Praise for acclaimed arts programme

Article date: December 19th 2024

St Helens Borough Council's Arts in Libraries Project has been running since 2018 and is now in its second round of funding which runs from 2023 to 2026. In its first year of that second round from 2023/24 it brought in new audiences to the arts, in particular people from the most deprived communities who are less like to engage with arts and cultural events, who represented a third of all audiences and 41 per cent of new audiences.

The council's Cabinet approved plans to bid to extend the project for a further year when the current programme ends in 2025/26. The bid could bring a further £236,000 in funding to continue to provide quality art projects across the borough.

Councillor Kate Groucutt, Cabinet Member for Business, Leisure and Culture, said: "The Arts in Libraries Project has been a real jewel in the crown for our borough, and has provided an outlet for many of our own residents to showcase their creative talents. It is also proving to be a real leveller in making arts and culture accessible to all of our communities and encouraging those traditionally less likely to engage to come and participate."

St Helens Borough Council's Arts in Library Project is one of Arts Council England's National Portfolio Organisations (NPO) and it received funding to continue to deliver its work over three years from 2023 to 2026.

It delivers a diverse range of events including exhibitions, music, drama, workshops and family events across the borough and its driver is to bring culture to all.

In the first year of the current funding the Arts in Libraries Project delivered:

·       100 events have been delivered with more than 40 aimed at children.

·       7,760 audiences and participants have engaged, of which 40 per cent were families.

·       13 artists and creative practitioners have delivered a programme of performances, exhibitions, festivals, screenings, talks and workshops.

·       99 per cent of all audiences rating activities as good or very good.

·       More than 35 per cent of artists were from the Borough and more than 60 per cent from the Liverpool City region.

Councillor Groucutt added: "The figures from its first year alone it shows how this nationally recognised programme is providing our residents with the opportunities to experience art and culture in their own borough. That is why we want to take the opportunity to bid to Arts Council England to extend the programme for a further year to continue to provide our residents with the life enriching experiences that the Arts in Libraries project brings to St Helens Borough."