By D.W.G. Kalani Tharanga, JadeTimes News
Discover how local artists in Peterborough are advocating for increased funding to enhance their city's cultural framework, fostering industry development.
Local artists have advocated for increased funding to enhance the cultural framework of their city.
The Peterborough Culture Forum has expressed a need for additional venues to conduct workshops, rehearsals, performances, and exhibitions. Recently, the Peterborough Cultural Alliance received a grant exceeding £500,000 from Arts Council England dedicated to developing a cultural blueprint.
Kate Hall, a creative producer at Jumped Up Theatre in Peterborough, emphasized the necessity for further financial support to maintain the momentum of the arts community’s growth. She highlighted that the Key Theatre is the city’s sole dedicated arts facility, which is in dire need of financial input and modernization. “A central hub in the city that embodies creativity and showcases the importance of culture, heritage, and the arts would make a significant statement,” she remarked.
The Peterborough Culture Forum, supported by the Peterborough Cultural Alliance, convened on a recent Wednesday to brainstorm strategies for sector expansion. The forum was established amidst the Covid-19 crisis as a collaborative platform for artists and organizations to coordinate and publicize local happenings.
Sughra Ahmed, the managing director of the Peterborough Cultural Alliance, responsible for executing the city’s cultural plan, suggested that additional funding could position the city as a contender for the title of UK City of Culture. “We are experiencing a pivotal moment of growth and burgeoning local pride,” she stated.
She harbors the ambition that, in the near future, the city will vie for the City of Culture designation.
Hall further stated, “The city is in need of more artistic and cultural facilities than it currently possesses, and I am optimistic that with the cultural alliance’s proactive approach and advocacy for the arts, these sectors will gain prominence on the city’s agenda.”
