Community arts centre requires multi-disciplinary design team for HLF Round 2 Application

Viva Arts and Community Group, a multi-award winning registered charity has a remit to engage the local community via inclusive activities and projects, promote community cohesion and personal development for young people, vulnerable adults and adults who are new to the community.

It was founded in 1997 by Daniel Schumann, who was only 17 at the time, and the charity is a beacon for youth-led community action through performance, cultural and heritage expression and exploration.

For more than 20 years the Group has focused on cultural outreach, award-winning multi-generational theatre productions, arts engagement and heritage projects. In 2010 Viva received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service – the MBE for Voluntary Groups.

The organisation is currently delivering an HLF-funded project about Cambridgeshire’s unique village college education system. As a result of these projects, Viva has developed a great deal of expertise and understanding of heritage interpretation and associated activity programming.

Despite Viva’s achievements, it has never had a ‘home’ and has been largely peripatetic which has limited the number of young people and vulnerable adults and wider community members who could be involved at one time.

Viva seeks to appropriately renovate the derelict mill and bring it back to life for the community as a self-sustaining business run by a successful social enterprise. The costs associated with hiring venues has also restricted the organisation’s reach but the regeneration of Spencer Mill will change this forever.

In February 2018, Viva Arts and Community Group submitted a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Heritage Enterprise programme to fund the Viva Spencer Mill Restoration Project. In June 2018, the HLF awarded the Viva Spencer Mill Restoration Project a first-round pass and the plans have already been drawn up to beyond RIBA 2 concepts and full planning permission is expected in September 2018. These can be found in the tender supporting documents.