We are looking for an Administrator to join our small team. This is a role for someone with good organisational skills and who enjoys helping to make events and projects happen. It would be a good role for some one just starting out in the cultural sector, someone returning to work, or someone looking to be a vital part of a small creative team.
The Administrator will support essential elements of Bucks Culture’s business, including operations, finance, data collection and impact measurement, sector support and projects delivery. We support flexible working and are open to how the hours are delivered but will require some time at the beginning of each week to be spent at our office within Buckinghamshire New University’s High Wycombe campus.
As well as assisting with the day to day running of the charity, this role will champion Bucks Culture, ensuring excellent communication with partners and potential partners, raising the charity’s profile and reach.
To apply, please start by reading through the Administrator Job Description:
A covering statement sharing what you would bring to the role and how your skills and experience would benefit Buckinghamshire Culture
Your CV
You may apply in writing (covering statement to be no more than 2 A4 sides) or by sharing a video (no longer than 10 minutes) or audio recording (no longer than 10 minutes) covering all of these points.
Interviews will take place 28th and 29th April.
Please feel free to contact the Director (Lallie@buckinghamshireculture.org) if you would like to discuss this opportunity before applying.
Join us at Amersham Museum for our final Going Green Gathering and help us work out the next steps for a more sustainable approach to programme delivery across culture and heritage settings.
The session is led by Melissa Maynard from Dacorum Heritage Trust on the 17th of March from 3-5 in person at Amersham Museum
Melissa works with the Group for Education in Museums to look at how public-facing programmes and events can be more sustainable.
Melissa’s work on environmental sustainability is focused on how to implement impact behind the scenes to reduce carbon footprint taking into consideration; insulation, heating and lighting. Melissa’s session explores how to consider the impact of visitor activities, shops and displays, and programme accordingly.
This workshop explores some of the ways in which we can make greener choices for visitor events. The session is followed with opportunity for Q&A and networking with tea, coffee and snacks provided.
Have your say – join us for Creative Culture Conversations, 20th March
Bucks Culture invites cultural organisations of all sizes to join our online Creative Culture Conversation to inform how we connect and collaborate to enable sector growth. The event, set to take place online, is facilitated by the fabulous team at Axon and Black.
Aiming to deliver a fun and engaging session providing feedback in real-time, the session offers opportunity to input into strategic planning, inform groupings and allow people to feel heard, part of something and understood.
This facilitated session will enable peer sharing, identification of trends and celebration of successes – ultimately helping Bucks Culture to see how best to support the sector to develop and grow.
A series of digital tools will be used to help participants respond to a proposed programme of sector development presented by Bucks Culture.
Be part of the conversation
Join Bucks Culture and cultural organisations of all sizes to shape the future of arts and culture in Buckinghamshire.
Join us at Amersham Museum for our final Going Green Gathering and help us work out the next steps for a more sustainable approach to programme delivery across culture and heritage settings.
The session is led by Melissa Maynard from Dacorum Heritage Trust on the 17th of March from 3-5 in person at Amersham Museum
Melissa works with the Group for Education in Museums to look at how public-facing programmes and events can be more sustainable.
Melissa’s work on environmental sustainability is focused on how to implement impact behind the scenes to reduce carbon footprint taking into consideration; insulation, heating and lighting. Melissa’s session explores how to consider the impact of visitor activities, shops and displays, and programme accordingly.
This workshop explores some of the ways in which we can make greener choices for visitor events. The session is followed with opportunity for Q & A, networking with tea, coffee and snacks provided.
Sign up for your free ticket at Eventbrite and email kerry@buckinghamshireculture.org with any questions.
Bucks Culture is proud to present Women of Culture, a networking and celebratory event in honor of International Women’s Day, bringing together women from Buckinghamshire’s cultural sector. This gathering offers a space to connect, exchange ideas, and champion women’s contributions in arts, heritage, and creative industries.
Join us on the 6th of March, in a space for Connection, Reflection, and Inspiration
More than just networking, Women of Culture is a space for reflection, discussion, and collaboration. Through engaging activities and thought-provoking conversations, we’ll explore women’s leadership, representation, and creative expression. While designed with women in mind, men are welcome as allies in fostering an inclusive, supportive sector.
Meet the Inspirational Women Leading the Conversation
At the heart of Women of Cultureare the inspiring voices of three incredible female leaders in Buckinghamshire’s cultural sector, each bringing a unique perspective on leadership, creativity, and advocacy for inclusion.
Rosie Axon, Founder of Chiltern Music Therapy, an advocate for music’s power in transforming lives. Betty Makharinsky, Founder of Vache Baroque, making Baroque music and drama more accessible. Vicky Hope-Walker, CEO of National Paralympic Heritage Trust, championing inclusion in arts and heritage.
Exploring Women’s Leadership, Voice & Expression
Rosie, Betty, and Vicky will lead a dynamic, interactive session that blends storytelling, music, and discussion, offering valuable insight into what it means to be a leader in the cultural sector.
Through artist-led activities and participatory sessions, the event will explore the significance of the female voice in music, movement, and leadership. Attendees will gain inspiration from the Female Founder Journey, where Rosie and Betty will share their experiences in building and sustaining cultural organisations, while Vicky will offer a deeper perspective on leading inclusion-focused initiatives and advocating for greater representation in the sector.
A Collective Commitment to Change
A key moment in the event will be The Tree of Insight & Intentions, where participants will have the opportunity to share how they have adapted their work to better support women in their fields and make a pledge for future action.
The event will close with informal networking over tea and coffee, providing a space to continue conversations, forge new connections, and build a stronger, more collaborative creative community in Buckinghamshire.
We are currently exploring the idea of a new programme to celebrate and promote the creative and cultural industries across Bucks, with the working title, Made in Bucks. This new piece of R&D, inspired by our Co-Chair Julius Weinberg’s vision to “make Buckinghamshire sticky,” will reflect and celebrate the unique cultural identity of Bucks.
We are keen to hear your thoughts about how we could better celebrate and harness the creative industries across the county – in terms of profile, career pathways and vibrancy. Please see the ‘Made in Bucks One Pager’ below for more details and review the attached project outline. We’d love your feedback—share your thoughts through our brief questionnaire by Monday, 9th of December by scanning the QR code at the bottom of the page or click here.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to our consultant, Jacqui Gellman, at jacqui.gellman@gmail.com.
Bucks Culture is excited to present the first ever Bucks Spark Awards created to showcase and celebrate arts, heritage and cultural achievements delivered by fantastic, hard-working organisations and voluntary groups within the county. Submissions for work taking place in the last year were invited across three categories and we are now able to share the inspiring shortlist.
The categories and shortlist for this first year of Bucks Spark Awards are:
Best cultural event:
UK Astronomy’s Planetarium at Stowe
Unbound Theatre’s Buckinghamshire Shakespeare Festival
Visual Images Group’s Bucks Art Weeks
Best cultural exhibition:
Amersham Museum’s Marie-Louise in Amersham exhibition
Fractured Land Collective’s Fractured Land exhibition
Marlow Museum’s Writers of Marlow exhibition
National Paralympic Heritage Trust’s The Story of the Games display
South Asian Artists’ Community’s Kaleidoscope exhibition
Best cultural collaboration:
Buckinghamshire Council’s Local Heritage List
Bucks Youth Dance Company and Wycombe Youth Action’s Express Yourself project
Chiltern Music Therapy and English Sinfonia’s Safe in Sound project
Decreate and Hughenden’s Easter Family Art Trail
National Paralympic Heritage Trust’s Global Virtual Museum
Milton’s Cottage and Vache Baroque’s Visionaries: a multi-sensory experience
Wycombe Museum and Chalk, Cherries and Chair’s Chiltern Chairs Festival.
All of the submissions we received were of an extremely high quality and judging has been very hard. Our judging panel consists of:
Professor Sri-Kartini Leet, Head of School of Art and Performing Arts at Buckinghamshire New University
Daniel Williams, County and Diocesan Archivist at Buckinghamshire Archives
Pablo Colella, Director and Lead Consultant at Disconnected Bodies
Julius Weinberg, Co-Chair at Buckinghamshire Culture.
Pablo Colella said: “I was blown away by the calibre of the submissions for Bucks Spark Awards this year, I am so impressed by the range of events and activities that are taking place in the county. I feel really lucky to have been selected as the community panel member for the Awards judging.”
The winners and runners-up will be announced at Bucks Culture’s Conference on 7th November, with awards presented by award winning author Claire Fuller and Lord-Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire, Countess Howe.
We are so excited to share these cultural moments and achievements with partners, colleagues and friends in the sector. We aim to build a supportive creative community to celebrate these successes and the value that the cultural sector brings to our county and its residents.
Do you have the passion, expertise and collaborative approach to help steer our charity into it’s next phase?
Bucks Culture is seeking a new Co-Chair to serve alongside Julius Weinberg, leading our Board of Trustees. We have a model of two Chair-persons serving together, each bringing different knowledge and experience to the role. Bill Morris joined Bucks Culture in 2019 and has been a fantastic support, a knowledgeable guide and a great person to work with – we will miss him! However, Bill’s other commitments require more and more of his time and he is keen to handover his role as Co-Chair around the end of 2024.
We are seeking a collaborative person that can be a champion and guide for Bucks Culture as it evolves from a fledgling charity into its next phase.
If you think you might be interested in this role, please take a look at the Role Description below. We are requesting expressions of interest by: 9am, 16th September 2024.
If you would like to speak to Lallie, our Director or Julius, our ongoing Co-Chair about the role, please email Lallie: Lallie@buckinghamshireculture.org to arrange a conversation.
Hundreds of residents invited to take part in epic photo project this Summer – sharing our STORIES project
This July community meetings will take place in three ‘villages’ across Buckinghamshire, inviting local residents to be part of large-scale photographs. These meetings will be the start of our Village Stories strand, which aims to create new portraits of modern villages through photography and writing. Residents in Burnham, Brill and Fairford Leys (a village within Aylesbury) are invited to join in.
Photographer Camilla Greenwell and choreographer Theo Clinkard have devised this celebratory photo project inspired by the works of 16th-century Flemish artist, Pieter Bruegel the Elder. These famous and often humorous images are bustling with life and full of characters and incidents. They show people at work and leisure, individuals and groups, old and young. The project asks who lives in our villages now? And how can we capture the vibrant life of these communities? We are inviting 100+ local residents and those connected to these villages to take part in the project in each location. It will be simple and fun and take only a couple of hours, on one day in September. Participants will be given some easy ideas and tasks to create a gesture or action to capture the essence of the place they live in.
In addition to the photoshoots we are also offering writing workshops with authors, including Costa Novel Award winning novelist Claire Fuller.
If you, your family or group would like to take part in Village in one of the three locations across Bucks this Summer please use this link to sign up: https://buckinghamshireculture.org/village-stories/
Village Stories is just one strand of our multi-faceted STORIES programme in 2024. We are inviting residents across Bucks to take part in creative and cultural activities that explore what makes this county unique: its people, heritage, natural environment and histories. STORIES will grow and develop over the next years into a festival-like series of events and participation opportunities. From June to November 2024, we kick off with three pilot projects, stretching across the county from Buckingham in the north to the Chilterns in the South, with events in woodlands as well as village and town centres, from projects that see artists researching in local archives, to mass participation in local villages.
Alongside Village Stories, in 2024 we will deliver:
Archive Stories, which will see a new disabled artist collective led by poet Ellen Renton working with Arden Fitzroy, Guy Morris, Jess Starns and Noor-e-Sehar Ali, investigate the National Paralympic Heritage Trust archive and the National Disability Art Collection & Archive to inspire the creation of new artworks.
FiresideStories, which will bring three outdoor performances by circus and theatre artists Nikki & JD and Lost Dog Dance to local spaces and woodland settings, telling a story of monsters and what makes us afraid, in a family-friendly performances with real fire. In each location additional wrap-around events will make the evening special.
“I can’t wait to tell new stories with local folk who are up for the challenge of making a huge artwork together, one that captures both the physical fact of this place and this moment in time, but also the collective imagination of the people that live here”
“Village is just such a brilliantly simple and creative idea: A rallying call to leave your home or work for a moment to congregate and create an action-filled snapshot of yourself, your community, your location and this moment in time. Let Buckinghamshire’s village life become as famous and loved as Breugel’s Flemish scenes from nearly 500 years ago.”
Clive Harriss, Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture & Leisure said:
“We are very pleased to be supporting the development of Buckinghamshire Culture’s STORIES project, we are excited to see what is produced and where it goes next! With so many villages making up our landscape in Bucks it feels appropriate to put village life in the spotlight!”
STORIES 2024 is made possible thanks to funding from Arts Council England, Rothschild Foundation, Buckinghamshire Council, National Paralympic Heritage Trust, National Lottery Heritage Fund and supported by a range of committed partners across the county.
Discover something extraordinary this July with Open Weekend
Everyone is invited to explore their creativity, and our varied county, during our jam-packed Open Weekend, 25th-28th July. With 34 contributors running 54 events across Bucks, there is plenty to enjoy. You can take part in free or low-cost activities and maybe try something new or go somewhere you have not been before!
Vache Baroque, History of Sounds
Whether you are looking for something to do with little ones, a chance to try a new artform, time to learn, or time to chill out – there is plenty to choose from. This year’s fantastic programme includes opportunities to watch or join in with singing, dancing, music-making, crafting and much more. You might also visit an exhibition, listen to an author interview, enjoy live music, join a themed tour or explore local heritage. Events are taking place in person across the county, and online too.
This year organisations will be offering a wide range of activities on the theme of Together We Celebrate, inspired by the Paris Olympics and Paralympics 2024. Buckinghamshire has an extra special reason to celebrate as it is the proud birthplace of the Paralympic movement, and this year we have asked our event organisers to think about how they can honour this heritage. This year Open Weekend will be part of Buckinghamshire Council’s wider Together We Celebrate programme of activities and exhibitions themed around our shared advocacy of diversity, inclusivity and accessibility taking place throughout the summer.
A celebration of togetherness runs through all of the 2024 Open Weekend events, and some are offering particular activities to make your own medal (at Hughenden), design a Paralympic poster (at Aylesbury Library), or explore Paralympic artefacts and stories through a new Virtual Museum (online via the National Paralympic Heritage Trust). Please join us in celebrating the power of art and culture to bring people together and develop inclusion and understanding.
Missenden Walled Garden
Bill Morris, Buckinghamshire Culture’s Chair says: “We are so pleased and proud that once again organisations and individuals across Bucks have put together a programme of fantastic events. It is wonderful to see so many activities promoting inclusion and togetherness, and in a Games year, its extra special to celebrate our unique role in creating the Paralympic movement.”
Ruth Page, Buckinghamshire Council’s Head of Culture said: “Open Weekend is a brilliant way to celebrate the range of creative and cultural things you can do in Bucks. It is great to see so many activities taking place with the theme of ‘Together We Celebrate’ and showing how we can lead the way for access and inclusion.”
Open Weekend is made possible thanks to funding from the Rothschild Foundation and Buckinghamshire Council. It is co-ordinated by Buckinghamshire Culture and is delivered in partnership with organisations and creatives across the county.
Garden Stones created by Feedback Global
Further Information
Buckinghamshire Culture
Buckinghamshire Culture is the creative and cultural partnership for the county, developed to drive forward the Buckinghamshire Cultural Strategy. Building an inclusive, uplifting and supportive creative hub, we connect, build and nourish creative individuals and organisations. We share and celebrate the value of creativity and culture to everyone’s lives – embedding it across essential agendas. We harness the power of working together through collaboration and partnership, shaping joint projects that support happier and healthier lives for our residents. Together, we can better celebrate and share stories of our communities and county. More information on Buckinghamshire Culture: https://buckinghamshireculture.org/
Together We Celebrate programme coordinated by Buckinghamshire Council
To mark the upcoming Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games, we are once again asking Buckinghamshire’s communities to join us and our partners in celebrating the county’s unique and proud Paralympic heritage. Our collaborative approach aims to bring like-minded partners, organisations, and communities together to recognise Buckinghamshire as the birthplace of the Paralympic movement. A series of activities and exhibitions themed around our shared advocacy of diversity, inclusivity and accessibility will take place throughout the summer as Together We Celebrate. More information on Together We Celebrate: https://www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/events/together-we-celebrate-2024/
Buckinghamshire residents are invited to explore the power of stories and join walks, fireside performances, story-telling and village portraits this Summer/Autumn. There will be a range of community-focussed activities across the county as Buckinghamshire Culture pilots STORIES, a programme that aims to shine a light on the rich history and life of the county, thanks to public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
In this first year of STORIES activity, we and our partners, will work with artists, communities and other organisations to develop our ideas. Taking inspiration from our beautiful natural landscapes, our pilot season will include performances of Fireside by Nikki & JD in several Buckinghamshire locations. Inspired by the Paralympic story we will recruit d/Deaf and disabled artists to form an artist collective working with Ellen Renton, spoken-word artist and poet, to create new work. And inspired by the nature of our county as a place of small towns and villages, we will celebrate the nature of community through village portraits created by Theo Clinkard Dance, captured in photographs by Camilla Greenwell and new writing from a range of writers.
Stories Creative Associate, Eckhard Thiemann, says: “STORIES is an invitation for residents and visitors to discover and participate in new cultural experiences in places that make the county unique. We take panoramic shots of modern village life, animate natural beauty spots through performance, and delve into the important history of paralympic heritage. The outcome will be new stories to remember, to share and to inspire us.”
Clive Harriss, Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Leisure & Culture said: “Buckinghamshire Council is pleased to support this new initiative being run by Buckinghamshire Culture. Projects like this do so much to bring the arts to life in our local communities, allowing people to watch and participate in new cultural experiences which entertain and inspire all ages. The funding we are providing helps to ensure that everyone is able to access and enjoy something exciting in their local area.”
During this pilot Season we will work with a number of communities in local villages. We will partner with a range of organisations, including BuDs, National Disability Arts Collection and Archive, National Paralympic Heritage Trust among others. We will be sharing opportunities for commissions and volunteering as the year progresses, please keep an eye out on social media if you are interested in collaborating with us.
Following this period of exploration, we will continue to work with artists and communities to weave together stories of people, places, histories and future dreams to celebrate unique places and moments across the county. We aim to share further STORIES work with residents across 2025 and 2026.
STORIES Season 1 is made possible thanks to public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and support from Buckinghamshire Council, National Paralympic Heritage Trust, Rothschild Foundation and a number of other partners.
Elgiva Theatre, St Mary’s Way, Chesham HP5 1HR
Booking Link: 
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