Arts front and centre thanks to funding award

Arts front and centre thanks to funding award

Arts and culture across Somerset are set to benefit from the creation of a Somerset Cultural Strategy following a £30,000 grant awarded by Arts Council England.

Over the next year, the aim is to produce a five-year cultural strategy for the new unitary Somerset Council which comes into being in April 2023. Community priorities will be included with details of how the cultural identity of Somerset is promoted to ensure arts and culture is embedded at the heart of the new authority’s strategic plans.

The project will consider how to raise awareness and promote the role that culture and creativity can play in enriching communities and improving the quality of life, health, wellbeing and the local economy for Somerset residents, local businesses and visitors.

It will also help to create new employment opportunities and raise the profile of the county’s vibrant creative sector.

As well as the grant from the Arts Council, £5,000 has also been committed towards the strategy from each of the councils in Somerset – Mendip District Council, Sedgemoor District Council, Somerset County Council, Somerset West and Taunton Council and South Somerset District Council.

Cllr Federica Smith-Roberts, Somerset County Council’s Executive Lead Member for Communities, said: “Somerset is blessed with vibrant artists and superb arts organisations, but it remains the case that while talent is everywhere opportunity is not. We see the huge amounts of talent in our county and the Somerset Cultural Strategy will provide us with a fresh starting point to explore how we unleash creativity across Somerset so everyone can benefit from the creative arts.

“The Cultural Strategy will provide our new authority with an exciting vision of how the creative arts in Somerset could be transformed with world-class artists visiting our county, greater support for our local artists creating and working in the heart of our communities and opportunities for everyone to enjoy a diverse and exciting programme of arts and events.”

The project is being led by the Arts & Entertainment Service of South Somerset District Council based at The Octagon Theatre and Westlands Entertainment Venue, after the area was designated a ‘Priority Place’ by the Arts Council and included within the government’s Levelling Up for Culture Places. This comes on the back of SSDC’s commitment to developing The Octagon Theatre into a flagship cultural venue for the creative arts. The capital development of the theatre was awarded £10m of DCMS funding that will be managed via the Arts Council.

Phil Gibby, Area Director, Arts Council England, South West, said: “We’re delighted that the new Somerset Council are making this commitment to culture and creativity. Exploring what the cultural offer can look like in Somerset for people living and working across the county and intending to embed that at the early stage of this newly formed unitary authority is admirable.

“Culture and creativity make our lives better. It’s proven to boost civic pride and improve individual happiness – and clearly each of the existing councils in Somerset recognise its potential. We look forward to learning more about this strategy, which will help us to achieve our vision laid out in Let’s Create, our strategy designed to deliver new opportunities for every person in England to get creative and enjoy brilliant culture. Let’s Create recognises that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not, and aims to ensure that the creative talent of every person in every village, town and city flourish.”

The Somerset Cultural Strategy will be prepared for the new council and the decision on whether it should be adopted, and funding opportunities pursued will be decided by the new authority.

Other News

Town Council Reception Closure

Reception will be closed from 12.30 pm tomorrow (Tuesday) lunchtime until Wednesday morning, however, urgent emails/telephone calls will be responded to as soon as possible.

Mayors Fabulous Fundraiser for the RNLI

On Tuesday evening, 3rd December, a generous crowd attended the Princess Theatreand Arts Centre for the Mayor of Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge, Councillor SharonPerry’s, fundraiser event for the RNLI.The evening began with a welcome drink before

Somerset Council’s ‘Help Through Winter’

Somerset households struggling to pay their bills and keep warm during the colder months could be eligible for help with everyday essentials, such as food, water and energy costs. Somerset Council’s ‘Help Through Winter’ campaign

Categories

Categories

Archives

Archives

Newsletter

Have our newsletter delivered direct to your inbox.

Be the first to hear our latest news.

Burnham-on-Sea & Highbridge Council Logo

Thank You

Please check your inbox for any email verifications to ensure you complete the signup process.

Records Retention Schedule

Financial Risk Management Policy - March 2023

Grant Application Kings Coronation Form

The Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III will take place on Saturday 6th May 2023, with an additional bank holiday on Monday 8th May 2023.

We are keen to hear from groups/organisations in Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge that are looking to celebrate the Coronation. The Town Council has £1500 available to allocate to events being organised to celebrate the Kings Coronation. The maximum grant to be allocated per event will be £500.

You must meet the following criteria for your application to be considered:

– The event will be open to all members of the public

– The event will be free of charge

– The event will take place within the Coronation weekend

– The event will take place within Burnham on Sea or Highbridge

 

Applications will close on Monday 6th March at midday. 

Your organisation and contact details

What happens next....
Applications will be considered at the Finance and Resources Committee Meeting on Monday 13th March 2023. You will be notified after this date whether your application has been successful.
Burnham & Highbridge Town Council takes your privacy seriously and will only use your personal information for the purposes of contacting you about this grant. The Council’s privacy notice can be found here.

We use cookies to help make this site better. Read more about our cookie policy.

Skip to content