A permanent local institution
An independent board, professional leadership and a clear public purpose, accountable to the place it serves.
More Than Bricks · The vision we are building towards
Local stories.
National ambition.
Lasting prosperity.
Imagine a network of towns across the UK, celebrated for the history, character and hidden talent that have too often gone unrecognised.
Imagine their streets alive with art, music, theatre and food. Visitors travelling from across the world to experience something they can only find there. Local people creating the work, shaping the story and sharing in the value it generates.
This is what we want to build. And we are looking for the first people and organisations to help fund its development.
An early-stage vision from Moutrey Creative Enterprises. No funding has yet been secured. The images and proposed model show our ambition, rather than an announced programme.
The national ambition
A cultural economy built on people and place.
Britain’s towns hold extraordinary stories. Industrial ingenuity, seaside traditions, migration, music, craft and everyday life have shaped places with something distinctive to share. We want to give that character a bigger stage.
More Than Bricks imagines a network of locally led cultural institutions: commissioning artists, bringing underused spaces to life and connecting performance, food, hospitality and local businesses into an experience worth travelling for.
The ambition is to turn creativity into lasting local value: paid work, stronger businesses, skills, reasons to visit and reasons to stay. Each town would lead with its own identity, while a national network shares work, resources and audiences.
We want to build an economy that uses its own ambition, resources and craft to generate income for its communities. A model sustained by earned revenue, private support and long-term capital, rather than taxpayer funding.
Local roots. National reach.
Independent places. Shared possibility.
An illustrative network across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Each place retains its identity and local leadership.
A possible network, rooted in local identity
Example locations only, not confirmed partners or a ranking of deprivation. The map is illustrative rather than a precise geographic plan.
The 16 illustrative locations
Blackpool; Hartlepool; Mansfield; Boston; Great Yarmouth; Lowestoft; Hastings / St Leonards; Margate; Weston-super-Mare; Torquay; Rhyl; Merthyr Tydfil; Greenock; Ayr; Ballymena; Coleraine.
The proposed foundations
One institution. A whole town of possibilities.
A locally governed cultural institution with the people, resources and partnerships to build lasting capacity.
Artists and audiences
Year-round development, paid creative opportunities, learning and participation, alongside an ambitious annual cultural season.
Places brought to life
Underused shops, civic buildings and public spaces connected to studios, galleries, workshops, performance and local trade.
A joined-up visitor experience
Travel, wayfinding, accessible venues, accommodation, food and evening transport planned as part of the cultural experience.
A resilient income model
Permanent capital for core capacity, alongside earned income, sponsorship and philanthropy for an ambitious programme.
Evidence that matters
Baselines and transparent reporting on local participation, paid work, visitor activity, business benefit and financial resilience.
Imagine the high street
A high street with more reasons to stay.
Performance, gathering and a welcoming front door to the season. These architectural impressions explore what activated spaces could feel like.
All images below are illustrative concept renders and mockups—not photographs of delivered projects, confirmed venues or a bookable programme. Select any image to view it full-size.
The street becomes part of the programme
Everyday routes become places to pause, encounter live work and gather.
Theatre in unexpected places
A shopfront becomes an intimate space for performance, with the town visible beyond it.
A welcoming place to begin
A visitor and guest hub brings information, tickets and local knowledge together.
Sixteen weeks. A town full of possibility.
The town takes centre stage.
A locally curated season spanning art, theatre, music, dance, film, words, food and drink. The town’s identity leads; More Than Bricks supports it.
Each season would open with a locally shaped parade and street celebration, bringing community groups and invited performers together. A closing performance and celebration would mark what the town has made and shared.
A season with a beginning and a finale
An illustrative sixteen-week programme, from an opening celebration to a shared closing event.
Art, culture and a taste of the place
A programme that connects performances and participation with local food, drink and hospitality.
Your town. Your programme.
Editorial and design led by the place and its artists, rather than a standardised national identity.
One connected visitor experience
Print, booking, tickets and artist access designed as parts of the same welcome. These are design concepts, not a live booking service.
Design · Launch · Transfer · Independence
A proposed path to local independence.
First, we need the support to research, cost and test the vision. If that work establishes a viable model and the necessary funding is secured, our ambition is a four-year establishment process that progressively transfers responsibility to local leadership.
- Year 01
Design & establish
Shape the institution, recruit its founding board, develop the capital strategy and plan property, partnerships and programme.
- Year 02
Launch
Deliver and evaluate the first major season. MCE and the local executive team co-lead implementation as operating systems take root.
- Year 03
Transfer
The local institution leads, with targeted support from MCE and clear tests of financial, operational and governance capability.
- Year 04
Independence
The local board and team hold full operational responsibility. Any continuing MCE or network relationship is optional and separately agreed.
This is an illustrative sequence after development, funding and agreements—not a funded timetable. Progress would depend on evidence, resources and readiness at each stage.
Your town remains your town
Local identity.
Local leadership.
Lasting independence.
Each place should be unmistakably itself.
- Independent governance. A local board with the skills, accountability and community connections to act in the institution’s interests.
- A stronger local cultural ecology. Work with existing artists, venues and organisations, identify gaps and create additional opportunity.
- Community influence. Structured participation for residents, young people, businesses and access representatives.
- Artistic independence. Transparent partnerships and safeguards against control by any single sponsor, company or public body.
- National connection. A future network could share resources and opportunity while protecting local autonomy.
Designed for longevity
Build the foundations. Keep creating value.
Our ambition is for the cultural activity to create the income and relationships that help it endure. The proposed model combines long-term capital, a professional local team and income from several sources.
An endowment is one option we want to test for supporting core capacity. Ticket sales, creative commissions, commercial partnerships, sponsorship and philanthropy could support the programme. Local hospitality, retail and visitor services would help spread the economic benefit beyond the institution itself.
The intended funding model is private support and self-generated revenue, rather than taxpayer funding. That is a design ambition we still need to demonstrate through research, realistic costs and tested income assumptions.
The capital strategy, costs and income assumptions remain to be developed and tested. The benefits described here are goals, not guaranteed outcomes.
The first step is support
Help turn the ambition into a credible plan.
We have a vision. We do not yet have the funding to realise it. We are seeking founding supporters, donors and sponsors who want to help fund the work that comes first.
Fund the development
Early support would help us research the model, build credible costs and income forecasts, develop governance and create a practical route from ambition to delivery.
Build a meaningful partnership
We want to work with sponsors and commercial partners whose resources, expertise and reach can help make the vision viable, with a clear purpose and agreed contribution.
Create shared value
Our ambition is tangible benefit for supporters as well as communities: purposeful brand partnerships, distinctive cultural experiences, relationships with creative talent and evidence of local impact. Specific benefits would be developed and agreed together.
Where we are now
The vision, and the work ahead.
What are you asking for now?
Initial development funding and founding support. We are looking for donors, sponsors and partners who can help us turn the vision into a researched, costed and deliverable plan.
Is More Than Bricks funded or launching soon?
No funding has yet been secured and there is no confirmed launch date. This page is a vision and inspiration board. The places, images, example seasons and poster dates illustrate what we want to build.
What would early funding make possible?
Research and feasibility work, financial modelling, development of the governance and capital strategy, and the design of a credible first phase. The scope, budget and reporting for any funded work would be agreed with its supporters.
What could supporters receive?
We want support to create tangible value. Depending on the relationship, that could include recognition, cultural experiences, creative collaborations, sponsorship rights and reporting on the work their support enables. No packages or benefits are confirmed; each relationship would need clear terms.
Are you choosing towns or recruiting volunteers?
Not at this stage. The immediate focus is securing the resources and founding support to develop and test the vision. The map illustrates the scale and reach of the ambition; it is not a town selection process.
How would the model sustain itself?
The ambition is a combination of earned income, private sponsorship, philanthropy and long-term capital, rather than taxpayer funding. We need to test whether that combination can sustain the institution and create lasting local benefit.
What is Moutrey Creative’s role?
MCE originated the vision and would lead its initial creative, commercial and organisational development. The intended long-term structure is independent local leadership, connected through a national network.
Is this an investment offer?
No. This page shares a development-stage vision and invites conversations with potential supporters. It does not offer a financial product or promise a return. Any donation, sponsorship or commercial arrangement would be discussed and documented separately.
Start here
Help build what comes next.
If you share the ambition, we would like to hear from you. Let’s discuss how your support could help fund and develop it.
For prospective founding supporters, donors, sponsors and strategic partners. This is an initial conversation, with no commitment made through this form.
More Than Bricks
For stronger towns.
Brighter tomorrows.
