Leading Dance Charity Seeking Funding to Open Groundbreaking Inclusive and Accessible Dance Training Centre in County Durham

TIN Arts, a County Durham charity that has spent 27 years transforming lives through dance, has launched a new fundraising campaign to create something the region has rarely seen before: a purpose-designed, fully accessible dance training centre where disabled and non- disabled dancers can train, create and perform together.

The charity has identified a former Durham County Council building in Spennymoor as the
future home of TIN Dance House - a vibrant, inclusive creative hub that breaks down the
physical barriers that have held dancers back for decades.

Led by co-founders Tess Chaytor MBE and Martin Wilson MBE since 1999, TIN Arts has delivered
life‐changing programmes that give people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds the chance
to create, develop and grow through dance. Over recent years, demand has soared but
spaces available are limited due to TIN operating from a single space.

Also, parts of the current building remain inaccessible leaving some prospective participants
unable to fully participate in the community that means so much to them.

One parent shared the impact TIN has had on their child, “Being taken seriously at TIN lets
these young people take themselves and their development seriously. TIN gives them a poise
and a presence that challenges perceptions of disability and demands that the world take
them seriously too.”

It will provide:

Accessibility: A purpose-designed home where disabled and non-disabled people can
participate equally and confidently, removing the physical barriers that limit opportunity.
Increased capacity: Space to welcome more people, reduce waiting lists and ensure no one is
excluded simply because there is not enough room.

Life-long pathways: The ability to grow and adapt our programmes as dancers’ needs
change, supporting long-term participation, progression and wellbeing.

Artistic excellence: High-quality studios and facilities that reflect the ambition and talent of
the artists we support.

Wider impact: A welcoming hub for dance, strengthening connections locally, regionally and
nationally.

Martin Wilson, Executive Director of TIN Arts, said:
“For too long, we’ve had a community that welcomes everyone — but a building that doesn’t.
The TIN Dance House will remove those barriers for good. This is about creating a home where
every body belongs.”

TIN Arts is closer than ever to securing the building. To reach the final milestone, the charity has
launched a match‐funding campaign with The Big Give, aiming to raise an initial £127,000 to
open the building this September.

Thanks to a generous donor, every £1 donated up to £10,000 will be doubled until 30 April. This
means supporters can make twice the difference at a critical moment.

Donate now:
https://donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05WS00000Cshh0YAB