Customs House – over the last 25 years.

The first day of a new millennium was the start of a new era for The Customs House, and for me.

I knew the venue well through years of performing there, but I was leaving a steady and secure public sector job as a lecturer at South Tyneside College to lead a venue whose future was by no means certain – I was the fifth director in five years.

Not unusually for the arts, the job became a vocation. stories about the area that are written by local writers, performed by local actors and designed and lit by local creatives.

We have told so many stories through brilliant musicals and plays which have reflected our communities. Several have gone on to be shared with other communities across the world.

I was delighted with a 14-week tour of Arts Council England supported Follow The Herring – we toured a knitted boat with community choirs and held an arts exhibition in 12 coastal communities.

The Awkward Squad, about the role of women in the Miners’ Strike ended up in the West End, and then our excellent musicals written by Tom and John, the last being Dolly Mixtures which told the unknown story of eight incredible women.

These and our award-winning pantomimes gave the community reasons to care: from youth theatre to ukuleles, from community choirs and big bands, breakdancing to live art classes they understand art is for them – and the venue is theirs.

The Lockdown demonstrated that ownership when the local community raised over £140,000 to make sure we could reopen. Over the same period of time South Tyneside Council remained firm supporters.

Only this week the Arts Council reaffirmed its commitment to The Customs House with the announcement of more than £446,200 of funding for the venue from its Capital Investment Programme.

This generous new award, thanks to Government funding, will lead to important new infrastructure improvements to the ageing but much-loved building.

This is more evidence of Arts Council England’s long-term commitment which started with a vital intervention when I first took over, providing funding and helping us with a recovery plan, and again when the pressures of austerity pushed us towards the precipice.

More recently I was thrilled to see the bold redistribution of arts funding which has certainly recognised our work.

In November 2022 the Arts Council named South