£1.5 million set to build a more inclusive cultural offer in Gloucester
Gloucester Culture Trust has been awarded £500,000 from our National Lottery Place Partnerships Fund for its three-year cultural initiative, ‘Together Gloucester’.
With additional support from partners, including Young Gloucestershire, Gloucester City Council and the University of Gloucestershire, this brings the collective investment into the city’s arts and culture to £1.5 million.
At the heart of this Priority Place-based project is a focus on community engagement. It aims to co-create a new cultural vision for Gloucester in collaboration with residents and local organisations. Emily Gibbon, BID Manager at Gloucester City Centre sees the initiative as “an opportunity to tie the city together, geographically and culturally, with the community taking a lead for step change.”
‘Together Gloucester’ is a culmination of two years of research to understand what is effective, areas for improvement, and how the city can instil a collective pride of place. Plans will include:
Year-round events for residents celebrating Gloucester’s unique cultural identity
A Citizen’s Panel offering new funding and training opportunities and community-led events (dates to be announced)
Activities targeting the health and wellbeing of children and young people
“This is a testament to the power of collective efforts in driving positive change for the city, by the city,” adds Phil Hindson, Chief Executive of Gloucester Culture Trust.
The positive news builds on recent developments of the city’s cultural landscape, including improvements made to Gloucester Guildhall and Gloucester Museum, as well as Gloucester City Council’s successful £11 million levelling up bid to transform Greyfriars Quarter into a new cultural hub.
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.” - Phil Gibby, South west Area Director
Our commitment to the city is part of our wider focus in the 11 priority places across the region where we would like to increase our investment over the next three years. In Let’s Create, we envision a future where everyone can access high-quality cultural experiences at their doorstep.
Other partners involved in delivering the initiative include The Music Works, Active Gloucestershire, Gloucester Community Building Collective, Gloucestershire Gateway Trust, GUST, and Young Gloucestershire.
