08.05.26
WHY I BECAME AN IN-KIND SPONSOR FOR SUFFOLK SHORTS
Róisín McKenna Crick shares why she became an in-kind Sponsor for Suffolk Shorts and the impact it can have on young people in the area.
I’m so lucky to have been born and raised in Suffolk.
Big skies, fields galore, an amazing place for any child to let their imagination run wild. It’s a county rich in nature and amazingly generous people, but without even a city, cultural opportunities can feel limited.
As someone who grew up wanting to get into the creative industries, it felt impossible to get your foot in the door unless you either knew someone or had the means to go somewhere else where those opportunities were easier to find.
News clippings from Roisin's days at Drinkstone Youth Club in 1999/2000. The place to be on a Friday evening. Only made possible by funding, volunteers and sponsorships. The opportunities that did exist were usually community-led. A local arts programme, a youth project (big up Drinkstone Youth Club), a festival, a few people making something happen because they cared enough to do it. Usually, with not enough time or money, but an abundance of goodwill. These things are key to giving young people the right opportunities in life.
Through a competition back in the Noughties, I got the opportunity to review Ipswich Battle of the Bands organised by a creative scheme for young musicians, that sadly no longer exists. I still remember how exciting it felt to flex my journalism skills, even in a small way.
I remember being picked up by a taxi, all expenses paid, and being given a journalist’s badge and access to all the bands so I could interview them. It was a huge boost of confidence. As a teenager, it didn’t even cross my mind that any of it had been organised and paid for by other people.
Corn Exchange, Ipswich. Once home to Battle of the Bands.That experience only existed because someone, or a group of people, put time, energy and the right funding into creating it. It didn’t happen by accident. It was built by people who believed access to the arts should be open to everyone, not just those who could afford it or already knew their way in.
When you grow up without connections or personal funds, opportunities don’t always feel like they’re there for you. You don’t necessarily see a clear path into what you want to do. Sometimes, all it takes is one opportunity like that to open doors for people who are finding their way into these sometimes intimidating industries.
With arts funding being cut again and again in areas like ours, a lot of those entry points are harder to come by. And while the internet has opened up new ways to learn, share and create, it doesn’t replace what happens in real life: being in a room, meeting people, feeling part of something, and realising you belong there too.
Second iteration of Suffolk Shorts website since Roisin and Andrea came on board.That’s why festivals like Suffolk Shorts matter so much. They don’t just showcase work. They create access. They give people, especially those who might not otherwise see a way in, a place to start. And of course, they support independent businesses like local cinemas, giving audiences the chance to watch films that might not otherwise make it to the big screen.
That’s a big part of why I became an in-kind sponsor for Suffolk Shorts. While we’re still working out the mission and purpose of the studio we’re building, one thing has always been clear: we want to help people. So we knew we needed to make space for this kind of work from day one.
We didn’t want to wait until we felt financially comfortable. We treated this like any other project because we could see the long-term value, not just for the festival, but for us too. It’s helped us build something we believe in, while also shaping who we want to be as a business.
When I got to know the team and their ambitions for the festival, I knew I could offer something useful: time, skills and practical digital support to help build their online presence and reach more people.
My background is in digital production, so I’m used to bringing websites, campaigns and creative projects to life. Working out what needs to be done, shaping content, organising moving parts, thinking about the audience, and making sure whatever we produce actually works.
I’m not a traditional web designer or developer, but I know how good digital projects are built, and I know how to make things happen with the tools, time and budget available.
So I used that experience to build the Suffolk Shorts website in a way that felt true to the festival. A bit of strategy, a bit of structure, a bit of design thinking, and a lot of figuring things out as I went.
Roisin and Andrea in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.Luckily, I also have Andrea, my partner in crime, who comes from a developer background and has a brilliant eye for detail. She jumps in to help with the more technical bits when needed, and scrutinises my ideas until they look half-decent. Between us, we’ve helped the festival create a professional website that reflects their ambition and the quality of their work.
It’s become a creative outlet. A place to build something slowly, improve things bit by bit, and contribute to a wider cause.
The team cares so much about the festival and its future, which makes it very easy to want to contribute. It feels like a proper team effort, built on goodwill, ambition and a shared belief that Suffolk Shorts is becoming something really special.
Author:
Róisín McKenna Crick
In-Kind Sponsor and creator of Suffolk Shorts Website.