Creative countrysides

Under 2025 we worked particularly to strengthen cultural and creative actors. In Leader Södermanland, Region Sörmland and Hela Sverige ska Leva Sörmland we were able to mobilize new actors in the creative Sörmland, create new networks, and support 11 smaller projects.

Strengthened regional collaboration

Collaboration provides better opportunities to support cultural and creative industries

These are some lessons we take with us from the collaboration project:

Collaborate with the right actors for increased dissemination, competence, and target audience awareness.
Involve the partners actively in, for example, selection and assessment. For example, it creates discussions, competence enhancement, and shared understanding.
Create activities to promote the exchange of experiences between the sub-projects. For example, seminars and networking meetings were important meeting places in our project.
Create activities to strengthen good relationships between Leader offices and project owners, for example through knowledge-enhancing workshops or inspirational lectures.
A limited implementation period creates more impact in a shorter time.
Joint efforts and calls for proposals have greater impact.

Read Region Sörmland's evaluation of the project here.

The Umbrella Project

Support for 11 sub-projects

In the umbrella project, we were able to support 11 sub-projects. In the projects, at least two actors collaborated with each other, and at least one creative or cultural actor was to be involved in the project. This led to 11 individual projects, which in various ways strengthened the place, created space for creative collaborations, and enabled new development ideas.

Read more about the project initiatives here:

Podcast

Listen to and see our projects in the podcast!

Some of our projects have talked about their initiatives and culture in the countryside in the Sörmland podcast! The host is Torbjörn Karreskog.

A conversation about culture in Oxelösund with Thord Lindé, Tompa Bäckström and Ingela Ljung.

A conversation about entrepreneurship in collaboration, culture, and cultivation – Clara Grill from Runnviken's guesthouse and Franziska Lotz from Cultural cultivation.

Podcast

A conversation about inclusion in the local community with culture. With Tina Kreitz from Kulturcentrum Hölö Kyrkskola, Manu Tiger from Yellowtiger Productions and Rebecca Tiger from the association Ruby Rose.

Anita Blom af Ekenstam and Katarina Schiebe in conversation about Lagnö Bo and projects they are involved in: community living in the countryside, local energy communities, and of course culture!

Marja Fiander from the Brewery's Art Camp with Ingela Ljung from the Association Generator about the role of culture for development and voluntary engagement.

Networking meeting March 26, 2026, Hälleforsnäs

The last Thursday in March, we invited to a networking meeting with the theme ”Culture and collaboration” in Hälleforsnäs mill. About 50 participants gathered and took part in inspiring examples of networks within the cultural sector, could make new contacts and think of new development ideas.

Mie Feldt and Funny Livdotter from Not Quite in Fengerfors, Dalsland. A network of creators and artists and also a destination with 25,000 visitors a year! They share how they went from an idea to an ”artist village,” one of Dalsland's largest destinations, and a strong cultural network.
Cecilie Thulin and Lovisa Johansson Hollsten from Creative Actors Skaraborg. The network was originally a Leader project that today has formed its own association on a shared digital platform. A network that gathers creative industries in Skaraborg, with network meetings and skills-enhancing initiatives for strengthened entrepreneurship.
Signe Johannessen from Art Lab Gnesta about their journey as a cultural center in Gnesta, and about the new development plans to develop new activities in a location in Mölnbo.

Thank you to everyone who attended the meeting! Hope to see you in new contexts in the future.

Seminar November 22, 2025, Strängnäs

The projects were seen one last time at the Conference Bishops Arms in Strängnäs. About 20 project participants and 8 projects presented their efforts during the year. A day for learning and not least creativity!

Marja Fiander guided us in a workshop for the future's Creative Rural Areas and culture in Sörmland. A reflective part of the projects.

What we take with us includes:

– There is an interest and a desire to continue meeting in the network that has formed during the year

– It has created a lot of engagement and interest in the communities and media

– The projects have required commitment and voluntary work from many

A big thank you for this seminar wishes Matilda & Lotta!

Seminar August 26, 2025, Stjärnholm Oxelösund

There was a reunion feeling when about 40 of our project participants met at Stjärnholm after the summer. Did I say project participants? I mean of course our passionate individuals, creators, cultural makers, and place developers!

Some projects had completed their efforts, and some were about to do so. 16 out of a total of 21 projects were present and shared experiences, inspiration, and reflections from the work in the projects.

Some reflections from the participants were:

”One should not believe that one needs to do everything alone. Organizing and inviting the local community into what you do - it just becomes win-win-win”
”I have lived in Sörmland for a long time, but didn’t know that all these places existed where things are happening!”
”Daring can sometimes be associated with landing hard. But this forum allows us to dare to try and land softly.” And we all wonder
”What is really happening in the Estonian equivalent of Mellösa?”

As a local example of cultural engagement, we also got through a guided tour in Stjärnholm's sculpture park. The association started from scratch and today has over 30 sculptures, and has been praised for having carried out one of the largest cultural events in Oxelösund's history - impressive!

Seminar April 28, 2025, Hälleforsnäs

On April 28, 16 project groups met at the Bruksrestaurangen in Hälleforsnäs to get to know each other and hear more about the projects that will be implemented during the year. A gathering of creators who contribute and act to ensure that activities, meetings, and conversations take place in our rural areas and towns in Sörmland. There was high energy and a warm atmosphere. A fusion of project ideas was formed among the participants and we heard about, among other things, clay disco on the hiking trail and then a Blues sandwich on top.

During the seminar, project participants conducted a speed project inventory where they supported each other in finding stakeholders and partners in the projects. We also had a session on storytelling as a tool to strengthen the project internally, to the target group, and for the compliance of the project. The evening was filled with interesting conversations and a strong do-it-yourself spirit.

Here, rural development is bubbling!

The day began with a guided tour of the exciting Hälleforsnäs mill, which has become a cluster of art and culture actors and food producers. Thank you for the tour, Flens Tourist Office!

Network meeting April 4, 2025, Vrena Folkets Hus

Around 100 participants gathered at Network Meeting 2 in Vrena Folkets Hus on April 4. The meeting was organized together with Hela Sverige ska leva in connection with their Rural Thing. Karin Andersson from Vrenabygdens Interest Association, Ida Lilja from Vibäck 10 and Lars Tull from Skensta Theater shared how they drive development and culture in their areas in Södermanland.

Södermanland's ”enablers”: Region Sömland, Study Association Vuxenskolan, Coompanion Mälardalen, Hela Sverige ska leva Södermanland, Leader Södermanland & Leader Sörmlandskusten talked about the support and assistance available when starting an association, driving development work, developing one's operations, or starting cultural events. In the afternoon, there were open-space discussions on how we can develop our rural areas with the help of creative industries.

Network meeting January 23, 2025, Elektron in Gnesta

The first of three network meetings took place at Elektron in Gnesta on January 23 and attracted around 90 participants from Södermanland. In addition to information about Leader and the call for proposals, Regina Westas Stedt from Hela Sverige ska leva lectured on the importance of creative industries for rural development, Maria Printz, chef, meal entrepreneur, apple grower about Södermanland's Food Clusters development journey.

There was also a conversation with local actors who have developed both businesses and places in Södermanland with the help of creativity and culture. Participants included Åsa Lockner Mellösaverken, Göran Lagerstedt Lagårn in Ullsta and Maria Bystedt Skottvångs Grufva.

The program concluded with entrepreneur and music organizer Putte Svensson Sahlin's personal story about how he, together with friends, creates an internationally known meeting place for music lovers that engages and creates growth in an entire region - without them needing to leave the place where it all began - Hultsfred.

The buffet served as a conclusion to the networking meeting came from Skottvångs Grufva.

About the collaboration project

Regional cooperation for KKN in rural areas

The purpose of the collaboration project is to strengthen culture and creative industries in the rural areas of our Leader area. We do this by developing sustainable cooperation structures, networks, and methods within the framework of the Leader method.

The project's goals are to:

Conduct three seminars and three networking meetings for actors in the cultural and creative field
Produce and disseminate five podcast episodes and create a film about good examples of culture-driven rural development
Compile and analyze experiences from the work in a digital report with methodological proposals and recommendations

The project is financed by the municipalities in Leader, the Swedish state, and the EU. Region Sörmland co-finances with its own staff in the project.

About the umbrella project

Support sub-projects with a focus on culture

The project ”Creative Rural Areas” is carried out in collaboration with Leader Södermanland, Region Sörmland, and Hela Sverige ska leva Sörmland.

This means that we carry out 10 project initiatives in the Leader Sörmlandskusten area and 10 initiatives in the Leader Södermanland area. In this way, we work to strengthen cultural and creative actors in rural areas and towns throughout Södermanland!

NOTE The project also includes our municipalities in Stockholm County: Botkyrka, Salem, and Södertälje.

The project is financed by the municipalities in Leader, the Swedish state, and the EU.