Flash Company Arts

Tag: sustainability

  • Circular Whitby

    A community wealth building initiative for local skills, making, mending and growing

    Circular Whitby is a small but powerful project exploring how we can keep value in Whitby. By developing new skills, supporting small scale production, fixing what we already have, and sharing knowledge across our community, we are building a steady culture of resilience and local opportunity.

    This pilot is supported with a small grant from the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority Community Wealth Building Fund, enabling us to test ideas and lay the foundations for long-term, locally owned growth.

    What Circular Whitby is doing

    Circular Whitby offers practical, hands-on activities to build skills, confidence, and connection:

    🍓 Whitby Jam

    Using locally grown or donated fruit, participants make jam, chutney, and preserves. This teaches production, labelling, costing, and micro-enterprise skills while creating a tangible product they can take pride in.

    🛠 Repair and Reuse

    Community-based repair sessions help people learn to mend clothing, furniture, and household items. These activities reduce waste, recover value, and keep useful items in circulation.

    🌱 Cooking, Growing and Creative Making

    Participants take part in small-scale growing, seed saving, and food-based learning to gain confidence and knowledge. Shared cooking sessions teach practical food skills while fostering social connection. Creative activities, including craft, music, and event-making, show that community wealth is social and cultural as well as financial.

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    Why Circular Whitby matters and how to get involved

    Circular Whitby exists because too much value leaves the town, too many skills remain unseen or unused, and too many resources are thrown away instead of repaired or reused. We believe that small acts like mending a chair, making jam, or growing herbs can lead to bigger change. This is not charity. This is capacity building.

    If you would like to take part, share skills, volunteer, donate materials, or simply follow our progress, we would love to hear from you.

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  • Grow your own!

    Flash Company Arts is a Community Interest Company (CIC) based in Whitby and proudly serves as the town’s designated Community Anchor Organisation (CAO). We are committed to empowering local communities, with a special focus on children and young people (CYP). We provide spaces for their voices to be heard and their ideas to shape our work.

    Our home, the Flowergate Hall Community Arts Centre, is a vibrant hub for arts and culture. It also hosts The People’s Fridge, a food surplus initiative that provides free food to families in need, tackling food insecurity in our community. By engaging with CYP in co-designed projects, we amplify their voices and ensure their aspirations guide our programming.

    Through ongoing collaboration with local families and organisations, we are building a stronger, more connected community where creativity, compassion, and support thrive.

    Flash Company Arts is excited to launch our new Grow Your Own project at the Prospect Hill Allotments in Whitby. This initiative aims to provide local residents with the opportunity to connect with the land, learn new skills, and grow their own food in a supportive, community-focused environment. The project is designed to encourage sustainable gardening practices, with a focus on local food production and environmental stewardship. By offering access to an allotment space, we hope to inspire individuals and families to take control of their food sources and gain a deeper appreciation for nature and the seasons.

    At the heart of the Grow Your Own project is a commitment to community engagement and inclusion. Whether you’re an experienced gardener or new to the world of allotments, the project is open to all. We are particularly focused on providing a space for families and individuals to come together and grow their own fresh produce. The allotment at Prospect Hill is not only a place to cultivate food but also a thriving, shared space for learning, creativity, and building lasting connections within the Whitby community.