2026 Norfolk & Suffolk Culture Board Summit
Norfolk & Suffolk Culture Board Summit 2026
Held on the 21st October 2026, at the Ipswich Corn Exchange, over 150 sector leaders from arts, culture, academia, sport, local authority, Arts Council England and self-employed creatives from across Norfolk and Suffolk, came together for the Norfolk and Suffolk Culture Board Summit 2026.
Norfolk & Suffolk Culture Board (NSCB) is an independent collaborative of cultural leaders, coordinated by Norfolk & Suffolk County Councils. See their website here: https://norfolksuffolkculture.co.uk/
Stephen Crocker, Culture Board Member, Chief Executive & Creative Director of Norwich Theatre, was the host for the day, on a packed agenda which included:
- Exploring cultural and public sector leadership, asking: what’s working, what’s next, and what’s needed?
- Launching The Land is all View the Board’s call for culture led environmental action.
- Creating space for colleagues to network and debate issues together.
- Asserting the need for action and cultural leadership in the region.
- Building a powerful, collaborative approach.
Louise Jordan-Hall, Chair of the Norfolk & Suffolk Culture Board, updated the summit with the NSCB progress since delegates gathered in Great Yarmouth in 2024.
Local MP the Rt Hon Jack Abbott, then talked about the City of Culture Bid. Consequently the bid was brought to a halt the next day, when the news was announced that Ipswich hadn’t made the shortlist. Disappointing news for the region, but all is not lost as the work that has been catalysed by the application, will now be built upon and strengthens the civic and cultural offer already available within Ipswich.
A panel discussion lead by Stephen Crocker, Chief Executive & Creative Director of Norwich Theatre, with Natalie Jode, Executive Director of Creative Arts East, Chris Gribble, CEO of the Forum Trust, Norwich, and Genevieve Christie, CEO of First Light Festival, discussed culture and local, public sector, leadership: what’s working, what’s next and what’s needed?
The discussion then moved to the 15 tables, where participants discussed devolution and ideas around how an elected Mayor in 2028, could make the biggest difference to culture in our rural and coastal communities, towns and city?
Daniel Brine, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of the Norfolk & Norwich Festival & Amber Massie Blomfield, Founder of Fern Culture, then launched The Land is all View, the Board’s call for culture led environmental action.
Natalie Jode, then delivered an update on the work being undertaken to develop the Norfolk & Suffolk Region for Creative Health (RoCH), the Board’s Creative Health Programme. You can read more about the RoCH here:The Region of Creative Health (RoCH)
Genevieve Christie then delivered an update on work being undertaken to develop The East of England Creative Industries Board, with Kath Cockshaw, highlighting the work being undertaken to review Self-Employment in the Region’s Culture Sector.
The afternoon session, provided an opportunity for the participants in the room to discuss the topics in more detail, with each table being given an area to focus on from Environment, Culture Value Statement, Creative Health, Creative Industries and Self-employed. The overarching question was: If the Culture Board could make progress on just one or two things over the next year, what should they be?
The final panel discussion of the day featured Anthony Missen, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of DanceEast, Owen Calvert-Lyons, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds, Julia Devonshire, Co-Director of Original Projects and Clare Hubery, Culture and Leisure Manager at Norwich City Council to reflect upon the discussions, provocations and themes raised thought the day.
The day felt very productive, with a collective recognition around how culture and creativity is not just a “nice to have” but actively contributes towards healthier communities, stronger connections, environmental change and economic opportunities for young people and thriving regions, across Norfolk and Suffolk.
For ways to add your voice to the Norfolk and Suffolk Creative Health eco-system, join the new Creative Health Interest Meetings (CHIMe) and/or sign up to the Creative Health Mailing List to be kept informed of developments happening across the regions.
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