The Sustained Creative

A monthly meetup for creative professionals

Sign up

Being a creative and building a professional life has always been challenging. Now though, in a time where the rate of change - economic, cultural, political and technological - is staggering. these challenges can feel overwhelming. 

The Sustained Creative is a brand-new gathering for emerging and established artists, actors, writers, filmmakers, designers, makers, musicians, producers, sculptors, photographers and anyone building a life around creative work.

A Life That Works

Creative work can be meaningful and deeply human. It can also be precarious, underfunded, isolating and difficult to hold together, especially against an economic backdrop that often fails to recognise the value of creative labour.

The Sustained Creative meetup exists precisely to address to this reality.

This monthly event offers up a space for conversation, connection and practical support. The aim is simple: to help creative professionals meet, share what's happening in their working lives and build the kind of community that makes creative work more sustainable, more energising and more motivating.

this is not just a networking evening, though meeting people is central to it. It is also a place to explore the pressures creative professionals carry, the resources they might need and the practical knowledge that helps them to continue to make, earn and flourish over time.

Book club at socialbar
First Wednesday of the month - February 4th
Doors open 6.30 pm

We're a book club for people who love reading as much as they love a good drink. No stuffy meetings, just great books, good conversation and a relaxed atmosphere. We meet the first Wednesday of every month at 6.30 pm at socialbar.

Come find your next favourite story — and a few new friends.

What to expect:
– Relaxed atmosphere
– Small group discussions
– Facilitated reading and book choices
– Wine, coffee & snacks, including mini brioche sandwiches and cheese and charcuterie boards, available to buy. 

We kindly ask that you leave outside drinks and food at home

Doors open a 6.30 pm | group runs from 7.00–8.30pm | Bar open until 10pm

Seats are limited – reserve yours now. If you can’t make it, please let us know at hello@visitsocialbar.com so someone else can join.

WFH? Join the socialbar coworking meetup

Working from home has its perks, but it can also get a bit samey. Our monthly WFH meetup is a relaxed way to get out of the house, settle into a different environment for a few hours, and be around other people doing the same.

Whether you want to crack on with some work, have a change of scene, or simply spend a bit of time around other local professionals, this is an easy, low-pressure space to drop into. Come for an hour or stay for the full session.

Each meetup includes time to cowork, catch up and connect, with drink and food available throughout. We’ll also feature a monthly keynote: a short, useful talk designed to give the afternoon an extra point of focus.

This month’s keynote

The importance of sleep for performance

This month we’ll be looking at why sleep matters so much for how we think, feel and function. From concentration, mood and decision-making to energy, resilience and productivity, sleep plays a bigger role in performance than most of us allow for. Expect a practical, accessible session with takeaways you can use straight away.

When

Last Monday of the month
3–6pm

Where

socialbar
15 High Street, Saxmundham

Drink and food available.

Booking

Book in via hello@visitsocialbar.com
or visit www.visitsocialbar.com/events

Bring Your Own Vinyl Night

Share your sounds at socialbar’s monthly vinyl night.

Join us at socialbar for an evening dedicated to your records and the stories behind them.

Whether it’s a cherished classic, a dusty B-side, or your latest crate-digging gem, bring your vinyl and we’ll play it on the bar’s turntable.

No DJ skills needed — we’ll provide those. Just bring your vinyl, your taste and a love for music.

Drop in, drop the needle, and enjoy drinks, snacks, and good company while the records spin.

No tickets, no fuss — just come.

Meet. Hear.

Weds 24 Jun
Free to attend | Booking essential

Meet. Hear. is a small-group peer listening evening exploring how attentive hearing strengthens connection, resilience and community.

This evening centres on two simple ideas: that people have shared emotional needs, and that respectful, structured listening helps those needs be met. Rather than advice-giving or problem-solving, we focus on attention, presence and mutual understanding.

This is the first of three monthly gatherings designed to build listening skills and deepen supportive community ties in a calm, structured setting.

Free to attend.
Booking essential via email or in person at socialbar.

Monthly Poetry Night

with Tamar Yoseloff (Poetry in Aldeburgh)

An evening of contemporary poetry in the heart of Saxmundham, with a special guest reader and a curated open mic.

Hosted by Tamar Yoseloff (Poetry in Aldeburgh), this is a monthly event for established writers, emerging voices and anyone who relishes the poetic realm.

What to expect:

• Guest reader (each month)

• Curated open mic (limited slots)

• An attentive audience... and the relaxed atmosphere of socialbar

Want to read?

Open mic slots are limited and curated to give every reader a proper audience.

• Reserve a slot in advance
  Email: chair@poetryinaldeburgh.org

• On-the-night slots: a small number may be available on a first-come basis 

Tuesday February 17
Doors: 7pm
Entry: £5

Location: socialbar, Saxmundham

socialbar Saturday night wiht funky house DJ Funky R

Join us for our an evening of funky house grooves as DJ Funky R takes over the socialbar decks. Expect a steady flow of groovy sounds, blending the soulful rhythms and driving melodies combined with Nu-disco.

Funky R’s selections will provide the perfect bounce for your Saturday night cocktails and pizza!

No tickets, no fuss — just come.

Everyone’s welcome.

Come by yourself or with friends. Bring your own board game or use one of ours!
We’ll help you get set up. Play with friends or someone entirely new and make a new friend.

Steve and Sarah will be on hand to serve soft drinks, wine, beer and simple snacks. We kindly ask that you leave outside drinks and food at home.
The bar will be open until 10 pm.

No need to book - just turn up. It will be a chilled out, relaxed atmosphere.

See you there!

Beyond Fear and Tribalism: Conscience in Uncertain Times

Format: Presentation & Discussion

Doors: 6.30pm

Event: 7pm - 9pm

In an increasingly polarised world, we can easily find ourselves trapped in moral and political conflicts with family, friends, colleagues and even strangers online.

With strong emotions locking our attention, how do we get better at understanding other people’s moral points of view? 

How do we recognise and work with our own blind spots or fixed ideas?

Could the answer lie in a recognition that stages in our moral development are shaped by our needs to feel safe, valued, heard and to belong?

Can this knowledge help us to understand other people's behaviour and, indeed, our own?

This evening with Ezra Hewing (Suffolk mind) explores how to reach beyond our own emotional needs, towards a liberated conscience which is not ruled by our own biases.

We will explore:

• The needs behind our moral development

• The evolutionary value of conscience

• Navigating relationships within polarised communities

• Establishing a moral footing amongst competing versions of reality

Glasseye Comedy Night at socialbar

As part of Saxmundham Arts Fest, join us for an evening of live stand-up at socialbar, hosted by Glasseye Comedy and headlined by veteran UK comic John Mann.

With more than 35 years on the comedy circuit, John has performed across the UK and internationally, with TV credits including The Stand Up Show, The Comedy Store, The Big Breakfast, Live at Jongleurs and The 11 O’Clock Show. His writing and warm-up work includes Lenny Henry, Harry Enfield, Paul O’Grady, Phill Jupitus, Father Ted, Blankety Blank and Ant & Dec.

The night will also feature guest spots from local comedians, bringing a mix of sharp observations, new voices and live-room comedic energy to Saxmundham.

Come for the festival, stay for the comedy: good wine, local beer, sourdough pizza and a room full of people laughing together.

Presented by Glasseye Comedy at socialbar for Saxmundham Arts Fest.

Book club at socialbar
First Wednesday of the month - February 4th
Doors open 6.30 pm

We're a book club for people who love reading as much as they love a good drink. No stuffy meetings, just great books, good conversation and a relaxed atmosphere. We meet the first Wednesday of every month at 6.30 pm at socialbar.

Come find your next favourite story — and a few new friends.

What to expect:
– Relaxed atmosphere
– Small group discussions
– Facilitated reading and book choices
– Wine, coffee & snacks, including mini brioche sandwiches and cheese and charcuterie boards, available to buy. 

We kindly ask that you leave outside drinks and food at home

Doors open a 6.30 pm | group runs from 7.00–8.30pm | Bar open until 10pm

Seats are limited – reserve yours now. If you can’t make it, please let us know at hello@visitsocialbar.com so someone else can join.

The Sustained Creative

A monthly meetup for creative professionals

Sign up

Being a creative and building a professional life has always been challenging. Now though, in a time where the rate of change - economic, cultural, political and technological - is staggering. these challenges can feel overwhelming. 

The Sustained Creative is a brand-new gathering for emerging and established artists, actors, writers, filmmakers, designers, makers, musicians, producers, sculptors, photographers and anyone building a life around creative work.

A Life That Works

Creative work can be meaningful and deeply human. It can also be precarious, underfunded, isolating and difficult to hold together, especially against an economic backdrop that often fails to recognise the value of creative labour.

The Sustained Creative meetup exists precisely to address to this reality.

This monthly event offers up a space for conversation, connection and practical support. The aim is simple: to help creative professionals meet, share what's happening in their working lives and build the kind of community that makes creative work more sustainable, more energising and more motivating.

this is not just a networking evening, though meeting people is central to it. It is also a place to explore the pressures creative professionals carry, the resources they might need and the practical knowledge that helps them to continue to make, earn and flourish over time.

Bring Your Own Vinyl Night

Share your sounds at socialbar’s monthly vinyl night.

Join us at socialbar for an evening dedicated to your records and the stories behind them.

Whether it’s a cherished classic, a dusty B-side, or your latest crate-digging gem, bring your vinyl and we’ll play it on the bar’s turntable.

No DJ skills needed — we’ll provide those. Just bring your vinyl, your taste and a love for music.

Drop in, drop the needle, and enjoy drinks, snacks, and good company while the records spin.

No tickets, no fuss — just come.

socialbar Beer Tasting with Lloyd from On Tap Co.

socialbar is teaming up with Lloyd from On Tap Co for an evening of craft beer tasting and brewery conversation. With a background in brewery development and a clear love of independent beer, Lloyd works closely with producers to help get the right beers into the right venues.

We’ll be pouring a line-up shaped by that craft world: beers with character, modern styles done properly and plenty to say about what breweries are making right now. Lloyd’s public beer picks include hazy, juicy releases from Wildcraft Brewery and beers from Founders, so expect a range that goes beyond the obvious and opens up some good conversation about flavour, brewing and curation.

Expect an informal, flavour-packed night with snacks on the side, good chat in the mix and a few surprises in the line-up. Whether you’re deep into craft beer or just starting out, you’ll find plenty to enjoy.

£24 per head. 25 spots only.

Vision Beyond Sight: Blindness, Touch & Enterprise

With Rebecca Lake

Joins us at socialbar for an evening with Rebecca Lake and her story of building a working life on altered ground.

Originally trained as a chartered physiotherapist, Rebecca lost her sight in 2008 and went on to create a hands-on practice of her own in Ipswich. Her business is shaped by touch, closeness and an attunement to the body that asks us to think again about what it means to know the world.

At the heart of the evening is Rebecca’s recent writing, Observations of a Blind Girl, a biographical work that opens onto a life of care, endurance and determination: raising four children, making a living, and finding new ways forward when the old map has gone. From there, the conversation will widen into the deeper themes her life touches: perception, adaptation, work, independence and the strange and the subtle intelligence of the senses.

Date: Tuesday May 26th
Time: Doors 6.30pm | Start 7.00pm
Venue: socialbar, Saxmundham
Free entry Email booking essential — spaces are limited:

WFH? Join the socialbar coworking meetup

Working from home has its perks, but it can also get a bit samey. Our monthly WFH meetup is a relaxed way to get out of the house, settle into a different environment for a few hours, and be around other people doing the same.

Whether you want to crack on with some work, have a change of scene, or simply spend a bit of time around other local professionals, this is an easy, low-pressure space to drop into. Come for an hour or stay for the full session.

Each meetup includes time to cowork, catch up and connect, with drink and food available throughout. We’ll also feature a monthly keynote: a short, useful talk designed to give the afternoon an extra point of focus.

This month’s keynote

The importance of sleep for performance

This month we’ll be looking at why sleep matters so much for how we think, feel and function. From concentration, mood and decision-making to energy, resilience and productivity, sleep plays a bigger role in performance than most of us allow for. Expect a practical, accessible session with takeaways you can use straight away.

When

Last Monday of the month
3–6pm

Where

socialbar
15 High Street, Saxmundham

Drink and food available.

Booking

Book in via hello@visitsocialbar.com
or visit www.visitsocialbar.com/events

Everyone’s welcome.

Come by yourself or with friends. Bring your own board game or use one of ours!
We’ll help you get set up. Play with friends or someone entirely new and make a new friend.

Steve and Sarah will be on hand to serve soft drinks, wine, beer and simple snacks. We kindly ask that you leave outside drinks and food at home.
The bar will be open until 10 pm.

No need to book - just turn up. It will be a chilled out, relaxed atmosphere.

See you there!

Monthly Poetry Night

with Tamar Yoseloff (Poetry in Aldeburgh)

An evening of contemporary poetry in the heart of Saxmundham, with a special guest reader and a curated open mic.

Hosted by Tamar Yoseloff (Poetry in Aldeburgh), this is a monthly event for established writers, emerging voices and anyone who relishes the poetic realm.

What to expect:

• Guest reader (each month)

• Curated open mic (limited slots)

• An attentive audience... and the relaxed atmosphere of socialbar

Want to read?

Open mic slots are limited and curated to give every reader a proper audience.

• Reserve a slot in advance
  Email: chair@poetryinaldeburgh.org

• On-the-night slots: a small number may be available on a first-come basis 

Tuesday February 17
Doors: 7pm
Entry: £5

Location: socialbar, Saxmundham

Book club at socialbar
First Wednesday of the month - February 4th
Doors open 6.30 pm

We're a book club for people who love reading as much as they love a good drink. No stuffy meetings, just great books, good conversation and a relaxed atmosphere. We meet the first Wednesday of every month at 6.30 pm at socialbar.

Come find your next favourite story — and a few new friends.

What to expect:
– Relaxed atmosphere
– Small group discussions
– Facilitated reading and book choices
– Wine, coffee & snacks, including mini brioche sandwiches and cheese and charcuterie boards, available to buy. 

We kindly ask that you leave outside drinks and food at home

Doors open a 6.30 pm | group runs from 7.00–8.30pm | Bar open until 10pm

Seats are limited – reserve yours now. If you can’t make it, please let us know at hello@visitsocialbar.com so someone else can join.

1 YEAR BIRTHDAY DJ EXTRAVAGANZA

May 4th at socialbar

2 –11pm at socialbar

A night of strictly funky hip hop grooves.

DJ Precise (of the cult Do!! You!!! Radio show) brings deep cuts, dancefloor gems and the kind of crate-dug selections only he can pull.

Early bird attendees get a free glass of fizz!

Drop in, have a drink, and enjoy a pizza on our birthday celebration day with warm vinyl, good energy and Saxmundham’s finest crowd.

Free entry
15 High Street, Saxmundham
www.visitsocialbar.com/events

socialbar 1st Birthday Weekend: Saturday night wiht funky house DJ Funky R

Join us for our birthday celebrations and an evening of funky house grooves as DJ Funky R takes over the socialbar decks. Expect a steady flow of groovy sounds, blending the soulful rhythms and driving melodies combined with Nu-disco.

Funky R’s selections will provide the perfect bouncy for our Saturday night birthday celebrations of cake, fizz and pizza!

No tickets, no fuss — just come.

Meet. Hear.

Weds 28 April
Free to attend | Booking essential

Meet. Hear. is a small-group peer listening evening exploring how attentive hearing strengthens connection, resilience and community.

This evening centres on two simple ideas: that people have shared emotional needs, and that respectful, structured listening helps those needs be met. Rather than advice-giving or problem-solving, we focus on attention, presence and mutual understanding.

This is the first of three monthly gatherings designed to build listening skills and deepen supportive community ties in a calm, structured setting.

Free to attend.
Booking essential via email or in person at socialbar.

Bring Your Own Vinyl Night

Share your sounds at socialbar’s monthly vinyl night.

Join us at socialbar for an evening dedicated to your records and the stories behind them.

Whether it’s a cherished classic, a dusty B-side, or your latest crate-digging gem, bring your vinyl and we’ll play it on the bar’s turntable.

No DJ skills needed — we’ll provide those. Just bring your vinyl, your taste and a love for music.

Drop in, drop the needle, and enjoy drinks, snacks, and good company while the records spin.

No tickets, no fuss — just come.

Monthly Poetry Night

with Tamar Yoseloff (Poetry in Aldeburgh)

An evening of contemporary poetry in the heart of Saxmundham, with a special guest reader and a curated open mic.

Hosted by Tamar Yoseloff (Poetry in Aldeburgh), this is a monthly event for established writers, emerging voices and anyone who relishes the poetic realm.

What to expect:

• Guest reader (each month)

• Curated open mic (limited slots)

• An attentive audience... and the relaxed atmosphere of socialbar

Want to read?

Open mic slots are limited and curated to give every reader a proper audience.

• Reserve a slot in advance
  Email: chair@poetryinaldeburgh.org

• On-the-night slots: a small number may be available on a first-come basis 

Tuesday February 17
Doors: 7pm
Entry: £5

Location: socialbar, Saxmundham

The Shape of Meaning brings sculptor Laurence Edwards to socialbar for an evening of film, conversation and reflection on sculpture, place and a life in making.

The event takes place on Thursday 16 April at 7pm at socialbar, booking is free via hello@visitsocialbar.com. Across two short films and a live discussion, the evening will explore the relationship between landscape, material, process and meaning in Edwards’ work. This is a chance to hear directly from an artist whose sculpture is deeply rooted in both physical making and a sustained engagement with place.Expect an intimate and thoughtful conversation about what it means to spend a life making things: how forms emerge, how environments shape artistic language, and how sculpture can hold memory, presence and feeling. The films will be followed by discussion and audience Q&A.

Event Details

Date: Thursday, 16th April, 7pm
Tickets: Free
Booking: hello@visitsocialbar.com
Venue: socialbar, 15 High St, SaxmundhamSpaces will be limited, so we recommend booking early.

Everyone’s welcome.

Come by yourself or with friends. Bring your own board game or use one of ours!
We’ll help you get set up. Play with friends or someone entirely new and make a new friend.

Steve and Sarah will be on hand to serve soft drinks, wine, beer and simple snacks. We kindly ask that you leave outside drinks and food at home.
The bar will be open until 10 pm.

No need to book - just turn up. It will be a chilled out, relaxed atmosphere.

See you there!

Life in the Economic Casino: Money, Ecosystems & Emotional Needs

A guided conversation with Ann Pettifor & Steve Peck

What kind of society is created when money moves faster than thought, finance outweighs the real economy, and the systems shaping everyday life begin to resemble a game of chance?

In this special evening at socialbar, leading political economist and author Ann Pettifor opens up questions at the heart of modern life: how financial systems shape the conditions in which we live, how ecological realities are pushed to the edge by economic abstraction, and what all of this means for people trying to build secure, meaningful lives.

Ann and Steve offer distinct lenses through which to view economics and money: not simply as technical or political matters, but as forces that profoundly affect human wellbeing, security and the deeper conditions of life. From there, the evening opens into a live conversation and audience questions.

Rather than treating economics as something remote or specialist, this event brings it back to lived experience. It asks how large systems are felt intimately: in our sense of safety, in our relationships, in our communities, in the health of the ecosystems around us, and in the emotional ground from which social life becomes possible.

For those drawn to ideas, systems, politics, ecology, psychology and the question of how we ought to live, this promises to be a rich and searching evening.

Thursday 9 April
7–9.30 pm

Free entry
Advance booking required — please email to reserve your place: hello@visitsocialbar.com

Book club at socialbar
First Wednesday of the month - February 4th
Doors open 6.30 pm

We're a book club for people who love reading as much as they love a good drink. No stuffy meetings, just great books, good conversation and a relaxed atmosphere. We meet the first Wednesday of every month at 6.30 pm at socialbar.

Come find your next favourite story — and a few new friends.

What to expect:
– Relaxed atmosphere
– Small group discussions
– Facilitated reading and book choices
– Wine, coffee & snacks, including mini brioche sandwiches and cheese and charcuterie boards, available to buy. 

We kindly ask that you leave outside drinks and food at home

Doors open a 6.30 pm | group runs from 7.00–8.30pm | Bar open until 10pm

Seats are limited – reserve yours now. If you can’t make it, please let us know at hello@visitsocialbar.com so someone else can join.

WFH? Join the socialbar coworking meetup

Working from home has its perks, but it can also get a bit samey. Our monthly WFH meetup is a relaxed way to get out of the house, settle into a different environment for a few hours, and be around other people doing the same.

Whether you want to crack on with some work, have a change of scene, or simply spend a bit of time around other local professionals, this is an easy, low-pressure space to drop into. Come for an hour or stay for the full session.

Each meetup includes time to cowork, catch up and connect, with drink and food available throughout. We’ll also feature a monthly keynote: a short, useful talk designed to give the afternoon an extra point of focus.

This month’s keynote

The importance of sleep for performance

This month we’ll be looking at why sleep matters so much for how we think, feel and function. From concentration, mood and decision-making to energy, resilience and productivity, sleep plays a bigger role in performance than most of us allow for. Expect a practical, accessible session with takeaways you can use straight away.

When

Last Monday of the month
3–6pm

Where

socialbar
15 High Street, Saxmundham

Drink and food available.

Booking

Book in via hello@visitsocialbar.com
or visit www.visitsocialbar.com/events

Bring Your Own Vinyl Night

Share your sounds at socialbar’s monthly vinyl night.

Join us at socialbar for an evening dedicated to your records and the stories behind them.

Whether it’s a cherished classic, a dusty B-side, or your latest crate-digging gem, bring your vinyl and we’ll play it on the bar’s turntable.

No DJ skills needed — we’ll provide those. Just bring your vinyl, your taste and a love for music.

Drop in, drop the needle, and enjoy drinks, snacks, and good company while the records spin.

No tickets, no fuss — just come.