Arts Council England has awarded Gloucester Culture Trust £500,000 from its National Lottery Place Partnerships Fund to deliver a transformative three-year cultural programme in Gloucester.
The project, Together Gloucester will receive a further £450,000 from Gloucester City Council and £550,000 from partners, bringing the total funding package for creativity and culture to £1,500,000.
Over the next three years Together Gloucester will work with communities to co-create a new vision for culture in the city. Led by a cross-sector partnership, the programme aims to engage new audiences with arts, heritage and placemaking.
Residents will explore Gloucester’s unique identity through a year-round events programme. Inclusivity and accessibility are fundamental to the project, providing new opportunities for the community to inform decision making and improve their health and wellbeing. Activities will welcome diverse perspectives and encourage collaboration to understand what is working, what could improve and how the city can nurture a collective pride in place.
The full public programme will include: A Citizens Panel; new funding opportunities; talent development programmes; community-led events; and skills training to generate career opportunities and improve the local economy. The first Together Gloucester funding opportunity will be announced in the next few months.
Together Gloucester is the result of two years of research and partnership working across the city and will involve a range of delivery partners and community organisations.
Together Gloucester has been developed by Gloucester Culture Trust and partners Active Gloucestershire, Gloucester BID, Gloucester City Council, Gloucester Community Building Collective, Gloucestershire Gateway Trust, GUST, The Music Works, University of Gloucestershire, and Young Gloucestershire.
Phil Gibby, Area Director, South West, Arts Council England, said: “This is a welcome development for Gloucester Culture Trust – their ambitious work to engage people from all walks of life with culture is deserving of support. Making Gloucester a thriving city where culture plays an essential role in how we work, live and play is an aspiration we all share. By 2030 we want England to be a country in which everyone can access high-quality cultural experiences on their doorstep. Thanks to this National Lottery-supported Place Partnership award, that future looks a little closer.”
Cabinet member for Leisure and Culture at Gloucester City Council, Councillor Andy Lewis, said: “This is exciting news for Gloucester, as a vital part of any vibrant city is its arts and cultural sector and we are committed to investing in the cultural life of Gloucester.
This announcement builds on our successful levelling up bid to create an £11 million Greyfriars Quarter with a new cultural hub combined with the recent renovation of the Guildhall and ongoing improvements at Gloucester Museum. We are putting culture at the heart of the huge regeneration taking place across the city.”