Making an impact

Last month marked the tenth anniversary of Wales Millennium Centre. Our impact report, specially commissioned to celebrate our decade of achievements, demonstrates our £50m annual contribution to the local economy, based on the economic model used by Professor Calvin Jones in the 2009 Cardiff Business School study that we commissioned. Alongside this is the economic impact of our nine resident partners, with Welsh National Opera contributing a further £22.5m per annum according to a 2010 report by Professor Dominic Shellard of De Montfort University.

With these nine creative organisations within our boundaries, we have become a cultural village, supporting a thousand jobs directly on our 7.5 acre site as well as a significant number through the multiplier effect of the supply chain. We receive an annual public subsidy of £3.6m through the Arts Council of Wales (ACW). This represents 19% of our total income, which means we earn more than £4 for every £1 of subsidy. Comparable centres of this scale in the UK receive over 50% subsidy. That demonstrates that we are punching well above our weight, especially when you consider we are located in a city with a relatively small population of 330,000.

We have become a cultural village, supporting a thousand jobs directly on our 7.5 acre site

It cost £106m to construct the building. £37m came from the Welsh government, £31m from the Millennium Commission and a further £10m from the Lottery through ACW. We are recognised by the National Lottery as one of its most successful Millennium projects, not simply because of our economic impact but also because of our social impact. We are at the heart of a creative cluster in Cardiff Bay. The creative and cultural industries is one of the fastest growing sectors in Wales, employing over 25,000 people and generating £1bn per annum. Our neighbours include the BBC’s drama village in Porth Teigr, where Casualty and Doctor Who are made, a brand new 40,000 square foot Centre for the Creative Industries, ITV Wales and many independent production and media companies.

We are committed to the principles of sustainable development and implement a local sourcing policy for food produce, which means that 80% of the produce we use in our catering is from Wales. We support jobs in rural parts of the country from the Isle of Anglesey in the north, where we source our fish, to Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire for cheese, and the Brecon Beacons for smoked salmon, venison and Welsh lamb. Some 60,000 tubs of ice cream per annum are consumed here, which we source from local company Sub Zero in the Rhondda Valley. We have shared our best practice in Welsh sourcing with other venues, hotels and attractions across Wales to encourage more businesses to procure locally.

An important part of our economic and social impact is as a responsible employer. Originally, catering and facilities management were outsourced, but both areas have been brought in house. The staff now feel valued and more motivated – at the heart of our ethos is that all our employees are part of one team. Changing young people’s lives is core to our mission and we have provided creative opportunities to over 200,000 children and young people, with over 100,000 children having enjoyed a sleepover at our residential centre run by Wales’ leading youth organisation, the Urdd. Examples include the all-Wales choir, Only Kids Aloud, which has performed here, in St Petersburg and Cape Town, and at the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony.

We believe that our cultural regeneration impact has been remarkable and is set to continue with more home-grown productions planned for the coming seasons.

Mathew Milsom is Managing Director of Wales Millennium Centre.
www.wmc10.org