To consider a review of the Council’s work to produce a Rushmoor Cultural
Strategy and the next steps in the project.
Lee McQuade, Economy and Growth Service Manager, will be in attendance
at the meeting to provide a short presentation and to guide the discussion.
Minutes:
The Board welcomed Mr Lee McQuade, Economy and Growth Service Manager, who provided an update on work towards reviewing the Council’s Rushmoor Cultural Strategy.
The Board was advised that the Rushmoor Cultural Strategy had been adopted in 2022/23 and had set out six shared priorities:
· Communities – Support Rushmoor’s varied communities (especially the least culturally engaged) to express and develop their cultural identity and celebrate these together
· Town centres – Ensure that culture plays an important role in the regeneration of Aldershot and Farnborough town centres
· Heritage – Build on the rich military and aviation heritage of Aldershot and Farnborough to increase both community pride and the visitor economy
· Creative industries – Work with artists and the Createch sector to establish Rushmoor as a centre for innovation and excellence in creative media
· Young people – Give more young people in Rushmoor the opportunity of developing a sustainable career in the Creative Industries
· Build capacity – Establish new arts team, the Cultural Compact and key partnerships
Mr McQuade ran through a number of initiatives that had contributed towards these priorities including:
· Rushmoor Heritage Festival
· Aldershot and Farnborough Heritage trails
· Town centre banners and graphics
· Makers’ Yard in Union Yard in Aldershot town centre
· The Landing in Farnborough town centre
· Temporary artworks and installations, including murals at Aldershot Station and North Camp toilets
· Delivery of free Council events
· Supporting arts projects and initiatives, such as Bula Festival
· Surrey+ Creative Constellation, alongside key partners such as University of Creative Arts, Farnham
· Farnborough Film Studios
· Employment, skills and training promoting pathways in film, media and digital arts
· Strengthened partnerships with Hampshire Cultural Trust, Arts Council England and other partners
· New Cultural Programming Group
· Cultural Places project
It was explained that the Cultural Strategy would not be rewritten but that a document would be produced that would set out a direction of travel for the Council and its partners. Members were asked to suggest what activities should be included in any future plans and what the future focus should be on.
In discussing the content of the presentation, the Board raised the following points:
· Important to engage with Nepali community but also to remember that there are many other ethnic groups in the Borough that are hard to reach
· Must ensure that people know that they are welcome to host their own event(s)
· Could the Council run training/workshops to assist people in organising their own event(s)?
· Councillors to assist with this training?
· Can further assistance be sought from Hampshire Cultural Trust?
· Important to engage with young people to establish their wants
· West End Centre (WEC) has had a pioneering approach – important facility
· Could more flag raising be done – e.g. all four Saints’ days?
· Could we buy staging etc. and then market an ‘events package’ to individuals considering hosting an event at The Landing?
· It is not felt that current events are marketed sufficiently – Arena magazine, website and Facebook not enough – need to consider younger persons’ technology such as Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat
· Council should consider joining up platforms to provide an online Rushmoor events calendar
· How can more funding for events be obtained from partners?
· Could the Council consider allowing free parking for volunteers assisting at events? Otherwise this can be a barrier
· The ‘Aldershot Mixtape’ event and events at the WEC bring in many people from outside the Borough, including as far away as London
The Chairman thanked Mr McQuade for his input.