Summer 2025 Newsletter: Major Breakthroughs & Growing Recognition
Celebrating The ACE Team with a special day trip! From The Box Media Lab at Plymouth University to the incredible Squidsoup Submergence light installation, then touring Soundart FM Community Radio Station. A brilliant opportunity for our rural North Devon young people to explore creative possibilities beyond their local area and see their skills in new environments.ned up possibilities they'd never considered.
Dear Community,
It's been an eventful few months since our last newsletter in April! We're excited to share some remarkable developments across both Ace Holds The Space and our social enterprise arm, Alignment Creation Enterprises.
Going forward, you'll receive one consolidated newsletter covering both entities - making it easier to follow our complete community impact story whilst respecting your inbox.
🌟 YOUNG VOICES IN HERITAGE™ - BREAKTHROUGH SUCCESS
The Story Behind Our Heritage Initiative
What started as experimental public podcasting work in Torrington back in 2022 has evolved into something extraordinary. Our curiosity about how audio work could support wellbeing led us down quite a journey of discovery.
It took three years to work out how to create the right conditions where young people could draw out stories from those who'd never felt comfortable being recorded before. Building young people's confidence to even attempt interviewing takes quite particular approaches - turns out there's quite a bit more to it than we first thought!
The young people who completed their journey with us chose to call themselves "The ACE Team" - which tells you everything about how they feel about what they've achieved.
Professional Recognition
This methodology has now gained recognition:
Museum of London Archaeology collaboration - documenting Bideford's maritime heritage
Academic research development - methodology being developed into peer-reviewed research
Heritage sector validation - professional institutions recognising effectiveness of approach
MOLA's feedback: "The young people were the crucial key component that made the event so interesting."
Real Outcomes & Recognition
Our young participants (aged 10-16) have achieved remarkable progress:
100% report increased social connections (documented in evaluation)
9 initial participants → 4 core "ACE Team" completers through our workshop series
MOLA heritage field experience - working alongside archaeologists documenting Bideford's maritime heritage (May 2025)
Celebration trip recognition - Plymouth University interactive exhibits and Soundart FM Community Radio Station visit (August 2025) thanking them for their incredible journey
Particularly transformative for home-schooled and isolated young people
Workshop Structure: Four blocks taking them from complete beginners through to working with archaeologists - Audio Art → Podcasting → Visual Media → Heritage Field Experience
What looks straightforward on paper actually involves quite a lot of behind-the-scenes work to make each session come together properly.
This field experience demonstrated their capability in real heritage documentation, whilst the recent celebration trip was our way of thanking them for their incredible journey.
You can see their work featured on MOLA's blog: cim.mola.org.uk/blogs/ace-holds-the-space
🚀 CREATIVE ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT - REAL TRANSFORMATION
April Workshop Success
Our Alignment Creation Enterprises workshop on "Creative Economic Empowerment" may have been intimate in numbers, but the impact has been profound. This workshop was facilitated by Erica Wolfe-Murray, founder of Lola Media and published author ("Simple Tips, Smart Ideas: Build a Bigger Better Business" - finalist in 2020 Business Book Awards) and supported by North Devon Council's Flourishing Culture Grant.
Participants are still talking about how the experience changed their perspective on their own economic potential. They're now:
Taking steps to protect their intellectual property
Making empowering decisions about their creative futures
Looking to start businesses with proper foundations
This demonstrates one of the key developments through our social enterprise arm - sustainable transformation through practical empowerment.
🏢 ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Streamlined Structure
We've enhanced our website to clearly show how both entities work together:
Ace Holds The Space Group Ltd - Professional media production and methodology development
Alignment Creation Enterprises - Community-focused delivery with 75% asset lock ensuring permanent community benefit
This structure allows us to serve different community needs whilst maintaining our core mission of empowering creative voices.
Recognition Growing
Council interest in our methodologies for youth development
Heritage sector validation through professional collaborations
Evidence-based outcomes supporting funding applications
Regional recognition as heritage education innovators
📈 LOOKING AHEAD - EXPANSION OPPORTUNITIES
PROJECT MANAGEMENT CAPABILITIES - HERITAGE SECTOR
We're expanding into heritage project management utilising our social enterprise arm for community engagement elements. This demonstrates our expertise in:
Professional project coordination with established heritage organisations
Creative community engagement integrated into heritage development
Methodology application across different heritage contexts
Multi-stakeholder coordination in sensitive heritage environments
This represents the natural evolution of our Young Voices in Heritage™ methodology into broader heritage sector applications.
Employment Pathway Success
One of our heritage workshop participants is now volunteering with our "A Sense in Nature" commission(supporting a community developer working with women from ethnic backgrounds on nature engagement through audio production) and moving toward potential paid employment - demonstrating our commitment to creating meaningful progression pathways that lead to real opportunities.
We've also supported a local 17-year-old student with employment whilst hosting two sets of virtual intern placements from Plymouth University, This shows our commitment to creating opportunities across different education pathways.
🤝 COMMUNITY COLLABORATION OPPORTUNITIES
Collaboration Development Interest
As we continue growing, we're seeking passionate individuals interested in joining our governance structure.
If you're interested in:
Transparent, accountable community development work
Supporting innovative approaches to creative empowerment
Heritage preservation through modern methodology
Strategic guidance of sustainable community initiatives
We'd love to hear from you. Board positions involve strategic guidance rather than operational tasks - perfect for people who want to contribute their expertise to meaningful community impact.
Workshop Interest
Are you interested in participating in future workshops? We're planning:
Heritage storytelling workshops (various age groups)
Creative economic empowerment sessions (individual practitioners)
Community audio production training
Intergenerational heritage experiences
Please reply and let us know what interests you most.
💡 WHY THIS MATTERS
Community Impact Evidence
Our work demonstrates that strategic investment in creative community engagement creates measurable outcomes:
Young people gaining confidence and skills
Heritage preservation through fresh approaches
Economic empowerment for creative practitioners
Sustainable community connections across generations
Professional Validation
The recognition from heritage professionals and academic institutions confirms that community-led creative work can achieve professional standards whilst maintaining authentic local connection.
📞 GET INVOLVED
Workshops: workshops@aceholdsthespace.com Collaboration Development: service@alignmentcreation.enterprises
General Contact: 07832 511119 Website: www.aceholdsthespace.com
Connect With Us
Learn more about Young Voices in Heritage™: Young Voices Heritage Page
Follow our professional recognition: MOLA blog features our methodology
Stay updated: All future newsletters will come from Ace Holds The Space Group covering both entities
🎯 QUICK RESPONSE OPPORTUNITIES
We'd love to hear from you about:
Workshop interest - Which initiatives appeal to you?
Board development - Interested in strategic community development governance?
Collaboration opportunities - Working with heritage sites, community groups, or educational settings?
Community stories - Heritage preservation projects in your area?
Simply reply to this email with your thoughts - every response helps us develop workshops that truly serve our community.
Thank you for being part of our community development journey. The recognition we're receiving reflects the quality of engagement and support from people like you.
Together, we're proving that creative community engagement creates lasting, measurable impact.
🙏 With Grateful Recognition
This work has been made possible through the generous support of UK Shared Prosperity Fund via Torridge District Council for initial equipment, Know Your Neighbourhood Fund via Libraries Unlimited for community development, and North Devon Council's Flourishing Culture Grant for creative empowerment workshops.
Our institutional collaborations with Libraries Unlimited, Bideford Library, and Museum of London Archaeologyprovide the professional foundation that enables this innovative work. We're especially grateful to the library staff, cultural development officers, and community supporters whose professional guidance transformed early ideas into measurable community impact.