We are excited to invite organisations and creatives from across Buckinghamshire to share their ideas and express their interest in collaborating in an innovative developmental partnership that explores co-creation as a powerful way to bring local stories to life through creativity. Building on the success of Together We Build, this initiative will explore new creative approaches to storytelling. Heritage and cultural organisations will be paired with artists and creative practitioners to uncover and share important local stories in fresh, engaging, and imaginative ways.
This project does not yet have funding. The Expression of Interest (EOI) process will help shape the application that Bucks Culture submits to the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
We want to support innovative collaborations that bring locally significant community memories, cultural traditions, and heritage to life. By capturing and sharing these stories, the project aims to safeguard them for future generations, ensuring that lived experiences continue to inform, inspire, and strengthen our local communities.
Oral histories are a rich source of knowledge, insight, and creativity, and they will sit at the heart of the Stories 2 project. Through meaningful partnerships, the project will enable organisations to uncover, amplify, and celebrate hidden local stories and engage under-represented audiences using creative and inclusive approaches to storytelling, participation, and interpretation.
Projects may draw on existing oral history collections or generate new recordings. All activity should be rooted in co-creation with communities, ensuring that participants help shape both the process and the outcomes. Outputs could include exhibitions, installations, performances, digital works, workshops, or public events designed to engage diverse audiences and extend the reach and impact of these stories.
Programme Aims
To protect and celebrate Buckinghamshire’s community heritage by:
- Uncovering and safeguarding oral histories that reflect and celebrate Buckinghamshire’s diverse communities, particularly community memories, cultural traditions and stories at risk of being lost.
- Championing inclusive creative practice in working with oral histories and community memory, enabling under-represented or under-engaged audiences to shape, interpret, and share their heritage.
- Fostering meaningful collaboration between heritage organisations, artists, and communities.
- Building skills and confidence in cross-sector partnership working to strengthen sustainable, long-term relationships.
Who Can Apply
We welcome applications from arts, heritage, and culture organisations that want to explore stories and oral histories. Eligible applicants include formally constituted organisations and community-led heritage groups. To apply, groups must have:
- A governing document (e.g., constitution)
- A committee or Board
- A bank account in the organisation’s name with two signatories
Applicants may apply either:
- With a creative or heritage partner already confirmed, or
- Without a partner, in which case the project team can help broker a suitable collaboration. Please reach out for a conversation to Guy: Guy@buckinghamshirecuture.org
All collaborations must work with a specific under-engaged audience group—people who currently have limited access to or participation in heritage activities due to factors such as geography, age, ethnicity, disability, socio-economic background, or cultural relevance.
What We’re Looking For
Successful proposals will:
- Clearly explain which community memories, cultural traditions, and stories will be uncovered and why they matter locally. Priority will be given to stories at risk of being lost.
- Focus on oral history, whether drawing on existing collections or generating new recordings.
- Provide a compelling idea for creative collaboration with an artist or creative collective that empowers communities and brings local stories to life.
- Identify a specific under-represented or under-engaged audience and a thoughtful plan for reaching and involving them in co-creation.
- Evidence a commitment to inclusion, ethical practice, and community voice.
- Demonstrate organisational capacity to host and support the project successfully.
Projects can be of any scale appropriate to your organisation and community and should be achievable within the available budget and timeframe.
Support Available
Assuming our funding application is successful, each selected partnership will receive:
- Project grant: £2,000-£10,000 tbc (to cover artist fees, materials, production costs, engagement activities, and evaluation) for a 6-12 month delivery period.
- Overarching Project Co-ordinator to oversee and assist with troubleshooting and engagement.
- Training and professional support for both heritage and creative partners – likely to cover co-creation, inclusive practice, oral histories, ethics.
- Access to a learning network of participating organisations and artists.
- Opportunities for showcasing and shared dissemination at regional and national level.
Indicative Project Timeline
Call-out opens 30th March 2026
Expression of Interest deadline 30th April 2026
Funding application submission date Summer 2026
Decision-making period 8 weeks
Project delivery period Autumn 2026-Summer 2028 tbc
Expression of Interest Form
Please find the Expression of Interest form here:
Completed Expression of Interest forms should be returned to Guy: Guy@buckinghamshireculture.org by 9am, 30th April 2026.
Contact Details
If you have questions about this invitation, wish to discuss your project with a team member, or need help to find the right partner, please reach out to Guy: Guy@buckinghamshireculture.org
Please contact us if you require this information in alternative formats.
We are happy to accept applications through alternative formats suited to your needs including a film (no longer than 10 minutes) or an audio recording (no longer than 10 minutes).
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