Peterborough Cultural Alliance (using an independent research agency called Indigo-Ltd) to try and make Peterborough a place where everyone can find the creative, arts, heritage and cultural activities they want.
Peterborough Cultural Alliance is a partnership of art, culture, heritage and education organisations. The Alliance works with local communities, schools, young people and cultural organisations to support creativity and culture grow in the City, making sure everyone has a chance to be heard and to enjoy creativity and culture in ways that matter to them.
The Alliance is a Place Partnership Project supported using public funding by Arts Council England and leads and supports the delivery of Peterborough’s Cultural Strategy 2021-2030.
Everyone aged 16+ who lives in Peterborough. This means you will pay your council tax to Peterborough City Council. We have to hear from as many people as possible who live in the city, from every area and ward. Everyone’s voice is important so please take 10 minutes to tell us what you think.
No! You do not have to be an expert to answer this survey. Most of the questions simply ask you what things you do for fun in Peterborough and elsewhere. This could include visiting interesting places, watching performances, taking part in workshops or going to a music gig. Most questions are multiple choice and you don’t need any specialist knowledge to answer them.
The survey is available online in English, Polish, Lithuanian and Romanian. Email pca@neneparktrust.org.uk to find out more about options for getting support for residents who don’t speak English as a first language.
An Easy Read version is available here to download for people with learning disabilities.
The survey should take about 10 minutes to complete (20 minutes if using a screen reader). As it is online, you can complete it whilst you’re on the bus, whilst you watch the TV or waiting for an appointment. Or, just grab a drink and find your favourite comfy chair.
You can complete it on your smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer.
Indigo-Ltd will gather together all the responses, make sure they are anonymous then analyse them together. This ensures individual answers remain confidential. The overall findings will be shared with members of the Peterborough Cultural Alliance.
Yes. The only time we ask for your name or contact details is if you choose to enter the prize draw. This information is stored separately from your survey responses. Therefore no-one will be able to link responses to a particular person, and we will only ever report on findings once responses have been combined together with other people. This might be data on the whole of Peterborough or data for one ward or area.
The aim is to influence how future arts and culture programmes are developed and how they are communicated to people. The survey will tell us more about what you do, what you enjoy, what’s missing and what you would like to see more of.
We will also create an online tool displaying this anonymised data, alongside census data. This will allow anyone to see how people are involved in arts and cultural activities by ward. This information will be publicly available, and can be used by creative and cultural individuals and organisations to shape the future activities they deliver. It might also help bring more funding into the city to help develop new programmes as we will be able to prove there is a demand and better target activity.
In 2021 Peterborough adopted a new cultural strategy for the city. It sets out some ambitions for creative and cultural programmes. Knowing more about our residents’ interests will help us to deliver on these ambitions more effectively. You can find out more here.
The new survey follows a great response to a 2024 survey. The results provided valuable insight, helping us understand what activities residents take part in, how it makes them feel, or why people don’t currently feel connected to creativity, arts and heritage.
Firstly – thank you! The more people raising awareness of this survey the better.
You can download and print off a poster and display it at your venue as a way to raise awareness.
You can include information in your emails or e-newsletters and ask people to complete the survey. Please signpost them to be-heard-pbo.com to access the survey. Feel free to use any of the information on these web pages to introduce the survey.
You can also hold an event where you can help people to complete the survey. The PCA has a number of electronic tablets we can lend you for this purpose. Please contact pca@neneparktrust.org.uk for more details.
We’re just as keen to hear from people who don’t currently do creative and cultural activities as those who do. Knowing why you don’t take part and what you do in your free time instead is helpful so we can create new activities you might like in the future.
You can also use the survey to tell us about members of your family who are under 16 and what might interest them. There is a specific section for this in the survey.
If you can’t complete the survey yourself for any reason, you can visit your local library for help. Just drop in and ask to use their public computers. They will help to log you on. If you are struggling with understanding the questions, please ask the library staff for help. Do check library opening times before you drop in – not all are staffed all day.
Many of our partner organisations will host events where you can use a tablet to complete the survey or get help filling it in. They will also have paper versions of the survey you can complete, including Easy Read versions for those who would find that helpful.
You can download the Easy Read version here.
Understanding a bit more about you helps us to understand who is taking part, or would like to take part in activities.
The responses might tell us that a specific age group isn’t taking part in activities, and what their interests are. This lets us plan new activities they might enjoy, and also to ensure that Peterborough offers opportunities for everyone.
Your information is completely confidential and anonymous. None of the answers you give will be attached to your name in any way so you can feel confident to answer. For questions that require an answer, you can select “Prefer not to say” if you would rather not give an answe
At the end of the survey, you will be redirected to the prize draw page. This will ask you whether you would like to enter. If you do not wish to enter, you can simply close this new window or answer NO this question. If you do wish to enter, you will need to give your name and an email address. There is no way for us to link your name to your survey answers, so they will stay anonymous.
The survey is open from 28 April to 31 May 2026. Prize winners will be drawn by the end of July 2026 and winners will be notified by email by Indigo Ltd.
Please contact us on pca@neneparktrust.org.uk.
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Info
Postcard image credits
- Millfield of Dreams, Peterborough Presents. Credit: Peterborough Presents
- Flag Fen Archaeological Park
- Pied Piper, Jumped Up Theatre & The Cresset. Credit: Battersea Arts Centre, Ali Wright.
- Peterborough Music Hub
- Peterborough Celebrates, Nene Park Trust
- Change Maker Lab, Metal. Credit: Metal
- Millfield Festival, Peterborough Presents. Credit: Leia Ankers
- Peterborough Cathedral. Credit: Paul Marriot
- Willy Wonka, The Cresset. Credit: The Cresset
- Battles Lines. Credit Lauren Irving
- Bunker of Zion, Jumped Up Theatre. Credit: Thomas Byron Photography
- Platform 8, Jumped Up Theatre
- The Ladykillers of Orton Brimble, Eastern Angles. Credit Mike Kwasniak
- Frida Kahlo Portraits, Peterborough Presents. Credit: Ben Croft
- National Literacy Trust
For more information on individual image credits, please contact pca@neneparktrust.org.uk.
