Three Rivers, which is hosted by Peabody, has today been awarded a significant grant as part of Arts Council England’s Creative People and Places portfolio. The £1m fund will support it to deliver its new Hello Earth project over the next three years.
Scott Burrell, Director of Three Rivers, said: “Our programme has been made with, and by, thousands of people from across the borough. They have worked with us since 2019 to challenge where culture can be encountered and who can make it. Recognition of this by Arts Council England is a testament to their hard work and imagination.
“Three Rivers' ambition is to grow a nationally recognised and celebrated community-arts movement, rooted right here in Bexley. This funding will enable us to support more communities to engage with arts and culture by experiencing their local surroundings in new creative ways.”
Next year Three Rivers will launch Hello Earth, named after a song by the area's best known cultural figure, Kate Bush. This will see the delivery of a series of creative community projects to bring underused or forgotten spaces back to life. The projects will run alongside major new commissions along the Thames, Cray and Shuttle — the three rivers that give the organisation its name — including a new art trail.
Hello Earth is inspired by Bexley’s many ‘Friends of’ groups, teams of local volunteers who care for places around the borough on behalf of local communities.
Afia Yeboah, resident and Co-Chair of Three Rivers said ”Bexley is our place and it’s undergoing significant changes. We really wanted to find a way for different communities to come together and respond to the issues that matter to them locally.
“Many of the people we talked to explained that reviving the empty playgrounds, shops and parks in their neighbourhoods to restore a sense of civic pride mattered most.”
Launching in April 2026, Hello Earth will build on the work Three Rivers is already doing in the borough to reach more people.
Recent work by Three Rivers includes a successful programme at Tump 39 in North Thamesmead, where a group of 45 volunteers now run an arts and ecology space at the former Royal Arsenal munitions site. The unique urban wilderness was disused and inaccessible to the public before the Friends of Tump 39 were formed by Three Rivers in 2023.
The new funding will enable residents across the borough to run similar projects to give spaces in their neighbourhoods a new lease of life.
Scott added: “Hello Earth is all about answering the question “how can we be mates with our place? as a community. There will be lots of creative ways for people to help bring gardens, playgrounds, bandstands and even rivers back to life.
The funding from Arts Council England will also be invested in developing The South East Way, a group of 12 to 18-year-olds who run their own stage at the annual Thamesmead Festival, sponsored by Peabody. This will help more young people to develop skills and experience in the creative industries.
Three Rivers has already engaged with over 75,000 local people since 2019 through its social arts programmes. More than 5,000 residents have participated in co-creating its arts and culture projects.
Peabody is supporting Three Rivers as part of their long-term commitment to make culture part of everyday life in Thamesmead.
Adriana Marques, Peabody’s Assistant Director of Cultural Programme and Strategy, said: "It's great to host the Three Rivers programme and see its continuation for another three years. Since 2019, Three Rivers have been listening, celebrating and collaborating with local people across Bexley. They have ensured that culture becomes a part of daily life for so many people, and their programmes have shown how vital creativity is around our homes and neighbourhoods.
“We look forward to supporting them as they continue to expand and deepen their impact, alongside our cultural programmes at Peabody."
Stay up to date with Three Rivers and Hello Earth at www.threeriversbexley.org or follow @threeriversbexley on Instagram.