2026 funded projects

• Castleford Male Voice Choir ran a free community festival at Wakefield Exchange to celebrate their 100th anniversary

• Horbury Community Centre Trust will offer four creative summer holiday workshops for children and their families. There will be a final show of new work as part of a wider exhibition

• Noisy Cow Theatre Co CIC will present a new live musical theatre showcase at Wakefield Exchange. It will feature hit songs from well-known productions

• Smawthorne Welfare Action Team will run creative arts activities at their summer gala in Smawthorne Park

• Fanfare Music will run three week‑long creative music summer programmes for young people in Ossett

• Samantha Lawson will deliver a creative reading programme for young people in Knottingley and Castleford

• The Optima Collective CIC will run two programmes of creative music wellbeing for adults

In 2026, Culture Grants are supported by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Nature Season programme. This programme of nature-themed cultural activity spans all five West Yorkshire councils.

The following recipients form the Wakefield Council Culture Grants 2026 Nature Season programme:

• Groundwork Yorkshire will run a programme of nature-based creative workshops. These will run at Frickley Country Park and Fryston Country Trails

• Grow Wakefield will deliver courses in creative nature crafts. They will run from their woodland camp at Fieldhead Hospital

• Lo-Fi Alchemists will run nature-based creative workshops, inspired by Wakefield’s fabric dyeing heritage. There will be a final exhibition of work created

• Open Country will run a programme of accessible sessions in parks across the district. They will enable disabled adults to enjoy creative, nature based activities

• The Art House will offer nature-based creative activities for communities in green spaces and their urban garden.

• The Hepworth Wakefield will deliver creative nature-themed activities in their gardens. They will also offer creative play sessions at outdoor community events and galas.

• Yorkshire Sculpture Park will provide nature-themed artist led workshops for partner communities and school groups. They will also develop CPD for teachers and a nature-themed community resource.

• Wakefield Music Collective ran the two-day Clarence Wild Spirit Festival 2026. The live music event featured guided woodland walks and creative nature-based workshops

To find out more about Nature Season events across West Yorkshire, visit: www.explorewestyorkshire.com

• Story Trails will develop a new storytelling show for all ages with a tour across the district - it will explore Wakefield district’s historic ‘witch’ folks and legends