Placemaking

People in Worcester have been invited to give their views on a five-year arts and culture strategy.

A draft strategy put together by Worcester City Council sets out plans to secure and invest funding for the sector and work in partnership with local organisations. The authority is seeking feedback to ensure the blueprint represents the area's "wide variety" of activities.

The council hopes to increase Worcester’s influence within the wider region as a "dynamic, innovative, and distinctive place" and "encourage and empower the sector to deliver ambitious creative projects in and around the city".

It also wants to develop and nurture creative networks in the city and wider region, "bringing together partners to facilitate ideas and developing a community of engaged and active collaborators".

The online consultation closes at 5pm on 30 September.

Specialist consultants have been lined up to help develop a five-year cultural strategy for a new unitary council being established in Somerset next year.

Somerset’s five councils – Mendip, Sedgemoor, Somerset West and Taunton, South Somerset district councils, and Somerset County Council – have worked in partnership with Arts Council England to recruit cultural consultants, The Fifth Sector.

Since its foundation in 2011, The Fifth Sector has delivered more than 100 strategic and cultural projects, including cultural strategies and creative investment frameworks for Derby, Liverpool, Manchester, Rushmoor, South Yorkshire and Tees Valley.

Key aims and objectives of the strategy include ensuring that a cultural identity for arts and culture in Somerset is at the heart of the new authority’s strategic plans.

It is also intended that the piece of work will raise awareness and promote the role that culture and creativity can play in enriching communities and improving the quality of life, health, wellbeing and the local economy for Somerset residents.

Federica Smith Roberts, Somerset County Council’s Lead Member for Communities, said: “The Somerset Cultural Strategy will define how, as an organisation, the new Somerset Council will deliver cultural activities to better the lives of residents and enhance our communities.

“I am delighted that work will commence through The Fifth Sector now to create a strategy ready for adoption when the new Council comes into effect in April 2023. 

"Arts and culture are important to help improve the quality of life, health, wellbeing and the local economy for Somerset residents, local businesses and visitors and I look forward to bringing the strategy in front of fellow councillors in 2023.”

A large-scale, free event featuring theatre and performances will take over London's Square Mile on 15 October.

The event is set to feature more than 100 performers, with a mass treasure hunt, three carnival-inspired fairs and creative street theatre planned.

It is the first major event planned by the City of London Corporation under its new flagship Destination City programme, designed to promote Square Mile's leisure offer.

Backed by a £2.5m annual investment from the City Corporation, Destination City plans to "drive the Square Mile’s recovery from the pandemic, revitalise its streets, reinvigorate its businesses, and boost its attractiveness to talent".

Policy Chairman of the City of London Corporation Chris Hayward said the event is "set to become one of the capital’s cultural highlights of the year".

"We will open the Square Mile’s doors to everyone, revealing fascinating secrets and making magical moments happen for our visitors."

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has launched a public consultation on what social and environmental causes should benefit from more than £700m of dormant assets funding in England.

Currently, dormant assets funding in England is required to be spent on three causes - youth, financial inclusion or social investment, but the government is reviewing whether these remain the right causes for where funding from dormant assets can be allocated.

One option under consideration for views is a community wealth fund proposal that would see pots of money distributed over long periods of time in local communities in England, with decisions made by residents to make a difference where it is most needed.

DCMS is welcoming response from members of the public, community groups, and industry stakeholders.

The consultation will close on Sunday 9 October.

Wrexham will make another bid for the title of City of Culture in 2029 after recently losing out to Bradford for the 2025 title.

Members of Wrexham Council's executive board approved launching another attempt to win the title at a meeting this week. They also supported a number of other recommendations including inviting the National Eisteddfod to Wrexham in 2025.

Hugh Jones, the arts portfolio holder, said he was confident about the council’s chances of success in 2029.

He said: “If you look at the facts with Bradford and the size of their team, they had eight full time staff and a PR agency that had been working on the project for two and a half years.

“In just over six months, we came so close to winning this and that gives an indication of the achievement that we had in Wrexham.

“Clearly, we want to bid for 2029 and why wouldn’t we because 2025 is probably worth somewhere in the region of £300m."

A theatre set up in a former shop in Coventry to allow audiences to enter a space and meet artists as equals is to close after 13 years.

Theatre Absolute has run the Shop Front Theatre in City Arcade since 2009, but has said it will close in November, with the premises due to be demolished next year as part of city centre redevelopment plans. 

The theatre, inspired by a model in Chicago, was set up by Theatre Absolute Artistic Directors Chris O’Connell and Julia Negus in partnership with Coventry City Council. 

It was the first, and remains the only, professional shop front theatre in the UK.

O'Connell said: “It will be immensely sad to see the space and the Arcade itself go, it’s been a brilliant home for independents. 

“But we had already decided that Theatre Absolute’s future lay in progressing our work in other ways and we’re excited to start exploring that.”

More than one million people attended events in Coventry during the city’s stint as UK City of Culture, according to analysis from organisers.

Coventry’s year-long programme came to an end last Tuesday (31 May), after 709 events took place across the city, including Radio 1’s Big Weekend and the 2021 International Booker Prize.

More than 389,000 tickets were issued for live events, with a further 137,000 attending unticketed live events. The programme’s online audience, which pulled focus for events affected by lockdown, is estimated to have reached over 516,000.

The initial results do not include visitors to the public art programme, participation and workshop activity figures, or the creative programme funded by Coventry City of Culture Trust but delivered by partner organisations, which will be reported in the final evaluation.

Coventry secured more than £172m of direct investment to support its programme of events. City Council leader George Duggins says the calendar succeeded in bringing people together to help build a lasting legacy.

“The people, firms and organisations of Coventry will be feeling the benefits of our year as UK City of Culture for a long time to come – through improved prosperity, greater access to the arts, and a better quality of life.”