Gloucester City Council is seeking views from across the city to develop its culture strategy.
As the city council continues its cultural regeneration plans the Interim Culture Board* will now work with consultants FEI to get a range of views from people all over the city.
The views will help inform and develop a cultural strategy for Gloucester which will make sure that the cultural regeneration in the city compliments the physical regeneration happening now.
Gloucester is a popular destination for visitors. In 2015 it overtook Cheltenham to become the number one visitor destination in the county, clinic with heritage and cultural activities drawing in the most people.
The new strategy will aim to grow and improve the quality of the city’s cultural offering.
The Interim Culture Board will bring together people with knowledge of cultural development, search and those who know about Gloucester and its institutions – to share their experiences, order thoughts and ideas.
The work to gather the views is being funded by the city council and through a grant from the Arts Council England.
Cllr Lise Noakes, cabinet member for culture and leisure and chair of the Interim Culture Board said, “There are ambitious aspirations for the cultural sector in Gloucester. A thriving culture helps the local economy and boosts wellbeing and civic pride.
“I’m grateful to Arts Council England for giving us a grant and working with us to progress art and culture in Gloucester. The funding has allowed us to appoint FEI consultants who will gather knowledge and views from across the city to help us form Gloucester’s cultural strategy.”
Phil Gibby, Area Director, South West, Arts Council England said, ‘We’re pleased to be supporting the implementation of a cultural strategy in Gloucester which we hope will deliver new and energised momentum to Gloucester’s arts and cultural scene and help to embed arts and culture into the heart of the city.’
Nick Dodds from FEI Consultants said, “We’ve heard a lot from people about Gloucester being a city “on the up” and our first impression very much supports that. We’re looking forward to working with people from across the city to deliver a cultural strategy that will provide the cultural offering that residents want, that will support the artistic talent in the city and attract more visitors.”
Jason Smith, chief executive officer of Marketing Gloucester and member of the Interim Culture Board said, “We’ve seen the way cultural regeneration has changed the offering and perception of cities such as Newcastle, Glasgow, Bristol and Liverpool. Although Gloucester is very different from those cities, there are lessons we can learn.
“Events such as the Tall Ships Festival and the History Festival have a great impact on how visitors perceive our city. Having a clear strategy and an action plan based on a wide consultation will be of enormous benefit to everyone working in the cultural sector and the city as a whole.”
The strategy will be brought to the city council for final approval and implementation in March 2016.