Bay Create

Bay Create was a partnership between Whitley Bay Big Local and Barnardo’s Whitley Bay. The project brought together local residents from different generations for cultural projects inspired by the landscape and shared heritage of Whitley Bay.

The project is the final award from the YAP Challenge Fund, made by Spirit’s Youth Advisory Panel before it disbanded in 2021. The brief was a creative project working with younger and older people in coastal communities, taking inspiration from natural landscapes.

Participants and volunteers co-designed and led Bay Create, selecting the artists with whom they wished to work and participating in creative projects and activities that explored what Whitley Bay means to different generations.

In December 2021, Bay Create opened its first public art exhibition in Whitley Bay displaying pieces inspired by the local coastline and created by budding artists aged between six and 80 years.

One of the artists, Carol Murfin aged 72, said: “All of us who took part in the project are diverse and wonderful in our own ways – and this is reflected in the artwork we have produced. It has been a lot of fun and I have learned so many new skills. It’s lovely to see all the pieces together on show for the public to view at the local library in Whitley Bay.”

Artworks were presented at several community events, including at Whitley Bay Library in December 2021, the North Tyneside Art Trail in summer 2022, and a final exhibition at the iconic St Mary’s Suite at The Dome in January 2023.