27/05/2026
EXCITING NEWS!
We are thrilled to let you all know that we are now registered as A Kick Up The Arts CIC.
This is a big read and hopefully explains what the CIC part of our business will be doing!
We are looking forward to next steps!
Mark & Sarah x
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Community Interest Statement / Activities
A Kick Up The Arts CIC exists to benefit the community by widening access to creativity, arts participation and cultural experiences across Torbay and wider South Devon, with a working base in Brixham. We will deliver inclusive, affordable creative opportunities that build confidence, skills, wellbeing and social connection for everyone.
Our activities will include (examples):
• Creative workshops and courses for adults, families and young people (e.g., visual arts, craft, community-making, performance/creative confidence).
• Schools and youth projects, including community parade-making (such as lantern-making programmes linked to local events), murals and accessing the curriculum through the arts.
• Projects that support disabled and neurodivergent participants (including accessible sessions and tailored delivery).
• Community commissions and public-realm artwork (e.g., murals, heritage interpretation artwork/boards, place-making projects).
• Community events, showcases and exhibitions that celebrate local creativity and bring people together.
• Multi-cultural arts events to celebrate and support diverse communities, including LGBTQ+, disabled & neurodivergent and marginalized communities.
• Partnership delivery with councils, schools, venues, community groups and festivals to co-design projects and remove barriers to participation (cost, confidence, accessibility).
We will deliver activity directly and by commissioning/contracting artists and freelancers where appropriate. We will provide clear safeguarding and risk management where activities involve children and vulnerable participants.
The Community We Serve
The community served will be the people who live, learn and work in Torbay (including Brixham, Paignton and Torquay) and neighbouring South Devon communities who can access our activities. We will particularly focus on people who face barriers to arts participation, including:
• Low-income households and individuals who cannot afford commercial arts activities.
• Disabled people and families (including learning disability) who benefit from inclusive, accessible provision.
• Neurodivergent adults and young people who benefit from supportive, confidence-building creative spaces.
• Isolated adults and people experiencing poor wellbeing who benefit from social connection through creativity.
• Community groups (e.g., home-education groups, local clubs, community centres) seeking creative activity.
Participation in our community-benefit activities will be open to all.
How Our Activities Benefit the Community (and are not Detrimental)
Community benefit
• Build confidence and self-expression through practical creative skill development.
• Improve wellbeing and reduce isolation by creating welcoming, supportive social spaces.
• Strengthen community cohesion by bringing people together in shared projects (including intergenerational activity).
• Increase local pride of place through creative public-realm projects and community-led events.
• Support learning and aspiration for children and young people through schools and youth engagement.
Not detrimental / safeguarding against private benefit
• Any trading or ticketed activity will be designed to support our community programme (for example through cross-subsidy) and will not be operated solely for private profit.
• We will keep community activity affordable and will provide subsidised/free places where possible, using grants, donations and trading surplus.
• Directors may be paid reasonable remuneration for work done for the CIC and reimbursed for legitimate expenses, but profits will not be distributed to members.
• Where activities involve children or vulnerable participants, we will apply safeguarding procedures, appropriate checks where required, and risk assessments.
Use of Surplus / Asset Lock
Any surplus (profit) generated will be used only to support and expand the CIC’s community-benefit activities. Surplus will be reinvested in, for example:
• Subsidising and expanding workshop provision, including free/low-cost places for people experiencing financial hardship.
• Paying artists/freelancers fair fees for delivering community activity.
• Purchasing materials and equipment for workshops and projects.
• Venue hire, access adjustments and outreach costs to reach underserved groups.
• Developing partnerships, training and quality improvement (including evaluation).
• Building modest reserves to support continuity of community services.
We understand and will comply with the CIC asset lock: assets and surpluses will be retained for community benefit and, on dissolution, transferred to another asset-locked body as set out in the Articles of Association.
Note for clarity:
Where founders have separate personal/sole-trader artistic income streams, those can remain outside the CIC. The CIC is intended to run the workshops, community projects and grant-funded/community-benefit activity.
