
About
Our purpose is to ensure that arts and creativity is accessible for all Blackpool communities.
Our vision
A stronger, more resilient resident community are empowered to create a new narrative about the town.
New work that provokes, surprises and entertains audiences is regularly made and performed in Blackpool and shared across the UK and around the world.
Our mission is to
Provide transformative creative experiences that improve lives of local residents.
Be valuable contributors to the town’s economy through a new hub of creative opportunities.
Our objectives are to
Inspire individuals to connect with their own creativity through a menu of high-quality socially-engaged arts activities in Blackpool.
Collaborate with others to reduce barriers to communities connecting with high quality arts programmes.
Support emerging creatives in their professional aspirations via regular development and employment opportunities.
Develop a new hub of social connectivity and creative practice in the town.
Generate income to support our aims to develop financial and organisational resilience.
We strive for these through
Innovation; actively different from much of the commercial-entertainment offer currently available in the area but inspired by the local people, places and things we will engage in dialogue with other companies and venues regionally, nationally and internationally.
Illumination; responding to the needs of the local community, offering new light by which we see ourselves, the society we live in and the world at large; learning, self-expression and self-reflection and the connection between healthy mind, body and spirit are at the core of everything we do.
Opportunity; supporting the development of emerging artists as well as linking with established industry experts, all activities are offered at reasonable rates to locals and regularity of service ensures the growth of long-term relationships and a stronger creative community.
Our leadership
The Old Electric is part of The Electric Sunshine Project* CIC (TESP) which was formed in July 2016 by Melanie Whitehead. Alongside Melanie, there are four directors; Rachael Slater, Stephen Dunstan, Laura White and Stephanie Cottle who meet quarterly. We seek to be informed by the needs of the local community and have an Advisory Group who provide advice and guidance, plus a pool of Associate Artists who bring with them a broad range of skills.
You can read more about our board below.
Our policies
We have Worldwide Full Civil Professional Indemnity Insurance up to £50,000 plus Public Liability Insurance for European Union up to £1,000,000 underwritten by Hiscox Insurance Company Ltd.
All members of TESP with regular/direct contact with young people hold a DBS certificate with online updates. Most practitioners have some form of First-Aid training and all are contracted to adhere to our Child Protection and Health & Safety Policies. Practitioner information is available on request at point of contract.
Generic risk assessments have been carried out for the main body of our activity and these are available to view.
We aim to work within organisations and venues’ own policies and procedures.
Our partnership
The Old Electric is developing as a collective of like-minded organisations all with their own specialist skills and a shared ambition to support Blackpool’s residents to come together as the diverse community it is.
You can find out more about them below.
*In 1879, Blackpool became the first municipality in the world to have electric street lighting – they called it ‘Electric Sunshine’. We are inspired by this ambition and seek to influence a new narrative about Britain’s best loved seaside town through innovative attitudes to arts.
Header image courtesy of CJGriffiths Photography.