Creative Moorlands – Quarterly Meets
A chance to meet other creatives
Creative Moorlands is a place for artists and creatives across the Moorlands to gather, share information about what they’re working on, build new networks, find out about funding opportunities, share resources, and find ways to support and inspire one another.
This is a chance to meet other creatives from across the Moorlands, and to get updates from the OUTSIDE team and the local council team about their upcoming plans.
There will be refreshments provided, including fresh cakes and a range of hot and cold drinks.
Next Meet:
When – Friday 9th October 2026 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Where – NSCG Leek College, Stockwell St, Leek ST13 6DP
What will we be doing at Creative Moorlands Autumn Meet
For our next Creative Moorlands Meet, we’re delighted to be joined by Susan Clarke, Executive Director of Stoke Creates, for a session all about turning creative ideas into reality and building projects that can thrive.
From Dream to Reality: Building Creative Projects That Last
Susan Clarke will lead this Creative Moorlands networking session, drawing on 40 years of experience in arts, culture, theatre, outdoor arts, participatory event making and cross-sector collaboration. As co-founder of the UK’s first women-led outdoor arts company, a leader in Stoke-on-Trent’s City of Culture bid, and now Executive Director of Stoke Creates, Susan brings practical insight into how creative ideas can become meaningful, funded and sustainable projects. The session will offer space for artists, creatives and cultural organisations to reflect on their own ambitions, explore practical routes to making work happen, and connect with others across the Moorlands creative network.
Dream to reality – How do you take a creative idea from an exciting possibility to something that can actually happen? Susan will share lessons from her own projects and experiences of collaborative working.
How to make it pay – Creative ambition needs practical foundations. Explore ways to develop sustainable projects, find opportunities and build partnerships that can help creative ideas thrive.
Q&A – An open conversation with Susan. Bring your questions, ideas, challenges or early-stage dreams and get the chance to explore them together.
As always, Creative Moorlands will also offer plenty of time to meet and connect with other artists and creatives from across the Moorlands, share what you’re working on and hear about opportunities and updates from OUTSIDE.
Read more about Susan below:
Susan Clarke has worked for 40 years in arts and culture. In 1985 in Stoke-on-Trent she co-founded the UK’s first women led outdoor arts company, Beavers, later B- arts. Her background is in theatre and participatory event making for non theatre spaces. She specialises in collaborations within and across sectors . In 2014 she headed up the opening of a real bread bakery in a disused warehouse, launching a programme of projects combing arts and food justice. In 2017 Susan led the creative programme team for Stoke’s bid to be City of Culture. She is now the Executive Director of Stoke Creates a strategic company that emerged from the City of Culture bidding process. Stoke Creates is laying the foundations for everyone to make and enjoy arts and culture and to pursue a career in the arts. To date Susan has worked across three continents and four decades. She’ll always find time to sit and chat about projects and lives to see ideas become reality. She believes that everyone has something to bring to the table to make a project happen and collaborative working is her superpower. Susan loves nurturing big dreams and putting the building blocks in place to deliver them. She is a granny, a gardener and a proud resident of the Staffordshire Moorlands.
Following feedback, we are pleased to introduce an opportunity for you to share your work with the group.
We invite you to get in touch to sign up for a 5‑minute slot to talk about your work. If you are a recipient of a Creative Community Commission, we would particularly love to hear about your experience of the process and your exciting new project.
Timings and arrival
Please arrive from 10.30am for informal networking and refreshments, ready for the session to begin at 11am.
When you arrive at Leek College, please go to reception and sign in as a visitor. A member of the team will meet you there and show you where to go.
Parking: There is no general visitor parking on site. Pay-and-display public car parks are available nearby, including Stockwell Street, Buxton Road (Earl Street) and High Street car parks.
Access Info: Leek College has step-free wheelchair access, accessible toilets and lifts available within the building.
At OUTSIDE we have a flexible approach to access – if you would like a further conversation or if you have any queries, please get in touch.
For anyone who can’t make it to Leek College for the meet, we are offering this option so you can join online over Zoom! Book your FREE tickets here.
Any questions about this event, please email hello@outsidearts.org