Our Freedom is a national project reflecting on what freedom means 80 years after the end of the Second World War. Sunderland Culture at the Arts Centre Washington formed an intergenerational and cross-artform creative community from four of its groups – Washington Youth Theatre, Right Track Young Musicians Project, Washington Film and Animation Club and The Crocodile Collective (Washington Community Podcasters.) Led by creative producer Liv Hunt they produced a multimedia performance based on stories and reflections on the theme of freedom from its communities across Washington and Sunderland.

Washington's very own community podcasting group, The Crocodile Collective have been out and about in Washington talking to people about what freedom means to them. Not the easiest question to answer when you're put on the spot but given a moment or two there were lots of interesting answers. You can listen to the reflections and thoughts on freedom from people young and old(er) in the Our Freedom: Unbound Podcast.

· Produced by: NE Voice CIC, Sarah Murray, Joe Simmons and the Crocodile Collective Community Podcast Group – Roger Morris, David James Taylor, Ged Parker, Liz Greener, James Williams and Jim Metcalf Elvira Pirozzi, Jan Lawson, Jude Murphy, Caroline Mitchell

· Music by: Tony Brown

· Executive Producers: Sunderland Culture at The Arts Centre Washington, Liv Hunt

About the Project

“Our Freedom: Then and Now”, is part of a £2 million national creative programme marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Supported by the UK Government through Arts Council England, the Future Arts Centres and Libraries Connected initiative will see 60 arts centres and libraries across Britain present community-led projects exploring the legacy of VE Day and VJ Day.

Simon Armitage the UK Poet Laureate, was commissioned by Future Arts Centres to write a new poem as the centrepiece of the Our Freedom: Then and Now project – a nationwide creative programme inviting communities of all ages, backgrounds, and experiences to reflect on the legacy of the Second World War and the meaning of freedom, then and now. His commissioned poem, Freedom Road, will act as both stimulus and centrepiece, sparking exploration of what freedom has meant across generations and how it is felt and understood today, and helping to guide creative responses developed by local or interest-based community groups as part of the project.