Arts and media partnerships – Press partners in Cornwall

Together with Nicky Woods, the Press Liaison at Restormel Arts, I create editorial copy for a weekly arts page devoted entirely to our events in our local paper, the Cornish Guardian, writes Amanda Kelly. With a circulation of over 43,000 and a readership of over 100,000, the Cornish Guardian is one of the best selling weekly newspapers in the UK, and we are extremely fortunate to have such a collaborative partnership with them.

This relationship is valuable for a variety of reasons, primarily because Cornwall is a notoriously difficult region in which to market arts events. The main challenge is its size: it is a hundred-mile long peninsula and North Cornwall is the most sparsely populated area in England, with less than one person per hectare.

To market effectively, we must have a diverse selection of tactics. North Cornwall Arts and Restormel Arts each produces a quarterly brochure describing their events and these are sent out to thousands of subscribers. In addition, we undertake a range of promotional activities including e-flyers, text marketing and posters. We also try to build strong relationships with local communities. However, all of these marketing activities can be costly for smaller arts organisations. Through our link with the weekly arts page in the Cornish Guardian, we have been able to reach a wide audience at very little expense.

How did it all begin? Phil Webb and Sue Richardson, the Directors of Restormel Arts and North Cornwall Arts, negotiated with the then editor of the Cornish Guardian, John Pearn, who suggested running a half page arts section in the newspaper. ?It was an adventurous thing for him to do,? Phil laughs. ?For small organisations to have this support is so beneficial, it?s been invaluable to community and amateur arts groups and we estimate that we get £1,000 per week in free publicity, which is incredible.?

The arts page contains details of forthcoming events, reviews and most importantly, information about community arts programmes which is provided by affiliated groups. This is of particular value to these small community organisations that otherwise might not get any publicity ? over fifty percent of bookings are made after seeing a piece in the arts page. As one punter explained, ?I get the brochure but decide what to see after reading about events in the arts pages.?

Leisure Editor of the Cornish Guardian, Anna Whitney, explains that the arts pages have expanded massively over the past few years due to the enthusiasm and interest in the local arts scene. ?I believe we provide an invaluable service to visitors and locals alike as to how vibrant and varied the arts scene is in our county.?

Although North Cornwall and Restormel Arts are primarily concerned with developing and encouraging the arts within the community, our programme of events acts as a flagship for our organisations. The coverage we get in the Cornish Guardian has helped to establish us firmly as an accessible, inspirational and sustainable focus for the arts in Cornwall.

Amanda Kelly is Marketing Assistant at North Cornwall Arts. t: 01840 214222;
w: http://www.ncarts.org.uk