Image: Citizens Design Bureau
Galleon Arts Centre is entering an exciting new chapter and you could be part of shaping what comes next.
Galleon Community Centre in Barking was opened in 1980. It was refurbished as an arts centre in 2021 but closed in 2023 after the organisation that managed it ceased trading. It partially reopened in 2024 with activities and events organised by a freelance team.
If you live or work in Barking and Dagenham you're invited to help us imagine Galleon Arts Centre, a community and cultural space on Boundary Road.
Imagine Galleon Together
Help Shape the Future of Galleon Arts Centre
Help Shape the Future of Galleon Arts Centre
If you live in Barking and Dagenham:
In June 2025, a Citizens’ Panel made up of local residents will meet to develop an outline plan for the future of the Galleon Arts Centre. This plan will guide how the centre reopens and serves the community in the years to come.
The panel will be formed through a civic lottery in May 2025, ensuring that it reflects the diverse population of Barking and Dagenham.
Panel members will receive:
£200 in shopping vouchers plus support with costs of participation, such as caring or access costs.
Residents of Barking and Dagenham can sign up here for a chance to be selected.
If you prefer, you can share your views about Galleon Arts Centre here. Please do this by the end of May so that your views can feed into the citizens’ panel.
Image: Galleon Arts Centre, Pivotal/Her Day - Photographer: Lexie A
Help design the citizens’ panel
If you are a creative practitioner or work in the cultural or community sectors, you can help shape the panel. What questions or evidence should the panel consider? You can share your views via a online questionnaire by 31st May, or if you prefer to attend a meeting, you can sign up by 22nd May.
If you want to engage with this process but cannot afford to then payments for meetings will be available.
If you have any questions which are not answered here, please email galleon@creativebd.org.uk
If you work in Barking and Dagenham
Image: Galleon Arts Centre, Pivotal/Her Day, Photographer: Lexie A
“Barking and Dagenham is a place full of creative people and energy. When it fully reopens, Galleon Arts Centre will be a much-needed resource for local people to be creative and participate in culture, and importantly it will be designed for and by Barking and Dagenham citizens.”
— Sarah Wickens, Director of Programme
