The Writers' Block

What The Writers' Block does

The Writers' Block is a registered charity operating as Cornwall's writing centre, delivered through Kernow Education Arts Partnership (Registered Charity No. 1095166, Company Limited by Guarantee No. 4253902). Founded in 2001 as an arts education agency and restructured in 2014 from a service organisation into a producer of its own programmes, it opened its first physical writing centre at Cornwall College Camborne in 2017 and moved to a high-street home at The Ladder in Redruth in January 2023. Its portfolio comprises four core programmes — Young Writers (monthly workshops and mentorship for ages 11-16), Writers Rooms (emerging-writer development), Stage Writing for Commission (annual emerging playwrights training in partnership with The Minack Theatre), and The Story Republic (a pop-up performance troupe of tale-telling troubadours) — alongside school products (six-week programmes, immersion days, Tell Us A Story, teacher CPD, The Curious Writer digital workshops) and community projects such as Imagine, Stories of Stuff, What[areyour]3Words, Climate Poetry Writers Room, and Pens, Paper, Envelopes. Technology is deliberately low-tech: workshop facilitation by professional writers, video-based delivery for The Curious Writer, Mailchimp newsletters, and Ticket Tailor for bookings; no proprietary software platform or AI/ML capability is present. The 2025 operating footprint included 152 workshops, 23 performances and events, 25 new creative works, 3,300+ participants, 43 freelance creatives supported, and 259 days of paid work created. Revenue is a hybrid of grant funding (Arts Council England, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Feast, Redruth and Liskeard Town Councils) and earned income from school workshop fees (£250-£1,250 per engagement), Story Republic performance fees (from £400), and event tickets, totalling £158,245 in 2025. Go-to-market is community-led, event-driven, and direct-to-consumer, with partnership referrals from a dense local cultural-sector network (Kresen Kernow, Hall for Cornwall, Real Ideas, ASONE, Literature Works, the Cornish Language Office) acting as the primary demand-generation channel.

Name

The Writers' Block

Legal name

Kernow Education Arts Partnership

Website

https://thewritersblock.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Writers' Block is the writing centre for Cornwall, a charitable organisation delivering creative writing programmes, school workshops, performance events, and community storytelling projects for children, emerging writers, schools, and Cornish communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Education and Creative Writing Services

NAICS

Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (711510), Book Publishers (513130)

akta.pro primary industry

Fiction Writing Workshops (Short Story, Novel) (EDAMAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Children’s & YA Writing Workshops (EDAMAMAF), Writing Retreats & Intensive Bootcamps (EDAMAMAK), Playwriting & Scriptwriting Workshops (Stage) (EDAMAMAD), Writing Skills & Composition Enrichment (EDAMAJAC)

Keywords

• Creative writing workshops
• Community storytelling programmes
• Literature development services
• Writing education programmes
• Performance poetry troupes

Headquarters

HQ city

Redruth

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Funding from Arts Council England, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Feast, Redruth Town Council, and Liskeard Town Council. In 2025, total income leveraged was £158,245 combining grant funding and earned revenue.
2. Workshop and Programme Fees: Fees charged for school workshops: 6-week programme at £1,250 per school, one-off immersion days at £425, half-day sessions at £250. Young Writers and most community programmes are free to participants.
3. Performance Fees: The Story Republic troupe charges fees for performances at events and festivals. From £400 for 4 performers including expenses (plus travel and accommodation out of Cornwall).
4. Earned Revenue: Combined with grant funding, earned revenue contributed to total income of £158,245 in 2025. Includes event tickets, workshop fees, and potentially digital product sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Writers' Block is a writing centre for Cornwall that delivers creative writing workshops, mentoring programmes, school visits, performance troupes, and community projects. Operating from a high-street venue in Redruth and through in-school delivery across Cornwall, it serves children, young people, emerging writers, schools, and community groups through programmes such as Young Writers, Writers Rooms, Stage Writing for Commission, The Story Republic, and The Curious Writer digital workshops.

Product overview

The Writers' Block is a strategic cultural organisation and writing centre for Cornwall offering a portfolio of creative writing programmes and community projects. The core offerings include Young Writers (monthly workshops and mentorship for 11-16s), Writers Rooms (emerging writer development), Emerging Playwrights/Stage Writing for Commission (theatre training with The Minack Theatre), and The Story Republic (pop-up performance troupe). Supporting educational products include The Curious Writer (digital workshops for schools), 6 Week Workshops for Schools, Tell Us A Story (early years), and Teacher CPD/Imagination Firelighters. Community projects such as What[areyour]3Words, Imagine, Stories of Stuff, and Climate Poetry Writers Room celebrate Cornish culture and give voice to under-heard communities. The Kneehigh Short Films preserve theatrical heritage. Together these form a comprehensive ecosystem supporting writers at every stage of their journey from children to emerging professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Story Republic: Cornwall's team of tale-telling troubadours who perform songs, stories, and poems at events and festivals. They have performed on ferries, in fields, at festivals, beaches, harbours and castles. Directed by Connie Crosby, they celebrate Cornish culture with a repertoire including new Cornish stories and poems inspired by various locations.

Products and services

• Young Writers
• Writers Rooms
• Stage Writing for Commission / Emerging Playwrights
• The Story Republic
• The Curious Writer
• 6-Week Workshops for Schools
• Tell Us A Story
• Teacher CPD / Imagination Firelighters

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,300 people engaged in 2025, including 1,198 children and young people, 646 adults, and 161 from under-represented communities
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• The Minack TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Annual partnership for Stage Writing for Commission programme. The Minack Theatre funds and commissions short plays from emerging playwrights trained by The Writers' Block. Plays are performed in the Play in a Day programme at the Minack Theatre.
• Literature WorkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Word Space, Literature Works' annual talent development programme for emerging writers from the South West region. The Writers' Block is a partner organisation.
• RIFT TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Josh & Felix of RIFT theatre who renovated The Ladder building. The Writers' Block is a founding tenant of The Ladder, a renovated Passmore Edwards building.
• Kresen KernowcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCornwall's heritage archive. Partner for Women in Cornwall project (exhibition) and Imagine project (archiving interviews). Stories from Stories of Stuff project were exhibited at Kresen Kernow.
• Paper NationssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Imagine project alongside Kresen Kernow.
• ASONE Music Education HubsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Women in Cornwall project, collaborating on songwriting workshops with students exploring influential Cornish women.
• Real IdeassupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Word Space programme and in emerging writers work in Devonport as part of Writers' Rooms.
• CocoBean CornwallsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed by Bev Bevington. Partnership for Imagine project collecting stories from Cornwall's global majority community.
• Cornwall Council's Cornish Language OfficesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Creative Translation in Cornish workshop for Cornish speakers and translators to develop skills in creative and literary translation.
• Trevow HelstonsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Story Lab - a week-long celebration of words and stories that transformed Helston into a literary adventure with workshops, trails, performances, and events.
• Falmouth Art GallerysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerDrop-in session partner for What[areyour]3Words project where participants used pictures and paintings to inspire stories.
• Coastline HousingsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner in Pens, Paper, Envelopes intergenerational letter writing project with elderly residents.
• Shallal Inclusive Dance TheatresupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner in Stories of Stuff project in Redruth, engaging local groups in story gathering.
• Hall for CornwallsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural partner mentioned in Redruth Town of Culture bid and collaborative work experience project across Cornwall creative organisations.
• Cornwall Music Service TrustsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Women in Cornwall project with Christine Judge assisting students in setting lyrics to music.
• Creative KernowsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of collaborative work experience project across Cornwall creative organisations in 2026.
• Screen CornwallsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of collaborative work experience project across Cornwall creative organisations in 2026.
• Daisy LaingsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of collaborative work experience project across Cornwall creative organisations in 2026.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Centre for Writing: Major UK writing centre based in Norwich supporting writers at all stages through programmes, residencies, and translation projects. Operates at greater scale than The Writers' Block but with the same broader mission of developing writers and their craft.
• First Story: UK charity that provides creative writing workshops in schools, similar to The Writers' Block's 6-week school programmes and The Curious Writer digital workshops. Both target children and young people through in-school delivery and teacher CPD.
• Ministry of Stories: Writing and mentoring centre for young people in London that combines physical space with creative writing programmes. Mirrors The Writers' Block's model of using a dedicated venue to deliver workshops, mentorship, and community projects.
• Apples and Snakes: England's leading spoken-word poetry organisation producing performances, workshops, and development opportunities. Overlaps with The Writers' Block's Story Republic performance and poetry components.
• Arvon Foundation: UK charity running creative writing courses and retreats led by professional writers. Closely parallels The Writers' Block's Writers Rooms intensive three-day model and emerging-writer development programmes.
• Literature Works: South West England's literature development agency and partner of The Writers' Block in Word Space. Both share regional South West focus and emerging-writer talent development through workshops and mentorship.
• The Poetry School: UK creative writing education provider running workshops, courses, and mentorship for poets and writers. Comparable workshop-led business model with both in-person and digital delivery.

Regional players

• Spread the Word: London's writing development agency supporting emerging writers through workshops, mentoring, and residencies. Comparable model to The Writers' Block but focused on London rather than Cornwall.
• Hall for Cornwall: Cornwall's main cultural venue and partner of The Writers' Block. Shares the Cornish cultural-infrastructure footprint and serves overlapping community and arts audiences, though it operates as a venue rather than a writing centre.

Broad incumbents

• Scottish Book Trust: Scottish charity running creative writing programmes in schools and communities. Same broad mission of developing writing skills and supporting emerging writers, but operates at national scale in Scotland with a broader programming portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TheWritersBlockCornwall
• Instagraminstagram.com/wb_cornwall/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-writers-block-cornwall

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Writers' Block