Natalie Fleet MP visits Platform Thirty1 to celebrate grassroots creative work
Bolsover MP Natalie Fleet has praised the work of local charity Platform Thirty1 during a visit to meet the team and hear about their efforts to support creativity and community in Bolsover and the surrounding areas. Natalie met with staff and artists at the organisation’s Mansfield base last week to discuss how arts and culture projects are helping children, young people, and women across the constituency — particularly in working-class communities.
Founded nine years ago by Sam and Jo, Platform Thirty1 has grown from a small community project into an award-winning, woman-led charity. It now employs six staff and works with more than 20 freelance artists, delivering creative programmes supported through grants and commissions.
The charity was recently recognised at the Best of Bolsover Awards 2025, where it won the Arts & Culture Award for its work bringing communities together, preserving local heritage, and using creativity to empower residents.
Natalie spoke with the team about the importance of continued investment in the creative sector and how grassroots organisations like Platform Thirty1 are making a real difference on the ground locally around the area.
Programmes run by the charity include youth leadership and holiday workshops, where young people lead weekly creative sessions for local children; heritage and community projects like Home Truths, which connect residents with Bolsover’s local history; creative support for women and children in refuges, offering safe spaces for expression and wellbeing; and Lean On, a leadership programme helping women in Bolsover step into roles within the creative industries.
Natalie said: “We have so much local talent. Platform Thirty1 are doing vital work by giving children, young people, and women the chance to thrive through creativity.
"I’ll keep working with them and speaking up for their sector in Parliament to make sure organisations like this get the recognition and support they deserve.”
Platform Thirty1’s team say the award has helped shine a light on the potential of creativity to strengthen community ties and improve wellbeing.
They are now focused on building long-term partnerships and continuing to give local people the tools to lead creative change in their own communities.
For more information, visit www.platformthirty1.co.uk