Welfare

£1m Arts Council bid put forward by West Cumbrian Councils

Allerdale and Copeland community groups have been presented with the opportunity to help form a bid to bring more than £1m of Arts Council funding to the area.

Creative People and Places ethos is about more people choosing, creating and taking part in brilliant art experiences in the places where they live.

West Cumbria has a lower than average level of arts engagement, which makes the area eligible for the Arts Council funding application.

If the area is successful then the project would create a cultural platform which will help transform community engagement and create a lasting arts infrastructure which the towns would benefit from, particularly when there are fewer opportunities to get involved with the arts and creative activity.

The fund has the potential to develop a programme of arts, heritage, music, creative activities and events over the next four years which would allow the area to continue developing artistically.

Allerdale Borough Council, together with other local authorities and the Cumbria Family Arts Network, is asking for local people’s views and proposals about the sort of art-based projects they would like to see in the area.

A council spokesperson said: “Those behind the bid want to ensure there is a vibrant cultural offering for people in west Cumbria. But to do that we need to know what and how people want to engage in creative activity whether it's music, visual art, spoken word, or writing, the list goes on.”