Diversity

The National Trust has "much more" to do in order to ensure it has a diverse workforce, according to the organisation’s annual report.

The report states that the trust's ambition “is for a broader diversity of people to be represented in the demographics of our staff and volunteers as well as our visitors". 

As part of its Everyone Welcome initiative, last year the trust published The Everyone Welcome Inclusion and Diversity Progress Report.

This showed that 3.8% of staff were disabled people, 3% were people of colour and 6.9% identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and other minority sexual orientations.

Staff numbers in all these categories were increasing.

The annual report said that although the Inclusion and Diversity Report showed that workforce diversity is gradually increasing each year, "we have much more to do, especially when it comes to recruiting people of colour and disabled people”.

The Everyone Welcome programme is also focusing on broadening the range of people who visit trust venues. 

According to its annual report, in 2023/24 the trust spent £5.5m on improving physical access for disabled people.

Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club (BGWMC) has been designated an Asset of Community Value by Tower Hamlets Council, granting locals a 'right to bid' if the building goes up for sale.

The LGBTQ+ performance space has been at risk of closure after its owners revealed plans to sell the club as soon as possible and asked the venue's programming team to vacate the premises in July.

The council’s decision comes in response to an application made by community group Friends of Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club and grants them up to six months to fundraise for a bid.  

The performers' union Equity, which supported the application, said it is currently negotiating with the owners of BGWMC, who have expressed a willingness to allow a community purchase, to extend the fundraising period.

Nick Keegan, Equity Variety Organiser, says:  “The decision to protect Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club as an Asset of Community Value is fantastic news and a crucial step towards saving the club.

"The London Borough of Tower Hamlets has rightly recognised BGWMC for what it is – a pillar of London’s nightlife ecosystem, a vital workplace for Equity members, and an important part of the queer and local community.  

“The response to this campaign so far has been phenomenal. Everyone who signed the petition, turned up to the rally or spread the word has played their part in this positive outcome. However, the campaign has not been won yet – raising the funds to purchase BGWMC for the community will be a mammoth task.”

Stagetext, a Colchester-based deaf access charity, has received a £20,000 grant from the National Lottery Community Fund.

The funding will go towards a community outreach project raising awareness of deaf access to arts and culture in the South East of England.

The project will see Stagetext’s team of ambassadors build relationships with deaf groups and deaf, deafened and hard-of-hearing people across the area to spread the word about accessible events.

Stagetext says approximately 4.3 million, or one in three, people in the South East are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing and could benefit from captions and subtitles at live events in theatres, museums and other cultural venues.

Melanie Sharpe, CEO of Stagetext, said the charity’s research found 77% of people are in favour of venues offering more deaf accessibility via captioning and live subtitled performances and events to deaf, deafened and hard-of-hearing audiences.

“By helping to spread the word about theatre captions and live subtitles for museum talks and tours, we can bring more people to arts and culture,” Sharpe said. “It’s not only transformative for those that are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing, but it makes economic sense for the venues too.”

A London-based club has launched for people who work in the arts sector and come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

The independent organisation, called Arts and Graft, plans to hold networking, hosting events and socialising opportunities. 

It was created by Meg Molloy, Head of Communications at Stephen Friedman Gallery, who told the Art Newspaper that being working class in the art world can feel isolating.

“Whether it's not knowing anyone at a swanky private view, having a certain accent, or having different reference points to colleagues, it's possible to feel that you don't belong,” Molloy said.

“I want to connect people to help build strong relationships, create dialogue, facilitate and find ways to educate and aid our community.”

An online form is available for those who wish to register interest in joining, with an official launch event scheduled for the summer.