Culture in Rural Development Programme 1/4

Culture in Rural Development Programme 2005-2008Headline Report/October 2008

Image: Hidden Tracks; Kate Dyer, actor Chris Dugrenier

InsideCulture In Rural Development (CRD)Case Studies

Culture East Midlands Apex Court, City Link, Nottingham NG2 4LA E info@culture-em.org.uk T 0115 983 8769

Hidden Tracks is a project commissioned by Fermynwoods Contemporary Art in Northamptonshire and produced by Watch This Space. Visit www.fermynwoods.co.uk and www.watch-this-space.org.uk

Image: Sites of Meaning (Site 13 near Arbor Low), Time, you old gipsy man / Will you not stay / Put up you caravan / Just for one day? Text by Ralph Hodgson, Carved by Celia Kilner.

Culture in Rural Development Programme 2/4

Culture East Midlands Apex Court, City Link, Nottingham NG2 4LA E info@culture-em.org.uk T 0115 983 8769

The CRD programme was a pioneering three year partnership between Culture East Midlands, East Midlands Development Agency (emda), Arts Council England East Midlands, Government Office for the East Midlands, Museums Libraries & Archives Council East Midlands, English Heritage and a number of other key local authorityand cultural partners across the region.

A fixed term programme which ran from 2005-2008, the partnership had a clear remit to strengthen and raise awareness of the role that culture plays in economic and community development in rural communities across the East Midlands. Working with a number of organisations and individuals, the programme focused on testing support structures and highlighting issues that have an impact on the rural and cultural sectors. The main areas of work can be summarised as follows:

1. Development and piloting - a number of work areas including rural creative economy, the impact of culture on market towns, capacity building for rural cultural social enterprises, culture in farm diversification, culture and migrant workers.

2. Networking - support for rurally based cultural organisations and practitioners.

3. Policy, advice and advocacy - support for rural and cultural agencies and raising awareness among stakeholders of key issues faced by cultural practitioners in rural communities.

With the support and commitment of all the key partners, the programme has been hugely successful. As well as delivering against its key objectives, the partnership has helped to ensure that the value of the cultural sector as a catalyst to change and growth in rural areas is more widely acknowledged amongst key influencers and stake-holders. Below are a number of case studies which demonstrate that value and present the outcomes of the CRD programme. At the end of the document, there is also a directory of contact details for those organisations and individuals whose work will continue to develop some of the activity that was started as part of the CRD programme.

Sukhy Johal MBEChief Executive Culture East MidlandsChair CRD PartnershipOctober 2008

Culture In Rural Development (CRD)

Sites of Meaning, a millennium project in Middleton & Smerrill in the Derbyshire Peak, marks the seventeen entrances to the parish with inscriptions chosen by parishioners. Project devised and led by Charles Monkhouse. Visit www.sitesofmeaning.org.uk and www.charlesmonkhouse.co.uk

Organisations that were enabled to access innovation and support initiatives.... Charnwood Arts (Leics), Fermynwoods Gallery (Northants), Firebird Trust (Lincs), Junction Arts (Derbys)

Organisations assisted to improve their performance through capacity building activities.... Alford Manor House (Lincs), Ashby-de-la-Zouch Arts Festival (Leics), Ayscoughfee Hall Museum (Lincs), Derbyshire Open Arts (Derbys), Gamelea Countryside Training Trust (Derbys), High Peak Community Arts (Derbys), Louth Museum (Lincs), Louth Playgoers Society (Lincs), Market Bosworth Festival (Leics), Melbourne Festival (Derbys), National Stone Centre (Derbys), REAP Rural Education & Arts Project (Derbys), Southwell Artspace (Notts), The Circle Arts Company (Notts), Wash Arts CIC (Derbys), Wolds Collective (Lincs)”

Organisations provided with support and advice... Arts in the Peak (Derbys), Beacon (Lincs), Bend in the River (Lincs), Level Centre (Derbys), New Perspectives Theatre Company (regional) and Spalding Pumpkin Parade (Lincs), Loughborough Christmas event (Leics), Rutland County Museum (Rutland), Buxton Festival (Derbys) through the action research for the Economic Impact toolkit”

Rural Research: The impact of creative industries on rural communities

In 2007, the partnership commissioned the region’s first accurate report on the economic impact of the creative industries in rural areas of the East Midlands. The research, which included 27 separate Local Authority district reports, clearly demonstrated that the creative industries are a vital, economically significant and growing sector in rural parts of the East Midlands. Copies are available on the website, www.ruralculture-em.org.

The information has been invaluable for policy-makers and key partners with an interest in the creative economy. So much so that a similar study focusing on urban areas has been commissioned to ensure a region-wide picture of the economic impact of creative industries across the East Midlands.

The work prompted partnership between the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Regional Cultural Observatory to develop a pilot model to improve the way data relating to the creative industries is gathered. This has been followed by interest at national level from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

Market Value: The economic impact of culturein market towns

Market towns are the backbone of rural communities, providing a focus for service delivery, economic development and social life across the East Midlands. Yet, while cultural services are a key part of the service function of market towns, support for cultural activity varies greatly. A major reason for this has been the limited means of accurately measuring the economic impact of, for example, a festival in a market town.

In response to this, the partnership commissioned the East Midlands Cultural Observatory to undertake a research project testing ways of effectively reporting on the impact of local cultural investment.

Working with cultural venues and events across the region, and in conjunction with the University of Nottingham Business School, the Cultural Observatory developed the region’s first toolkit enabling market towns to measure the effect of culture on their local economy. This toolkit will help organisers determine why people visit their annual festival, how much money such visits will bring to the town and how future results might be improved.

The full toolkit and guidance notes are now available from www.ruralculture-em.org.

Connecting Communities: A dedicated web resource: www.ruralculture-em.org

A first for the East Midlands and a first for the country, a dedicated rural culture website for the East Midlands was commissioned and developed to provide a virtual networking and information resource for dispersed rural practitioners. Averaging 1500 visits each month, the site carries news items on current issues and opportunities, case studies on rural culture initiatives and projects, a message board, downloadable resources and over 280 rural culture contacts for the region. Beyond the life of the partnership, the website will continue to be maintained and further developed as a virtual networking resource by EMARAN.

Information Exchange: Testing news ways of working and networking

In 2006, consultation with practitioners across the region revealed a strong need for a forum that would support and allow practitioners to share ideas and best practice. As a direct result, the East Midlands Arts in Rural Areas Network (EMARAN) was formed.

EMARAN holds two conferences a year which address the issues and challenges faced by rural practitioners and seek to develop new, workable strategies and solutions that arise out of the participants’ shared experiences. The last three conferences have attracted nearly 300 delegates and participants have welcomed the opportunity to meet like-minded practitioners and share information in a more structured way.

On the back of its success, EMARAN has also become a sub-group of the East Midlands Rural Affairs Forum (EMRAF). As a sub-group, EMARAN feeds news on issues affecting the cultural sector in rural areas back to EMRAF, and advises on rural policy making. EMARAN have also been awarded funding by Arts Council England East Midlands to develop their work further in 2008-09. For information on EMARAN events and its plans for the future, sign up at: www.ruralculture-em.org.

Culturing Connections: Culture and migrant workersin the East Midlands

The partnership also commissioned a consultation to look at the cultural interests of growing numbers of migrant workers in the region with a view to informing the work of key cultural and regional partners. The research yielded new information on the cultural preferences and needs of migrant workers in the county, and can now beeasily accessed on the rural culture website. www.ruralculture-em.org

As a direct result of this work, the partnership also went on to support a project in Spalding, Lincolnshire, called ‘Just like my mother usedto make’. Based in Asycoughfee Hall Museum, the project bought migrant workers and local people together to explore different cultural identities through food and recipes and culminated in an open event which attracted over 160 visitors. The project will continue beyond the life of the partnership and details from the project, includingrecipe cards, are available from www.ruralculture-em.org.

Case Studies Culture in Rural Development Programme 3/4

Culture East Midlands Apex Court, City Link, Nottingham NG2 4LA E info@culture-em.org.uk T 0115 983 8769

709 people attending advocacy, research, training and networking events

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“EMARAN looks forward to providing support for the ambitious rural culture sector in this region. Culture East Midlands responded to what creative businesses and arts organisations needed and the organisations and practitioners we work with are already gaining confidence in their cultural enterprises”Nicki Gardner, Chair, EMARAN

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Culture in Rural Development Programme 4/4

Culture East Midlands Apex Court, City Link, Nottingham NG2 4LA E info@culture-em.org.uk T 0115 983 8769

Regional seminars, workshops and conferences...Valuing Volunteers training, Museums development day, Leicestershire Creative Industries launch, Northamptonshire Creative Industries launch, Derbyshire Creative Industries launch, Lincolnshire Creative Industries launch, Nottingham Regional Creative Industries launch, East Midlands Arts in Rural Areas Consultation, EMARAN spring 2007 conference, EMARAN autumn 2007 conference, EMARAN spring 2008 conference, Farm Diversification and Cultural enterprise Conference, Economic Impact of Culture in Market Towns Seminar, Distant Voices migrant workers seminar.

Rural Culture/EMARAN Website www.ruralculture-em.org

Action for Communities in Rural Englandwww.acre.org.uk

Arts Council Englandwww.artscouncil.org.uk

Commission for Rural Communitieswww.ruralcommunities.gov.uk

Cultivate www.cultivate-em.org.uk

Design Factorywww.designfactory.org.uk

East Midlands Arts in Rural Areas Networkwww.ruralculture-em.org/site/list/ culture/emaran

East Midlands Development Agencywww.emda.org.uk

East Midlands Participatory Arts Forumwww.empaf.com

East Midlands Rural Affairs Forum www.ruralaffairs.org.uk/emraf.htm

English Heritagewww.english-heritage.org.uk

Museums, Libraries & Archives Council www.mla.gov.uk

National Rural Touring Forumwww.nrtf.org.uk

Community Lincs (Community Council Lincolnshire) www.communitylincs.com

Lincolnshire County Council www.lincolnshire.gov.uk

Leicestershire and Rutland Rural Community Council www.ruralcc.org.uk

Creative Leicestershire www.creativeleicestershire.org.uk

Rural community action Nottinghamshire www.nottsrcc.org.uk

Nottinghamshire County Council www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk

Derbyshire Rural Community Council www.derbyshirercc.org.uk

Arts Derbyshire www.artsderbyshire.org.uk

Northamptonshire: Action for Communities in Rural England www.northantsacre.org

Creative Northants www.creative-northants.org.uk

County Based

Support for rural culture in the East Midlands

For a comprehensive list of rural culture organisations and other contacts in the rural East Midlands, visit the www.ruralculture-em.org

The priniciple partners would like to thank: Cultivate; East Midlands Cultural Observatory; EM Media; all our local authority partners; EMRAF; EMARAN; sub regional economic partnerships; all our regeneration and rural development partners. With particular thanks to Rebecca Lee and Francois Matarasso.

Regional strategies supported and influenced...Rural Action Plan, Regional Economic Strategy, Regional Cultural Strategy, Rural Delivery Framework, Rural Evidence Base, Coastal RDPE, Derbyshire Arts Partnership Creative Industries Strategy