A £1.3 million two-year boost to transform culture in Swindon
Introducing The Swindon Culture Collective
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24 months to put Swindon on the cultural map
By Jamie Hill
There was some well-deserved back-slapping at the Legends Lounge at Swindon Town Football Club on Tuesday morning.
And even a celebratory cake.
The great and the good of the Swindon arts scene were all present and correct for the announcement that a bid for £600,000 from Arts Council England’s National Lottery Place Partnership Fund had been successful.
Added to that is another £770,000 investment from other organisations including £312,000 from Swindon Borough Council via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Which gets us up to the grand total of £1.37m.
The idea is for the money to establish Swindon as a festival town, unlock new opportunities and spaces for arts and culture, and map out progression pathways for people keen to develop their own creativity.
You can read all about the ambitious two-year plans in an Ink interview with organiser Dr Rod Hebden a couple of months back here.
It’s all very ambitious and worthy and if it works could have a major impact on the identity of the town.
A new not-for-profit organisation, Swindon Culture Collective CIC, has been established to lead the programme and support the network of arts and cultural organisations previously known as the Magic Swindon Network (a name The Ink made no secret of not liking and is very glad to see the back of).
Meanwhile, Swindon Borough Council, one of the project’s partners and who are definitely stepping up to take this seriously, has appointed Kate Wyatt into a new role of Head of Culture, Heritage, Arts and Special Events.
Kate doesn’t start in the role until September but the very creation of the post shows how important SBC sees arts and culture as being for the future development of the borough. She will be the one directing the council’s support of the project and providing strategic input.
The whole point of the newly-formed Swindon Culture Collective is to bring together the town’s rich and vibrant community of cultural organisations and grassroots activity, increasing collaboration and visibility of everything the town has to offer.
It aims to increase arts and cultural participation and inclusion, and celebrate Swindon’s creative and cultural life.
The programme was developed by the network of over 100 local artists and organisations, including Swindon Borough Council.
Arts Council England’s investment is supported by further pledges of £770,000 in cash and in-kind contributions from local partners New Elements, Prime Theatre, Swindon Music Centre, South Swindon Parish Council, Gel Studios and Network Rail amongst others, and including Swindon Borough Council’s contribution.