Arts funding

Cultural organisations from across Cheltenham have agreed on a new collaborative cultural strategy that will see them working together to build on the town’s creative reputation.

The strategy, produced by Cheltenham Cultural Board, aims to facilitate greater collaboration between the town’s heritage, cultural and digital sectors and to improve access and inclusion in the town.

The local council has invested over £1.9m in culture and creativity in Cheltenham, allocating £1,725 per year to support the activities of seven local cultural organisations. 

Additional one-off community grants totalling £190,000 have been allocated to 35 specific cultural projects and a further sum of £132,0000 has been earmarked from developer contributions to support public art in the town.

An action plan sets out how the council and its partners can improve the local cultural offer to make the most of national and international opportunities. 

It includes commitments to work collectively to explore funding and planning options for Cheltenham's Holst 150th celebrations next year, as well as working to improve the accessibility and inclusion of cultural events and engaging the wider community in planning through a public meeting.

“Culture and creativity are the lifeblood of our town and our investment in the sector is currently worth more than £1.9m,” said Councillor Max Wilkinson, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Culture, Tourism and Wellbeing.

“This new strategy is the work of so many partners. It is already bringing organisations together and will further build our credentials as a truly innovative creative place,” he added.

Ali Mawle, Chair of Cheltenham Culture Board and co-CEO of Cheltenham Festivals, said that now that the strategy has been agreed “the board are creating an action plan which captures both the work that is underway and the future steps to delivering the strategic objectives”.

The second round of the Four Nations International Fund has been confirmed, with applications due to open in September.

The fund is designed to support innovative models of international cultural exchange. It is open to people working in the arts and creative industries in the UK who wish to collaborate with their counterparts in Europe and beyond.

A total budget of £240,000 has been allocated for this round. Applicants can request up to £7,500 for in-person, digital or hybrid activity, including exchanges, residencies, partnership development, co-creation and networking.

The fund is backed by co-investment from Arts Council England, Arts Council Northern Ireland, Arts Council Wales/Wales Arts International and Creative Scotland. 

The first round of the fund supported 38 projects involving 82 British creatives working with 48 international partners based in more than 24 countries. The artist-led proposals that received funding addressed key issues facing society, including injustice, gender identity and environmental sustainability.

“The development of art and culture thrives on international collaboration and exchange,” said Dana MacLeod, Executive Director of Arts, Communities and Inclusion at Creative Scotland.

“Artists and creative practitioners derive inspiration, opportunities to grow and develop practice through the sharing of ideas and explore new ways of working, as well as reaching new audiences.”

She said that the maximum funding amount available had been increased in this round “to encourage fair remunerations for artists and professionals involved in these projects, to better enable more sustainable approaches to international travel and collaboration, and to generally reflect the increased costs of working internationally”.

In light of the impacts of Brexit and the pandemic, as well as the climate emergency, she said that by working together the arts councils and agencies “can more effectively help address challenges for artists and creative practitioners across the UK and enable them to connect with their international counterparts”.

Organisers of the Africa Oyé festival have warned they may not be able to continue unless they can bring in more money.

The two-day festival, which was hosted in Liverpool over the weekend (17-18 June), is funded by private donations and grants from Arts Council England and Liverpool City Council.

But the BBC reports that, despite large crowds attending, Artistic Director Paul Duhaney has appealed for more funding to keep it free.

"For people who can't afford to pay for tickets for Glastonbury and other events, they get an opportunity to see world-class music for free," Duhaney said.

"It's such an important event for the city of Liverpool. We've been here for 31 years and we don't want it to go."