Meet Crawley Writes, the new collective formed and named by our Crawley microgrant recipients, and hear about their exciting projects, supported by Arts Council England.
Writing in the Park
Writing in the Park will invite Crawley residents to join a fun three-hour outdoor creative writing workshop.
Participants will be guided to develop and enhance their most delightful everyday stories, and experience the joy of writing outdoors. Each session will be designed to blend creative writing with simple self-relaxation exercises that awaken our senses.
The first, Autumn session will be held in Tilgate Park and the second, Spring session will be held in Worth Park. For further information, keep an eye on social media for ‘Writing in the Park Crawley’.
Creative Writing for Screen programme
A series of four workshops by CFI Media and WordfestCrawley. The overall aim is to develop participants’ creative writing, storytelling and presentation skills, while giving them a genuine understanding of how ideas move from page to screen.
By the end of the programme, each participant should have the foundations of a professionally presented television or film pitch that they could continue to develop beyond the workshops.
They will explore where successful screen ideas come from, how to identify stories with audience appeal, and how to develop original concepts across a range of genres.
Crawley Museum
In 2027 Crawley New Town celebrates its 80th birthday and Crawley Museum will be asking local residents (whether born and bred or people who have moved into the area) to unfold memories that connect them to the town.
Through this work, Crawley Museum want to explore people’s emotional attachment to and identity within the town, transforming it from simply a physical space into a personal, meaningful environment. Collated essays, diaries, poems, lyrics & reminiscences will tell Crawley’s story from 1947 to today.
A series of creative writing workshops will be the framework for a display at the museum: “Celebrating Crawley, 80 Years of a Sense of Place”.
Crawley Creative Writing Group
Crawley Creative Writing Group is completely free to attend, meeting monthly at Crawley Library. They have no leaders and are open to everyone from the age of 18 – 118.
The group will host two launch events (each including writing-based activity) at Crawley Library. The first event will be primarily aimed at promoting the group to the under-18s (who are not currently catered for by the group). The second event will be promoted under the mental/emotional/physical well-being umbrella.
Both events will take place over one to two hours; after which there will be the opportunity to mix with current attendees. All attendees will be given a free booklet showcasing writing produced by our group.
Culture Collective
Culture Collective will deliver a creative writing project that invites first and second-generation South Asian women to honour, preserve and celebrate the stories that have shaped their lives.
Through a series of welcoming, guided workshops, participants will explore themes including migration, food, motherhood, identity and belonging, creating written pieces in English or their preferred language.
Together, they will share memories, celebrate resilience and build meaningful connections through storytelling. Participants will be supported to share their own work, creating a powerful legacy for future generations and celebrating the rich cultural heritage of Crawley.
A Band of Brothers
A Band of Brothers is a mentoring organisation that supports young men facing adversity, many of whom leave school with little or no qualifications and may become homeless or enter the justice system.
They sit together in a circle, share stories, and walk alongside these young men as they embark on a journey of self-discovery and healing.
Through this project, A Band of Brothers will give the young men they work with the opportunity to bring their stories to life by creating poetry and transforming their experiences into creative writing and oral storytelling.
