Arts council England gives priority to these places in Lancashire...
Including Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen
Last updated 16th Sep 2021
Blackpool, Wigan and Blackburn with Darwen are among 15 places in the north of England chosen to receive priority support from the Arts Council.
In Blackpool, they hope to build on the resort’s cultural assets including the Illuminations, the Grundy Art Gallery and the Grand Theatre and develop new opportunities for investment as part the Arts Council’s Let’s Create strategy.
Wigan has been identified as an area of low cultural engagement and investment but places like the Turnpike Gallery, Wigan Pier and Haigh Hall will be the focus.
The Fire Within is the name of the council's Cultural Strategy, which they hope will maximise the benefits of culture and creativity to build upone the borough's cultural potential.
Arts Council England has prioritised 54 places nationally for special attention as part of a shift away from London and a new focus “on specific places under-served in the past.”
Jennifer Cleary, director in the north for Arts Council England, said: “Blackpool is well-known for its seaside entertainment and in recent years the town’s cultural plans have grown.
“It is fantastic to see a real commitment to culture from Blackpool Council, as well as the appetite that local people, creatives and cultural organisations have towards making Blackpool a North West cultural hub.”
Jennifer Cleary, Director, North, Arts Council England said: “I am excited today to announce that Wigan is one of our 15 priority places across the North. The launch of our Delivery Plan, which sets out how we’ll implement our new 10-year strategy Let’s Create, and the announcement of our priority places will see us working closely with partners across Wigan to ensure that creativity and culture can play a key role in levelling up across the North.
“Public investment in the arts is vital and never more so than as we emerge from the pandemic. It has been fantastic to see the Government’s commitment to art and culture through the Culture Recovery Fund which has provided a lifeline to arts and cultural organisations. The launch of our Delivery Plan and announcement of a set of priority places affirms our commitment to investing in the sector to ensure everyone across the country can access art and culture no matter where they live.
“The growth of Wigan’s cultural ambition has been amazing over the past few years. I look forward to working with the local authority and the wider cultural sector across Wigan to support the continued expansion of their cultural infrastructure and offer.”
Blackpool Council leader Coun Lynn Williams said the council already worked closely with the Arts Council.
She added: “We are proud in having two Arts Council national portfolio organisations in Blackpool, the Grand Theatre and the Grundy Art Gallery, but know they would benefit from further investment to deliver their ambitions and we have other local cultural organisations keen to develop their work with our communities.
“Covid 19 has hit the cultural sector badly both nationally and in particular places like Blackpool where entertainment and the cultural offer are so fundamental to the town, so this new initiative is very timely as we look to our recovery plans.”
Since the beginning of the pandemic Blackpool has received £2.3m from the Arts Council through the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund.
Alison Mckenzie-Folan, Chief Executive of Wigan Council, said: “This is a really exciting opportunity for Wigan and I am thrilled the Arts Council has identified our Borough as one to work closely with to increase cultural investment.
“We have already laid out ambitious goals for enhancing Wigan’s cultural offering through our Cultural Manifesto, The Fire Within, and a partnership with the Arts Council is really valuable in helping us reach those goals.
“Cultural experiences connect people, improve health and wellbeing and encourage visitors to come to our town centres and learn about our heritage. We hope to make Wigan one of the most exciting places in the country for the arts and culture sector.”