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₤27m boost for City from its
cultural organisations
A new report reveals that Liverpool's
cultural organisations generated around ₤27 million pounds for the City in just
1 year.
The Social Impact of the Arts in Liverpool 2015/16 report looks at 36 cultural
organisations in the City which are funded through the City Council's Culture
Liverpool Investment Programme (CLIP).
It found that:-
Arts organisations generated ₤27million into the City from a wide variety of
local, national and international sources. This includes attracting millions of
visitors and inward investment.
► An impressive 29,840 cultural activities took place in the
City from 2015/16,
with 66% of this activity targeted at special groups; young people, homeless,
veterans etc.
► At least 4.6 million people attended funded events and festivals (broken down as
2,916,331 for events and 1,748,942 for festivals).
► More than 258,000 people took part in cultural activities.
► The funding enabled the organisations to raise an additional ₤15,140,917 from
public and private sources.
Organisations reported their activities achieved a huge array of social impacts
and benefits; for example improving the lives of those experiencing
homelessness, worklessness, long term health issues or poor mental health. Young
people with experience of the criminal justice system showed that those taking
part in cultural events became more engaged in community, School and home life.
The report provides case studies giving evidence of
cultural activities which have taken place and the impact of these activities.
These include:-
Transitions; a programme by Collective Encounters, which used theatre to enable
55 adults with experience of homelessness, mental health challenges and
addictions to achieve nationally recognised qualifications.
The Comedy Trust's Stand up to Stigma gave people accessing mental health
services the opportunity to hone their comedy skills and developed their
confidence to perform in front of an audience.
Metal's Meanwhile Space helped improve both the community spirit and physical
environment of Liverpool's Picton ward by engaging residents of all ages and
backgrounds to make a decision on the future of a disused green space.
Around 250 disabled young people took part in Young DaDa Fest; a weekly theatre
and music workshop developing their creative and artistic skills. The sessions
gave young disabled people the opportunity to socialise and take part in art
which was relevant to them. As a result, some of the young people involved began
to work directly with the Council's Children's and Young People's service to
advise on issues such as marketing campaigns.
Fact's Veterans in Practice saw veterans meet every week to work on film, web,
app or performance projects. This was accessed by 40 veterans ranging from 20 to 90
years old, developing their skills and giving them the confidence and
self esteem to take on new challenges. The programme also fostered a greater
understanding and inclusion of veterans in the local community.
The full report can be found at:-
CultureLiverpool.Co.UK/Impactreport.
Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, said:- "This report acts as a reminder
of the hugely important role culture and the arts plays in the life of this
City, both for residents and visitors.
We know about the economic boost generated by the sector, but what's more
important is the positive, priceless impact on the day to day life of residents
and their communities shown in this report.
Here are 36 examples of how continually investing in culture can result in
unparalleled improvements in people's health and wellbeing. At the same time it
succeeds in generating pride among those who live here and showing the world
that we are an ambitious, creative City which will always push boundaries and
always have social justice at our heart."
The 36 funded organisations are:-
20 Stories High, Africa Oye, Black-E, Bluecoat, Bluecoat Display Centre,
Brouhaha, Collective Encounters, The Comedy Trust, DaDa Fest, Fact, First Take,
Homotopia, Hope Street Ltd, Lantern Company, Liverpool Arab Arts Festival,
Liverpool Biennial of Contemporary Art, Liverpool Carnival Company, Liverpool
Everyman and Playhouse, Liverpool Irish Festival, Liverpool Philharmonic,
Liverpool Pride, LOOK, Merseyside Dance Initiative, Metal Culture, Milapfest,
Open Culture, Open Eye Limited, Pagoda Arts, Positive Impact, Squash Nutrition,
Tate Liverpool, Royal Court Theatre, Tmesis, Unity Theatre, Windows Project,
Writing on the Wall.
The report has been commissioned by Liverpool City Council and researched and
written by Collective Encounters, one of the organisations who are nationally
recognised for their cultural achievements.
Liverpool City Council works with Arts Council England to support the City's
cultural organisations.
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