Young people looking out over a city at sunset The South West · Autumn 2028

Community Interest Company · Registered in England

BUILT FOR
CREATIVE
FUTURES.

Creative Futures South West CIC is a registered Community Interest Company working to connect further education (FE) colleges, where students aged 16 to 19 study creative and technical courses, with cultural organisations and the creative industries across the South West. Our flagship programme is the first FE creative festival in England.

Supported using public funding by Arts Council England, Lottery Funded

Phase 1 research supported using public funding by Arts Council England.

Get Involved Read the Report

Our Mission

WHAT WE STAND FOR

01

Equity before geography

Creative opportunity should not depend on where a young person lives. We design access into everything we do, so that distance, transport and cost are never the reason a student misses out.

02

Progression, not celebration

We exist to open doors, not to applaud potential. We connect FE students to real industry relationships, career pathways and encounters that change what they believe is possible.

03

Built on evidence

Built through sustained engagement with colleges, cultural organisations and industry across the South West. The demand is documented, and now we are testing the model.

04

Regionally owned

Led by people who work in this region and know its colleges and cultural sector. Not a national initiative delivered locally, but a regional organisation built from the inside out.

Young people at the coast
Young artist in studio
Young people against a mural
Student filming at a live event

The Festival

ENGLAND'S FIRST FE CREATIVE FESTIVAL

A structured programme of industry encounters, live briefs, sector panels and progression events for 16 to 19 year olds in creative and digital FE courses. For colleges, it is a credible, curriculum-aligned offer that supports student aspiration and strengthens progression outcomes. For industry, it is direct access to the region's emerging creative talent.

Anchor

Bristol, Autumn 2028

Industry encounters, live briefs, sector panels and portfolio development in the South West's creative capital.

Satellites

Every area of the consortium

Cornwall · Devon · Dorset · Somerset · North Somerset · Bath · Wiltshire · Swindon · Gloucestershire · South Gloucestershire. The festival travels to where students are. Where satellites run, and what happens at each, will be shaped with colleges through the Festival Steering Group.

Access

Free for every FE student

There is no charge to take part. Geography and finance cannot determine who enters the creative workforce.

Phase 2 · Coming up

THE FESTIVAL,
TESTED LIVE

Phase 2 puts the FE Creative Festival model to work before 2028. This season, students from across the consortium step into Bristol's creative technology scene and onto public walls, so we can see what works for students, colleges and industry.

× Brazen Create Day

Live test 01 · Brazen Festival · 9 to 13 November 2026

FE STUDENTS AT THE HEART OF BRISTOL'S CREATIVE TECH WEEK.

Brazen is Bristol's tech and creative festival, run by techSPARK. It is a week where the industry shows what it is making next, and our students are in the room: hearing from the people building immersive audio, games, live experiences and AI, and finding where their own creative skills fit.

The Friday Sandwich · Friday 13 November · Create Day

Morning · St Nicholas Church

Get inspired

Brazen industry talks: Spatial Audio, Immersion at Scale and Made in Bristol.

Midday · CFSW Employer Roundtable

Join the conversation

Chaired by Anna McGuire. Students sit at the table with employers and discuss the future of creative skills. Lunch provided.

Afternoon · Until 4pm

Explore and reflect

The Strange Peripherals gaming showcase at The Gaffe, then each student captures one role, one skill and one next step.

Three ways into Brazen

Tue 10 Nov

TechFirst AI Lecture

How large language models work, with speakers from Microsoft, Oracle, Aer Studios and the Met Office. St Mary Redcliffe Church.

Tue 10 & Thu 12 Nov

Free community sessions

AI in the creative industries, AI in the creative making process, and the power of acoustic spaces. The Station, Silver Street.

Fri 13 Nov

The Friday Sandwich

Talks, our Employer Roundtable and a gaming showcase. The shared FE day for consortium colleges.

CFSW is a community partner of Brazen Delivered with techSPARK About Brazen

Live test 02 · Student exhibition · 17 to 21 February 2027

THEIR WORK, ON PUBLIC WALLS.

Sparks is a creative hub in the old M&S on Broadmead, in the heart of Bristol's shopping centre. For a week, FE students' 2D and 3D work is what shoppers, families and employers walk into. Every college nominates work, a panel selects it, and every college is shown.

8pieces nominated by every college
40–50pieces selected by a panel
2+pieces on show from every college

Open to the public Wednesday 17 to Sunday 21 February 2027
Sparks Bristol, Broadmead
Student private view Thursday 18 February

About Sparks Bristol

Live brief · Open now

DESIGN THE BADGE.

Design the digital badge that creative employers across the South West will wear to show they back FE talent. Open to FE students at South West colleges, under 21 on 23 October, one entry each. Submit the final badge as a PNG, three development pages and the working files. The winner receives a £100 Amazon voucher, and their badge is used by employers across the region.

23 Oct · 13.30Deadline
2 NovIndustry panel meets
9 NovWinner announced
Read the brief

The industry panel

Judged by South West studios

Believe in

Blair ThomsonFounder & Creative Director

Exeter, Devon and Ontario, Canada

A design studio working across branding, graphic design and art direction, with studios in the UK and Canada.

Kingdom & Sparrow

Johnny PatonCreative Director & Founder

Falmouth, Cornwall

An independent branding and packaging design agency working with food, drink and lifestyle brands.

A-Side

Ross ImmsFounder & Creative Director

Redruth, Cornwall

A creative studio developing brands and campaigns for businesses, charities and NGOs.

Halo

Nathan HarrisCreative Lead

Bristol

A creative studio specialising in brand strategy, storytelling and design, with a focus on commercial and cultural impact.

ANDD Studio

Angus Young and James Denley-DuftonCo-founders

Cotswolds

A creative studio specialising in branding, graphic design, editorial design and illustration.

Salad Brand+Communication

Jon LockhartHead of Design

Bournemouth and London

A brand and communication agency with studios in Bournemouth and London.

For FE Colleges

YOUR
STUDENTS.
YOUR REGION.

Sixteen colleges across 24 campuses make up the consortium behind the FE Creative Festival. They have committed match funding, staff time and students, and Phase 2 is now under way with support from Arts Council England. This year is about testing the festival with real students and securing the venues and partners it needs. Not yet part of the consortium? We would like to talk.

Route One

Take Part in Phase 2

Put your students into this year's live tests: Brazen in November, the Sparks exhibition in February, and more activity to be announced. Each college names a lead who coordinates students, submissions and travel, and runs a short evaluation with their students. What we learn this year shapes the 2028 festival.

Get your college involved

Route Two

Festival Steering Group

Every consortium college can have a seat on the Festival Steering Group: one named representative, whatever the size of the college. The group shapes what the 2028 festival offers, from the programme and satellite locations to access and travel. It advises on the festival; decisions about the company stay with the CIC board.

Find out more

Route Three

Future Collaborations

We are exploring further ways for colleges to work with us in future. These include T Level industry placement partnerships across Digital and Creative, giving students structured experience within the project, and bid partnerships for programmes such as UFI VocTech, with colleges involved as co-applicants rather than recipients. If either interests you, we would like to talk.

Talk to us

Festival Steering Group · Phase 2

SHAPE THE
FESTIVAL.

Every consortium college can have a seat on the Festival Steering Group, with one named representative per college, whatever its size. The group shapes what the 2028 festival offers, so that what students study, make and need is what the festival delivers.

It first meets in October 2026, before anything is fixed. The group advises on the festival. Decisions about the company stay with the CIC board.

Take your college's seat Ask a question
Programme

Shape what the festival offers

The strands, workshops, showcases and industry encounters your students need.

Places

Bring the festival closer to home

Where the satellites go across the region, and what happens at each.

Students

Bring your students' voice in

What students need to take part, from travel and access to progression into creative careers.

Evidence

Learn from this year

Use what students and colleges tell us from this year's activity, so the 2028 festival is built on what works for them.

Industry partnership · Phase 2

WORKING
WITH US.

What we are asking of venues and partners for the FE Creative Festival for the South West, and what each ask involves. Pick any that fit, and we will tailor it to your programme.

Our asks · Five ways to be part of it

What we bring · You won't be doing it alone

Students and colleges

We recruit students through our 16 consortium colleges, who lead safeguarding.

Travel bursaries

Students' travel paid, so no one misses out on cost.

Production

Planning, scheduling and on-the-day support from our team.

Promotion

Your organisation credited across festival communications.

The Consortium

PARTICIPATING
CONSORTIUM
PARTNERS

Creative Futures South West brings together further education colleges and college groups from across the South West to shape the development of the FE Creative Festival.

Access Creative College
Bath College
boomsatsuma
Bournemouth and Poole College
City of Bristol College
Coastland College
Exeter and North Devon Colleges Group
Gloucestershire College
New College Swindon
SGS College
South Devon College
Truro and Penwith College
UCS College Group
Weston College
Wiltshire College and University Centre
Yeovil College

Each institution shown has given written permission to be listed as a consortium partner and for its logo to be used. All logos remain the property of their respective owners and are reproduced unaltered from officially supplied files.

For students

STUDYING A CREATIVE COURSE?

If you are on a creative or digital course at a further education college in the South West, you could take part in live briefs, exhibitions and industry events with us, and get your work seen by the people who work in the creative industries.

Ask your tutor how to take part. Every activity runs through your college, so your tutor can sign you up and help you get there.

Is my college involved? What's coming up
Now.

The sector has asked for this. The evidence is in place. The organisation exists.

Colleges across the South West told us their students lack access to the kind of industry encounters that change career trajectories. Cultural organisations told us they struggle to reach FE talent in a structured way. Industry told us the pipeline exists but the connection does not. Creative Futures South West CIC was formed to make that connection, and to make it last.

Read the full report Supported using public funding by Arts Council England
Dancers performing on stage
Young musicians performing
Young people together

The Directors

CC

Corrina Cooper

Executive Director

Corrina co-founded Creative Futures South West and brings 12 years’ experience across further education, including leadership of digital and creative provision. Her work includes rebuilding departments, launching specialist curricula in areas such as digital dentistry and festival education, and securing funding for educational and creative opportunities. She combines curriculum expertise with strategic leadership and industry partnership development, bringing a clear understanding of how education can respond to emerging sectors and open meaningful routes into work.

AM

Anna McGuire

Executive Director

Anna co-founded Creative Futures South West and has spent her career working across major UK festivals and cultural programmes, with leadership experience in partnerships, charitable programming and large-scale event delivery. Her work spans strategic development, cultural collaboration and the creation of meaningful opportunities for young people. She brings first-hand knowledge of festival infrastructure, a strong understanding of creative industry pathways, and a commitment to building ambitious, accessible opportunities across the region through collaboration between education and the cultural sector.

AM

Adam Morley

Independent Chair & Non-Executive Director

Adam brings experience across arts, culture and philanthropy, alongside further education governance and charity leadership. His background includes chairing NW7Hub/Mill Hill Library, financial oversight and developing effective governance arrangements. He combines an understanding of the creative sector with practical board experience, bringing independent judgement and constructive challenge to Creative Futures South West. His contribution supports the organisation’s strategic direction, responsible management and long-term sustainability.

PS

Peter Smith

Non-Executive Director: Community, Skills & Regional Partnerships

Peter brings extensive experience in economic development, regional partnerships and skills, including roles as Senior Policy Advisor in the Government’s Cities and Local Growth Unit and Head of Economy and Skills at Telford and Wrekin. His background also spans social enterprise and community development. He brings a practical understanding of how public and voluntary organisations work together, supporting Creative Futures South West’s ambitions to widen access and strengthen progression into the creative industries.

AM

Andrea Mahoney

Non-Executive Director: Education & Creative Sector Connections

Andrea works across creative skills development, education and cultural partnerships, with experience of developing programmes that connect young people with the creative sector. Her work includes Festival & Carnival Lab and building relationships that turn ideas into practical opportunities. She brings insight into the barriers young people face when entering creative careers, alongside a collaborative approach to strengthening connections between educators, communities and creative professionals across the South West.

Young people together, golden hour

Start a conversation

HELP US BUILD WHAT THE
South West needs.

Whether you are a college wanting to bring students, an industry organisation ready to invest in the region's talent pipeline, or a funder looking to back something that fills a genuine gap: there is a place for you here. We would like to hear from you.

Start a conversation See what's coming up Read the Report Follow us
Supported using public funding by Arts Council EnglandPhase 1 research supported using public funding by Arts Council England.