As we signed to extend our lease for another two years in Woking we were delighted to find out that we had been awarded Best Community Arts & Cultural Space 2026 - Surrey

We launched Woking Roots: Ground Up. Live. on 18 July with our Urban Festival Day. In the tradition of Phoenix Cultural Centre CIC, the day brought together a wide variety of free activities, provided by our team and by local practitioners who contribute so much to Woking’s cultural and wellbeing offer.

This year, we welcomed 16 school and college students for work experience at Phoenix Cultural Centre and Fiery Bird.

Their placements covered every aspect of running a community-led organisation and live music venue: researching community business models, non-profits and community-led initiatives; training alongside our sound and lighting engineers; setting up stages; cleaning and maintenance; marketing and design; assessing band applications; and contributing to our university research pilot.