Lincoln-based design & development agency Jolly Good Web Ltd has been awarded major funding from Innovate UK to develop Luminary, a new digital learning platform designed to help the UK’s creative sector learn, grow and connect.
The £142,446 project, jointly funded by Innovate UK (70%) and Jolly Good Web (30%), will deliver a platform purpose-built for creative professionals including freelancers, microbusinesses and studios, who need flexible, affordable ways to upskill and share their expertise.
Unlike traditional learning platforms, Luminary will allow creative practitioners to create, share and monetise their own course content without expensive subscriptions or formal teaching qualifications.
To maintain high standards, all content will be manually reviewed and approved before publication, ensuring a trusted learning experience. Learners can access free and paid courses, rate content, and track progress through gamified features such as badges, streaks, and creator profiles.
For Jolly Good Web, this project represents more than just technical innovation, it’s an evolution of their values.
“At Jolly Good Web, we’ve always believed that people do business with people,” said Andrew Vaughan, Managing Director. “We work side by side with our clients because when you take the time to understand people, their challenges and ambitions, you can build digital tools that make a real difference. Luminary is an extension of that philosophy.”
The project has received strong regional backing, including a formal partnership with Lincoln Barbican Creative Hub, which will lead community engagement, host workshops and help bring local creatives into the platform as early adopters.
Tamily Cookson, Director at Lincoln Barbican, added: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Jolly Good Web on Luminary. It’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of our region, while giving freelancers and small agencies a practical way to learn, grow and connect.”
Founded in Lincoln and based at Mosaic Digital Hub, Jolly Good Web has rapidly grown into one of the region’s most forward-looking digital agencies, doubling its team size in the past year and developing complex digital products for clients across sectors.
While Luminary is rooted in Greater Lincolnshire, it’s designed to scale nationally. A white label version of the platform will allow creative organisations, universities, and training providers to launch their own branded learning environments, opening new commercial opportunities across the UK’s creative economy.
“The support from Innovate UK is a vote of confidence not just in Luminary, but in Lincolnshire’s creative and digital talent,” Vaughan added. “We’re here, we’re ready to work and we’re serious about building technology that serves people, not the other way around.”
Luminary will launch in 2026 as a learning management system (LMS) built specifically for the creative sector. The platform will offer a complete ecosystem of courses, from business setup and client management to sales, design, and digital tools, all shaped by and for creative professionals.
The project is part of the DCMS Create Growth Programme, through which Innovate UK has invested £25 million across six UK regions to drive innovation and support growth in the creative industries.
