Festival Opportunities
Our Opportunities
Board Member Recruitment
Arts by the Sea is looking for two new Board Members. For an opportunity to be part of the team improving the lives of local people by providing access to creative and cultural activity, read on for more information.
As a member of the board, you will provide strategic governance and oversight to the festival, supporting and challenging the Executive team, have a direct impact on the work the festival delivers and on the creative opportunities available to local people.
You will be expected to attend a minimum of 3 out of 4 board meetings per year, with a time commitment of a minimum of 6 hours per quarter.
How to Apply
If you are interested in becoming a Board Member, please send an email to Leigh Hayler (leigh.hayler@bcpcouncil.gov.uk)
Your CV and a covering letter of no more than 2 pages (or a 3-minute video) detailing
what interests you most about this role and what you could bring to it.
- A completed Skills and Experience form. (Download form here)
If you would like to discuss the role further, please contact Andrea Francis, Festival Director
at andrea.francis@bcpcouncil.gov.uk
Please note this is not a paid role.
CREATE! 2026
Applications are now CLOSED for Create! 2026.
CREATE! 2026 is a FREE course being delivered in Spring 2026 for those who are based in Dorset and BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole) with less than 2 years experience in the arts sector.
You will learn how artistic events are created from start to finish and take part in workshops led by experienced professionals.
Topics include:
- What makes a great event?
- Building a network
- How do community-led projects work?
- Financing a creative idea
- Where can events happen?
- Marketing and audience identification
- What is risk management?
Participants on the course also have an opportunity, at the end of the course (using skills learned during the course and documents they have been introduced to) to pitch a creative idea which Activate Performing Arts, b-side, and Arts by the Sea will offer constructive feedback on. The most successful pitches are offered seed-funding to further develop their ideas.
With creative learning sessions taking place across Dorset, the participants take part in the workshop sessions together, where there are opportunities for connection and spaces to see different types of artistic work.
Board Member Recruitment
Arts by the Sea is looking for two new Board Members. For an opportunity to be part of the team improving the lives of local people by providing access to creative and cultural activity, read on for more information.
As a member of the board, you will provide strategic governance and oversight to the festival, supporting and challenging the Executive team, have a direct impact on the work the festival delivers and on the creative opportunities available to local people.
You will be expected to attend a minimum of 3 out of 4 board meetings per year, with a time commitment of a minimum of 6 hours per quarter.
How to Apply
If you are interested in becoming a Board Member, please send an email to Leigh Hayler (leigh.hayler@bcpcouncil.gov.uk)
Your CV and a covering letter of no more than 2 pages (or a 3-minute video) detailing
what interests you most about this role and what you could bring to it.
- A completed Skills and Experience form. (Download form here)
If you would like to discuss the role further, please contact Andrea Francis, Festival Director
at andrea.francis@bcpcouncil.gov.uk
Please note this is not a paid role.
CREATE! 2026
Applications are now CLOSED for Create! 2026.
CREATE! 2026 is a FREE course being delivered in Spring 2026 for those who are based in Dorset and BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole) with less than 2 years experience in the arts sector.
You will learn how artistic events are created from start to finish and take part in workshops led by experienced professionals.
Topics include:
- What makes a great event?
- Building a network
- How do community-led projects work?
- Financing a creative idea
- Where can events happen?
- Marketing and audience identification
- What is risk management?
Participants on the course also have an opportunity, at the end of the course (using skills learned during the course and documents they have been introduced to) to pitch a creative idea which Activate Performing Arts, b-side, and Arts by the Sea will offer constructive feedback on. The most successful pitches are offered seed-funding to further develop their ideas.
With creative learning sessions taking place across Dorset, the participants take part in the workshop sessions together, where there are opportunities for connection and spaces to see different types of artistic work.