Solent Partners and Arts Council England are developing the Solent Cultural Plan to better support and guide the region’s diverse creative communities, its talented workforce and local visitor attractions, which all make an important contribution to the Solent’s special identity. It will not only celebrate the region’s distinctive character, but also aim to stimulate its cultural economy.
Local cultural businesses, organisations and communities involved in arts and culture, heritage, creative industries, or culture-driven regeneration in the Solent region are invited to sign up to participate in one of our Cultural Plan workshops held in Portsmouth and Southampton on 7 December, and on the Isle of Wight on 8 December.
Solent Partners Chair, Rachael Randall, said: “There’s already a vibrant cultural presence in the Solent region, and the development of a Solent Cultural Plan will play an important role in place-making, allowing the region’s specialisms, culture and heritage to enrich the tapestry of the UK’s Creative Industries sector.
“We are proud to be working with Arts Council England to create the Solent Cultural Plan. We are reaching out to local arts, culture and heritage-related organisations and businesses to help us shape this activity that will boost our dynamic cultural offering in the region.
“If you have an interest in the creative arts, culture and heritage, please sign up for a workshop to help shape the future of culture in the Solent region and uncover the story it has to tell. Your input is invaluable in shaping this activity for the area’s cultural growth and prosperity.”
Cultural development experts The Intelligence Agency and CT Consults have been appointed to support this work and will work with communities and partners to develop the Solent Cultural Plan which will:
- Inform and drive development, investment, and best practice in the coming years.
- Shine a spotlight on the key culture, heritage, and landscape assets which make and define the Solent as a special place to live, work, visit, invest and study.
- Tell the story of the region – what makes it distinctive through a clear vision to optimise and grow the Solent’s cultural economy.
Solent Partners, supported by the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership, is the new, re-energised partnership that will bring local industry, academic and civic leaders together in the Solent.
Harnessing the past successes as the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Solent Partners aim is to provide what’s needed to deliver the kind of prosperity, profitability, and sustainability that’s only possible when energised leaders come together.
The Solent is a recognised Creative Industries (CI) growth cluster, with around 4,500 businesses and 40,000 jobs, generating £1.5bn GVA. Growth in the sector is predominantly in digital, software development, web design, digital marketing and a fast-emerging cluster around Games and Interactive Entertainment, Sound Design, and Film. Around 65% of CI businesses are very small and have an annual turnover of under £20,000.
Sign up for one of the workshops at https://solentlep.org.uk/growth-hub-business-support/the-solent-cultural-plan/ or email enquiries@solentlep.org.uk to find out more about this project.
