Creative industry unites to champion inclusivity in Portsmouth

We Connect 2025 took centre stage last week, drawing artists, organisations and cultural leaders for an accessible one-day event designed to explore how accessibility and lived experience can strengthen and develop Portsmouth’s creative sector.

The free conference, hosted by Portsmouth Creates in partnership with arts organisation This New Ground, featured three sessions of panel talks, workshops and skills sharing - from sensory poetry to innovating with iPads.

Disabled people and those with learning disabilities led the panels, shaping conversations and highlighting the importance of leadership and governance. Key figures attending from the arts and inclusive sectors included Access All Areas, All In (Arts Council England), Clarke Reynolds – known as Mr Dot, Head Over Wheels, StopGap Dance, The Hale, This New Ground, Tilley Milburn and Lizzie Banks, Tom Ryalls and Zoo Co.

Nathalie Russell-Clarke, Co-Director of This New Ground CIC, said: “For This New Ground, the day was about showing that artists with a learning disability are not just participants in culture, but leaders shaping its future. We hope it also served as a call to action for the local arts community, to open up spaces, share power, and ensure learning-disabled voices are central in shaping the cultural life of our city.”

Mr Dot said: “We Connect 2025 was a great day made even more special because everyone in that room was there to make a difference in inclusion in the creative sector – not just talking about making a difference, which can happen a lot.

“Inclusion is for everyone. No matter our different abilities, we can bring innovations that create integration if only we are given opportunities, and this event highlighted that potential.”

Andy Grays, CEO of Portsmouth Guildhall Trust, added: “The event was more than inspiring – it will shape our work going forward. As a venue, we regularly receive riders from artists, and the access rider session gave me a fresh perspective and a new way to approach them. Events like We Connect are so valuable; they bring us together, create space to learn, share and develop our practice.”

Discussions from We Connect 2025 will also feed into a forthcoming Involvement Manifesto, designed to capture and build on the ideas shared at the conference. More details will follow in the coming weeks as this is shaped and led by the team at Portsmouth Creates.

Gemma Nichols, CEO of Portsmouth Creates, said: “Every year our We Connect Conference makes a huge difference to local creative organisations. They not only spark much-needed conversations on important topics, but they also equip those within the arts sector with the skills and support they need to lead programmes with confidence.

“We would like to thank everybody who attended and made 2025 such a huge success, and we look forward to seeing the creative work that will come from the connections and collaborations forged on this unforgettable day.”

For more information on Portsmouth Creates please visit: portsmouthcreates.co.uk.