As he passes the reins to new Chair, Gavin Stride, David Bryan CBE looks back at his time with Creative Lives and shares his thoughts for the future . . .

"I’ve enjoyed my time at Creative Lives. I think it is an amazing success story. The organisation has had the courage to ask difficult questions of itself and act. As with many organisations it has dithered at times and needed a nudge but eventually it has made the right decisions. Creative Lives has constantly sought to be relevant - a relevance made more complex by being part of an ever-changing landscape.

When I joined Voluntary Arts, I was struck by the incredible work being done, supported and amplified. There were small local projects that were touching the hearts of everyday people in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland. Ireland and England. There were so many life altering projects that on the one hand I wanted to replicate in different places and a worry that we were spreading ourselves too thin without a strategic focus. 

We held onto an obsession with being a passive intermediary body, when we were an active connector, producer and micro-funder. We had evidence of the value and impact of everyday creativity coming out of our ears. Our teams were providing emotional support to the tired local champions that made things happen out of a love for where they live, mostly with minimal resources. A willingness to give of themselves, voluntarily, borne out of a love for humanity. Even when some got paid it was not the driving factor, there was a sense of local focus and commitment. I wanted Creative Lives to be the credible organisation that shouted from the rooftops about the richness that exists. 

I found supporting local champions affirming. We do care for each other, and this is not a random one-off but a pattern of our unnoticed lives. Our world was changing before Covid and it continues to do so as we carry the legacy of the pandemic forward with the shroud of austerity far from lifted. Those who have become reliant on ‘old acts of benevolence’ are stressed as the funds are no longer available. This has and will result in less ambition and innovation as those that feel entitled panic rather than be inventive with less.

Communities that have always had little have not had the indulgence of being awash with funds to become dependent. 
Now that everyday creativity is on the ascendency it is vital that we continue to praise the local champions and their unrelenting commitment to making things happen with very little.  The Creative Lives board has been a powerhouse for change and I hope that it will continue to do so."