Redditch pitching for £1m funding to boost arts in the borough - The Redditch Standard

Redditch pitching for £1m funding to boost arts in the borough

Redditch Editorial 14th May, 2021   0

REDDITCH could be in line for up to £1million of funding from Arts Council England, if a local consortium of arts organisations succeeds in its bid to the ‘Creative People and Places’ programme.

Designed to support communities with relatively low levels of participation in creative activity, the scheme has been running successfully in other locations for a number of years.

The ‘Reimagine Redditch’ consortium is led by Bromsgrove and Redditch Network (BARN), with Arts in Redditch, Severn Arts, Jestaminute Community Theatre and Redditch Borough Council.

The consortium was on the brink of submitting its 2020 bid when the plug was pulled due to the pandemic.




The new programme will now run from 2022 to 2025, a shorter period than previous rounds, with reduced funding available.

Despite these challenges, the consortium is confident the available funds would make a real difference to the creative lives of Redditch’s diverse communities.


If the bid is successful, these funds will also attract support from consortium partners including the Kingfisher Shopping Centre, Rubicon Leisure, Redditch Partnership, Redditch Library and the Town Centre Business Improvement District.

Gary Roskell, chief executive of BARN said: “The consultations we have undertaken over the past two years have helped us to build a strong case for this funding, which will allow us to construct a community-led model for the development of an exciting programme of creative activities.

“We are hopeful of success in this round, but even if we don’t succeed, we have built the basis of a strong partnership which will endure for the benefit of all our communities.”

The deadline to hand in the bid is June 11 and residents who have suggestions for improving opportunities for people to engage in and support music, theatre, visual arts and other creative activities in the borough should go to the consortium’s website at: https://barn.org.uk/reimagine/ .

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