Creating coastal communities

Networking has been a buzzword in the cultural sector for a long time, seen as an essential way to make connections, share experiences and have a stronger voice. So when does a network actually become necessary and what keeps it alive over time? In launching the Coastal Culture Network (CCN), these are questions I’ve asked myself a lot over the past few months.

A starting point

In a crowded field, a new network becomes viable when a gap in provision coincides with a critical mass of activity or external forces that bring a particular area of work into sharper focus. In the case of the CCN, the gap was around taking the coast as the starting point and then targeting not just cultural organisations but local authorities and others concerned with the development and regeneration of those locations and communities.

The coast is a neutral point of common interest around which people can gather and bring their particular perspective and expertise

To be effective, a network has to offer a space that all its potential participants feel comfortable stepping into. Networks that mainly speak the language of ‘arts’ or ‘local authorities’ can be off-putting to those not in those sectors. The coast is a neutral point of common interest around which people can gather and bring their particular perspective and expertise.

The critical mass of activity has been developing for some time as part of the growth of the culture-led regeneration agenda. From large-scale capital projects to those focussing on community development, the potential of culture to be a driver for regeneration is now widely acknowledged and nowhere is this more evident than on the coast.

New coastal initiatives

The external forces centre on the increased acknowledgement in recent years, from central government and other agencies, of the challenges faced by coastal areas in terms of regeneration and development. With that acknowledgement has come support for new coastal initiatives.

The Coastal Communities Alliance was established in 2007 to provide a united voice for the coast, and the development of its coastal community teams since 2015 has brought together partnerships of local people, councils and businesses in over 140 towns around the English coast.

In addition, the Big Lottery Fund’s Coastal Communities Fund has seen £120m invested since 2012 in over 200 projects. Arts and heritage have featured strongly in some of these projects, but only in certain areas, and much more could be achieved if better connections could be made, particularly in places where there isn’t a strong cultural infrastructure already in place.

Arts Council England’s Strategic Touring fund has also supported projects with a coastal focus, including Opera for All, which inspired the setting up of the CCN – and Coasters. Again, there could be other places that want to get involved but don’t have the right connections.

The Coastal Culture Network will do the following:

• Bringing together coastal local authorities, cultural organisations, Coastal Community Teams and others with an interest in the role of culture in coastal communities
• Sharing good practice, information and opportunities in order to facilitate increased activity
• Advocating for the role of culture in the regeneration and development of England’s coastal communities with partners and strategic stakeholders.

Network launch

The network was launched in February at a House of Commons reception hosted by Boston & Skegness MP Matt Warman. There were representatives from arts and cultural organisations, coastal community teams, local authorities, central government, tourism bodies, funders and others. We were also delighted that Andrew Percy MP, Minister for Local Growth and the Northern Powerhouse at the Department for Communities and Local Government, joined us, reflecting the recognition this area of work has at the highest level.

The CCN sits within the Coastal Communities Alliance website. Membership is free and members will can join the online forum, communicate with other members to share good practice and build partnerships, and access case studies, information and resources.

Key to our success will be building a large and diverse membership so that conversations on the forum really do link people up with others outside their usual networks. Alongside this will be ongoing advocacy. We have a window of opportunity to really fix culture as part of the coastal regeneration agenda as a strategy that can help our coastal communities thrive.

Polly Gifford is Cultural Development Manager at Hastings Borough Council and Coordinator of the Cultural Coastal Network.
www.coastalcommunities.co.uk/arts-opera/ccn
E: [email protected]