THE Creative Redditch consortium has submitted a £1.5million bid for Lottery funding under the Creative People and Places programme.
Funded by the Arts Council, Creative People and Places is about more people choosing, creating and taking part in brilliant art experiences where they live.
The hope is that if successful, the this money, together with match funding from other sources, will help to fund a £2m programme of creative opportunities in Redditch.
The consortium, led by Bromsgrove and Redditch Network (BARN), also includes Arts in Redditch, Severn Arts, Redditch Borough Council and Jestaminute Theatre Company.
Other key partners involved included Kingfisher Centre, Maon Ltd, and Redditch BID.
The bid, which was launched at a well-attended consultation event in the Kingfisher Centre on February 6, addresses the low level of participation in creative activity in Redditch, identified by Arts Council England.
Further consultation with local people – online and in the Kingfisher Centre – has helped the consortium to shape the bid.
The aim is that its success would help communities to get involved in developing and running new creative events, make use of under-utilised spaces in the town, and build on a long-established interest and engagement with musical theatre, dance and visual arts which are a positive feature of the town.
Arts Council England will decide in July whether or not Redditch goes through to the next round, and if successful, further planning will start driven by extensive consultation with local communities across the town, to firm up proposals for the final push.
Gary Roskell, chief executive of BARN said: “This could make such a difference to the people of Redditch.
“This is about increasing opportunities, especially for people not involved in the arts.
“But our consultation taught us something else – that a lot of Redditch people are already being creative but don’t realise it, or want to be creative but don’t think they can. If we’re successful that’s exactly what we want to tackle.”
For more on Creative People and Places visit www.creativepeopleplaces.org.uk/
