Alliance news

At Peterborough Cultural Alliance (PCA), we are proud to lead the way in delivering the Vision for Peterborough and transforming its culture.

Sughra Ahmed heads up our team and brings 20+ years of experience working with communities, government, academic institutions, profit, and non-profit organisations.

Lydia Baldwin, our Creative Cultures Leader (Children & Young People), has a background in arts & culture, being creative and working with diverse audiences.

Tracy Marshall, our Office Manager and EA to Sughra, brings with her a wealth of experience running her own business in a fast-moving and busy environment.

Finally, Madiha Ashiq will officially join the team on 1st October as our Creative Cultures Leader (Data Framework). She brings her experience working in the educational sector as an English teacher and has a master’s in Art psychotherapy.

To find out more about the PCA’s work & projects over the next coming years, please click here

In our inaugural year Peterborough Cultural Alliance (PCA) have successfully kick-started our programme of Leadership & Accountability. This programme objectives looks to inspire and grow conversations about the impact of culture on identity, ambitions, education and growth.

Last week, we launched our Cultural Conversations series with thought-provoking insights from Lord Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, playwright and poet.

During his time in Peterborough, Lord Williams met with city and cultural leaders, young people and members of the public to share his perspective on culture as ‘nurture and growth’ and the pursuit of providing the right conditions in our city for people to grow.

As Lord Williams commented “Culture, the whole imaginative life of a society, matters so that the more complicated story of who we are can be told, and so we don’t find ourselves driven into oversimplified, polarised, untruthful narratives.”

We would like to say a huge thank you to our PCA partners for hosting these important conversations and demonstrating their commitment to cultural growth in our city, and to all who came and contributed!

Our future Cultural Conversations series will continue next year where we will continue to invite trailblazers in British culture. These events will continue to help to create cultural discussion, debate, networking, in expected and unexpected places, across the city.

If you have any questions or queries about the Cultural Conversations series, please contact Lydia.Baldwin@neneparktrust.org.uk.

To answer ‘big’ questions around culture, we invite you to our annual Cultural Conversations, with this year’s esteemed guest, Lord Williams of Oystermouth.

Each year, the Peterborough Cultural Alliance welcomes a person of fame/good repute to kick-start cultural conversations when we discuss, debate and disagree whilst envisioning, dreaming and building civic pride throughout Peterborough.

This year, we are thrilled to extend a special invitation to you for a unique event, featuring Lord Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, prolific writer, poet and public intellectual.

Join us as Lord Rowan delves into the profound influence of culture in Peterborough and the significance it serves in shaping our narratives and in building our city. This will be followed by an interactive and vibrant discussion so, please do have your questions at the ready.

Event details

Wednesday, 11 September | 2-3 pm

Key Theatre, Main Auditorium

Book your free tickets here | https://keytheatre-peterborough.com/event/cultural-conversations-with-rowan-williams/

Your participation is crucial in building these important conversations and so, we encourage you to send this invitation to those who share our passion for cultural conversations and making Peterborough a city that is joyous and proud of itself.

If you have any questions or queries, please do reach out to Lydia.Baldwin@neneparktrust.org.uk.

We look forward to welcoming you and your guests, on the day.

Peterborough Cultural Alliance (PCA) is celebrating a grant award of over half a million pounds from Arts Council England, which will make a significant impact in delivering Peterborough’s Cultural Strategy and put Peterborough firmly on the cultural map.

This significant funding will help grow the cultural infrastructure, ensuring stable growth; bring Peterborough together by galvanising arts, culture and heritage programmes, and build a cultural plan, fit for our dynamic and growing city, reflecting its rich diversity and potential.

By receiving this Place Partnership Fund grants award, Peterborough Cultural Alliance has proved it has met the very high standards of Arts Council England and is being trusted to deliver lasting change for Peterborough. Working closely with Peterborough City Council and other partner organisations, the PCA aims to build cultural and civic pride, uniting our communities and transforming the cultural landscape of the city.

Sughra Ahmed, Director of Peterborough Cultural Alliance says, “This award marks a significant step in our commitment and investment in Peterborough’s cultural capital. We are very grateful to Arts Council England for this voice of immense confidence in us. It will help us grow as an organisation, hold important conversations that turn into positive action, in the hope that all of our cultural voices are being heard and grow into authentic reflections of this growing and dynamic city. This funding will impact us all – we value all of our communities. This is our home – we all bring our culture to the city which makes us who we are.”

A representative from Arts Council England says, “We’re thrilled to be able to award the Peterborough Cultural Alliance with this substantial grant from our Place Partnership Fund grants programme, made possible by players of the National Lottery. This is an exciting project that will galvanise the local arts and creative sectors and bring about key strategic partnerships. We look forward to the creative and cultural opportunities that will come about in Peterborough as a result of this funding.”