Culture Board
Meeting Minutes th16 June 2009
Present: Gary Hood (Chair), Gina Fletcher, Nathan Lee, David Gaffney, Ros
Sudworth, Liz Hintchcliffe, Cllr William Challinor, Steve Hobson, Liz Hintchcliffe,
Nick Hunt
Apologies: Helen Jackson, Adrian Leather
1. Minutes & matters arising
The chair requested an additional September meeting to update the group on the
progress of the ongoing Leisure Review and it’s impact on the Cultural Strategy.
This was agreed.
Cllr Challinor updated the board regarding Pennine Squared. ?10k of seed
funding provided by Elevate and RBC and a community engagement process
regarding the project is being discussed.
Improvements have been made at Crawshawbooth Library. It includes a young
peoples space and youth service space on the top floor. It means the Library will
be suitable for participating in the Get it Loud in Libraries programme. The PCT
have also been involved in the improvements. It will open in around two weeks.
There is an increased opening hours trial.
NI11 (engagement in the arts) – District level data will be available at the end of the month
Nathan has provided an update paper on Living Places
Action – Gina to forward with minutes
2. Election of Chair & vice Chair
Gary Hood was proposed and elected to continue as Chair of the Culture Board.
The group deferred the election of Vice Chair.
3. Cultural Strategy – identifying key priorities
PLACE subgroup are looking at the potential for a Pan East Lancashire Leisure Trust. Trusts across Pennine Lancashire are working together to identify economies of scale.
Key Strategic Priorities identified:
Engagement
Living Places
Engagement & visual arts
Libraries and museums
We also identified that the new Head of Cultural Services at LCC may lead to possible changes of priority at a regional level.
Learning Revolution, Government Strategy related to adult learning is relevant to libraries.
SPAR sports strategy is already in place and a lot of consultation was done around this.
Gina: to arrange meeting with Steve to discuss
4. Adrenaline Gateway
?350k has been spent to complete the trails. This is the first full year of operation. There have been 4 races (for 150 – 200 racers a time) and the site is being used
extensively according to the Countryside Rangers. Infrared counters on site are recording visitor numbers. ?35k has been secured to extend the site this year working with a different trail designer. A bid has been submitted to Natural England to complete a large extension.
ththThe Adrenaline Live event will take place on the 4 & 5 of July. The event is
sponsored by Singletrack and has received good publicity in MTB magazines. 160 entrants are confirmed of a possible 250.
Installation of the 2 scultptures commissioned as part of the Valley of Stone Project has been delayed until after the National Cycle Cross Round.
When significant race events are taking place at the site, finding local hotel accommodation is proving problematic. The new performance centre in
Waterfoot (an athletes training facility, including physio & high altitude training and the first of it’s kind in the UK) will mean we have an ongoing accommodation need for people using our facilities.
It’s important for us to collect event figures to support any work around hotel
development.
Gina to provide contact and information for Town Centre and Toursim
Officer to support the Singletrack event.
5. SPAA update
The Club Development Worker has been appointed and work is continuing to look at the SPAA becoming incorporated so that it can hold it’s own funding.
Work continues to developing the larger clubs to access funding through the sporting bodies.
A project is being initiated in response to crime and disorder in Whitworth to provide a sports pod, full of equipment that can be used by groups.
6. Performance Reward Grant The group reviewed the Performance Reward Grant applications and agreed to submit all three. The Swimming Pool and the Tranquility Gateway Proposals would be joint priority 1.
DG suggested that if successful the group could apply to Arts Council – Grants
for the Arts to support the Tranquillity Gateway proposal.
Gina to meet partners and work up the Tranquility Gateway proposal in the correct format
7. AOB
The group highlighted a number of ongoing projects:
Community Cinema project in Bacup and possible planned project at LCC
Whitworth cycleway being developed with a possible cultural dimension
Building Schools for the Future: Expecting a decision about phase 1 July 2010.
thNext meeting: 30 September 2009, 4pm, Crawshawbooth Library tbc.