Section:GDN 1J PaGe:5 Edition Date:190827 Edition:01 Zone: Sent at 26/8/2019 18:31 cYanmaGentaYellowbla
Tuesday 27 August 2019 The Guardian •
5
The arts can
restore pride to
Britain’s towns
is not only tangible value in investment in the arts, but
also huge public demand for it.
Of those surveyed, 44% said the local arts scene is an
important factor, compared with 43% saying the same
about schools. These are striking fi gures. The presence
of a theatre, a gallery or a library – places where people
gather to enjoy themselves and share an experience – can
help to sustain towns through the transformations of
our age. They can generate local pride and help to forge
a new identity based on creativity, while still celebrating
their past. As one Stoke-on-Trent resident interviewed
for the report stated, having a strong cultural off er
“gives the impression that an area respects itself and its
historical and cultural heritage”. This kind of community
self-esteem is crucial.
Performances, exhibitions and festivals can arrest
decline and help to make town centres attractive
places to visit and socialise. The fi gures in the report
support this, with 68% of people saying that arts
and cultural events are very important for fostering
community feeling. The most obvious example of the
positive impact of art and culture in recent years is the
experience of Hull when it was City of Culture in 2017.
The programme boosted the city’s economy, with £300m
generated by the local tourism industry across the year.
However, the benefi ts went far beyond that, helping to
instil in local people a renewed pride in Hull’s history
and confi dence about its role in the world. By the end
of the year, three-quarters of residents said they were
proud to live in the city.
Hull’s experience has been mirrored by that of smaller
towns across the country, including a wide range of
market, coastal and post-industrial towns. Since 2012,
the Arts Council has invested £53m in Creative People
and Places – a programme designed to bring cultural
events to areas with low levels of arts engagement –
with a further £17.5m announced earlier this month.
Nicholas Serota
is chair of Arts
Council EnglandBy working with residents and local partners, the
scheme allows people to shape the arts and cultural
provision where they live. So far, the scheme has
supported projects in 21 areas across England including
Sunderland, St Helens, Barking and Luton.
These projects can help to give residents a new
perspective on where they live. One project, which
saw Hanley Park in Stoke-on-Trent turned into a
pyrotechnic circus, drew in many local people who
were visiting for the fi rst time, despite the park being on
their doorstep. “People are seeing it as a beautiful space
to be used for recreation purposes rather than just a
shortcut,” said one.
As towns such as Margate and Folkestone show, a
thriving cultural sector can also help to attract new
businesses working in creative industries (this is the
fastest growing sector of the UK economy, with the
number of creative jobs increasing by 30% since 2011).
Since opening its doors nearly a decade ago, Turner
Contemporary has attracted 400,000 visitors a year,
injecting over £68m into Kent’s economy, and leading
to the opening of more than 150 businesses across
Margate. The hard evidence shows that the arts matter
to people across the country, and makes clear the case
for greater investment in culture. It was heartening
to see Boris Johnson recognise this in one of his fi rst
speeches as prime minister, when he drew attention to
the benefi ts that investment in the arts had brought to
the reputation, the life and the economy of Manchester
over the past 20 years.
Whether it is in bringing communities together,
promoting individual wellbeing, or helping towns to
adapt to changing economic circumstances, the arts
have an ever-increasing role to play in helping us all to
live well. By supporting our cultural sector, we create
happier, more vibrant communities that we can all be
proud to be a part of.Nicholas
Serota
W
hat makes a town thrive?
When people are choosing
where to live in Britain in
2019, they are doing so at
a time when many places
are undergoing dramatic
changes. With retail
increasingly shifting online
and traditional industries declining, many towns that
once had thriving high streets and commercial centres
are experiencing a loss of confi dence and a changing
sense of identity.
The latest report commissioned by Arts Council
England, based on independent research, shows that
arts and culture are up there with good schools when
people make their decisions about where to live. ThereRELEASED BY "What's News" vk.com/wsnws TELEGRAM: t.me/whatsnws