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The process has begun for establishing a National Youth Dance Company (NYDC) in England, to offer talented young people the chance to develop the high-level performance skills needed for a professional career in dance, as recommended by the Henley Review of Cultural Education. Arts Council England (ACE) is inviting submissions to run the organisation, which will receive £400,000 a year in funding – half from the Department of Education and half from ACE. As well as accepting a yearly intake of young dancers to its core programme, NYDC will offer workshops and training to a wider range of young people.
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A forthcoming tour will bring a Scottish Opera performance within a 30-minute drive of most households in Scotland. Its 2012/13 50th anniversary season will see the company take La Traviata and Opera Highlights to more than 50 venues which, combined with the Company’s performances in the cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness, will be within reach of an estimated 90% of the Scottish population. The population data which helped plan the tour was provided by Culture Sparks, based on data from more than 40 venues in Scotland, generated over an eight-year period.

A new Policy Handbook aims to sensitise local, regional and national authorities in the European Union to the potential influence of the cultural and creative industries on regional and local development. Published by the European Union Expert Group on Cultural and Creative Industries, it also aims to support the cultural community in making the case for engaging with EU support programmes, including the Structural Funds, based on the spill-over effects that cultural activity can have on the wider economy.
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Curve’s efforts to be fully accessible have been recognised with a Gold ‘Access for All Tourism Award’ at the national finals of VisitEngland’s Awards for Excellence 2012. Fiona Allan, Chief Executive of Leicester’s flagship venue, said: “We are proud of our programme and all the other work we do to ensure that Curve is accessible to all, from enhanced performances through to accessible pricing and community productions.”

The Charity Commission has launched a public consultation about the information it collects from charities. It is keen to receive comments or suggestions about the information that charities submit on an annual basis. The responses to the consultation will inform its future agenda and influence imminent changes to the Annual Return. Sam Younger, Chief Executive of the Charity Commission, said: “We collect information from charities so that we can publish it for the public to use and to help charities fulfil their responsibility to be transparent.” The consultation ends on 20 July.
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