West Yorkshire moots 'Town of Culture' award

14 Sep 2021

A 'Town of Culture' competition could be heading to West Yorkshire as early as 2023 under the area's economic recovery plan.

The plan proposes "a creative new deal" to promote places in West Yorkshire and boost the visitor economy.

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin revealed plans to create a new cultural event for the region when she was elected in May.

The former Shadow Culture Secretary penned the idea as a way of supporting the area's cultural offer.

If the contest is launched, it would be reserved for places too small to vie for the national City of Culture title.

West Yorkshire is represented by Bradford and Wakefield in the 2025 longlist for UK City of Culture 2025.

British Museum plans new gallery in Shropshire

10 Sep 2021

A 'partnership gallery' at Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery will open in 2024, the British Museum has announced.

The museum's Bronze Age displays will be "redeveloped" to make better use of gallery space and create narratives about historical local life.

Three 12,800-year-old woolly mammoth skeletons - the most complete sets in northwest Europe - will be the draw card of the gallery.

The British Museum says the partnership will allow more of Shrewsbury's nationally significant geology and archaeology collections to be shared with the public

Sheffield 'starved' of arts funding

07 Sep 2021

Sheffield receives less arts funding than Manchester despite having a larger population.

Analysis by The Star found that Manchester and Leeds get four times as much from Arts Council England.

Organisations in Sheffield have received £37.8m in grants since 2017/18 - the equivalent of £64.77 per person.

Leeds received the equivalent of £166.94 per person over the same period, while Manchester got £274.78 per head of population.

City Council Deputy Leader Julie Grocutt said Sheffield "punches above its weight" culturally.

The Sheffield Culture Collective launched its first strategy for regional growth in June.

"We are keen to strengthen relationships with major funders to redress the geographical imbalance in funding... and are working with partners in the Culture Collective to do just that," Grocutt said.

"We now need to make a determined effort together to bring in greater investment in to Sheffield and tackle this unfairness."

Crewe Lyceum celebrates 110 years

06 Sep 2021

Crewe Lyceum has reopened as it celebrates its 110th birthday.

It enjoyed a busy reopening last weekend, welcoming visitors for the first time in 17 months: "It reflects just how much the theatre is valued in the hearts of the local community."

A 12-month programme of projects and events will commemorate the theatre's heritage, beginning with five new shows this season.

Director Adam Knight said he grew up watching performances at the Lyceum and is proud to continue that legacy.

"Our re-opening and 110th birthday are the perfect opportunity to celebrate the stories and successes that place our theatre at the very heart of our community."

Creative and cultural industries generated £150bn pre-pandemic

01 Sep 2021

The UK's creative and cultural industries generated £150.4bn in 2019, according to new data.

DCMS figures show the industries' value grew by 8.3% in the year from 2018, adding £11.5bn to the economy before the pandemic hit.

While the creative industries' value continues to dwarf the cultural sector's at £155.8bn, cultural businesses generated nearly £36bn in 2019 - more than gambling and sport combined (£8.3bn and £16.9bn respectively).

Among all DCMS sectors, culture drew the largest proportion of its value from London. Activity in the capital added £2.2bn more to the economy in 2019 - a 10% rate of growth.

The sector's gross value added grew by 6% in all other regions except the West Midlands, where it fell by about £1m.

 

UK City of Culture competition in need of redesign

01 Sep 2021

The UK City of Culture is a DCMS success story by any standards. But, as Andrew Dixon explains, serious flaws in this year’s bidding process have been likened to “sitting an exam before you’ve read the syllabus”.

Covid-19 crushed Swansea's City of Culture plan

25 Aug 2021

Swansea Council says the pandemic changed its plans to enter the UK City of Culture 2025 contest.

The city bid for the title in the first three years of the competition and was shortlisted for the 2017 and 2021 years.

Council Leader Rob Stewart said: “Our current efforts are firmly focused on helping Swansea and its cultural community lead Wales out of the pandemic”.

Stewart added it is likely it will consider a bid in future years.

Wales is represented on the 2025 longlist by Newport, Powys, Conwy County, Bangor and Northwest Wales.

Advantaged areas won more Culture Recovery Fund money

02 Aug 2021

Places that have fewer National Portfolio Organisations and less buy-in from local authorities may struggle to access other funding streams, new research indicates.

London’s Creative Enterprise Zones to double

30 Jul 2021

City Hall is investing £3m to grow the scheme, which has supported 300 cultural organisations and 1,000 jobs through the pandemic.

City of Culture 2025 contest attracts explosion of interest

28 Jul 2021

Adding a seventh city to the longlist of bidders who will receive funding would allow more places to "complete their journey," an expert on the competition says.

£34.9bn needed for UK creative industries to 'bounce back' by 2025

22 Jul 2021

New modelling from Oxford Economics says the country's creative sectors can more than recover from the loss of 100,000 jobs with the right investment.

Cultural vaccination centres an opportunity to reach new audiences

photo of Sadiq Khan speaking to NHS workers
21 Jul 2021

Art galleries hosting pop-up sites hope to capitalise on increased footfall and reconnect with young locals.

Coventry 2021 weighs options around social distancing

08 Jul 2021

The City of Culture must take audiences' comfort into account, its Creative Director says, as the upcoming change to restrictions opens the door to larger in-person events.

'No guarantee' of funding for UK City of Culture 2025 winner

02 Jun 2021

The contest will continue into 2029 and beyond, with £40,000 grants to develop longlisted applications regardless of whether they win or lose.

Bradford cultural strategy to 'harness the power of our diversity'

01 Jun 2021

The city aims to add 3,000 jobs to its cultural sector by 2031 - half of them from underrepresented groups - as its current offer lacks "the power to engage all our diverse communities".  

Rehearsal complex to be a 'godsend' for freelancers

26 May 2021

New Diorama Theatre will open a free workspace in July, welcoming up to 80,000 creatives per year: "We would be delighted if other places stole the idea and emulated it."

DCMS revives £42m Culture Investment Fund

25 May 2021

Grants of up to £5m are available for capital works outside of London, while libraries and museums are also eligible for a slice of the resurrected suite of funds.

'Very good news': Huge optimism as partial venue reopening confirmed

Sadiq Khan at London's Pride Festival, 2016
12 May 2021

London launches a massive domestic tourism campaign as England progresses to the next stage of the reopening roadmap.

Reshaping our places and communities post-Covid

Revoluton picture of people carrying cooured umbrellas in front of building with mural 'We stand up for Luton'
08 Apr 2021

Cultural organisations can play a key role in creating thriving places for people to live, work and visit, but only if they reach out to creative partners beyond the local ‘culture club’. Penny Mills, Anne Torreggiani and Patrick Towell explain how.

A year of reorientation in the Borough of Brent

Kamiah, Nuradean and Santos - Vent at Brent 2020, London Borough of Culture
08 Apr 2021

Lois Stonock planned the London Borough of Culture 2020 to respond to Brexit. Then Brent became home to one of the UK’s first coronavirus fatalities.

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