Arts and heritage groups in Preston have shared their views on the city’s new Culture Priority Places status, highlighting both the challenges facing the sector and the potential opportunities ahead.
Preston was one of 23 areas recently added to an existing Arts Council England list by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Local authorities were chosen based on factors including cultural engagement and levels of deprivation.
The move comes amid ongoing uncertainty around the future of the Guild Hall and following a study that described Preston as the worst funded city for creatives in England.
Cultural event organiser Garry Cook of Enjoy The Show, who is behind Lancashire Fringe Festival and Lancashire Photography Festival, told Blog Preston that Preston’s inclusion on the list highlighted challenges that have been discussed for years.
“It’s not a surprise that Preston has been identified as an area with low arts engagement,” said Garry. “There has been plenty of research published already about this and how the city has the lowest levels of arts funding per head in England.
“If you look at audience numbers for some of the city’s events compared to other local towns, you can see that engagement is a massive issue in Preston. It’s a long-term problem that has not been properly addressed.”
Garry added that other Lancashire places had developed stronger approaches to cultural participation.
“Blackpool, Lancaster, Morecambe, Blackburn and Burnley all have a collaborative approach to culture and, specifically, engagement. They have established cultural organisations who are delivering long-term community-based projects.”
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Bernie Velvick from grassroots creative collective October Salon said rebuilding audiences would be one of the key challenges facing Preston’s cultural sector.
Bernie said: “The recognition that Preston people have been losing out on arts and culture needs to come with the understanding that historic underfunding has left us with a lack of the experience of what arts and culture can contribute to our lives in so many ways.
“It will take time and commitment as well as increased funding to build audiences. We in the independent sector are coming together to support each other and to work at all levels including grassroots to encourage participation and aspirations in creative practice.”
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The debate around Preston’s cultural future has also seen strong public engagement, with more than 3,400 Blog Preston readers signing our petition calling for the government and Arts Council England to help find a way forward for the Guild Hall.
Pat Harrison, who is Chair of both Friends of Winckley Square (FoWS) and Preston Historical Society (PHS), said she had seen first-hand the continued appetite for culture in Preston, with both volunteer-led organisations growing in reach and membership in recent years.
Pat said: “The closure period and changes affecting The Harris and the Guild Hall have impacted the scale and visibility of cultural activity in Preston. However, challenges facing the arts long predate this, and chronic underinvestment in culture has been a persistent issue.
“What is evident, however, is that there remains a strong grassroots appetite for culture and the arts. At FoWS, our programme has expanded year after year, with almost all events fully booked. PHS has seen its membership quadruple over the past three years. Meanwhile, venues such as The Conti, The Ferret, Preston Playhouse and SHOP continue to provide a rich and varied programme of events.”
Pat said securing funding for larger cultural projects capable of leaving a lasting legacy had proved challenging, but believed Preston’s Culture Priority Place status could strengthen the city’s prospects for future investment.
Pat added: “The DCMS has opened a door that Preston has been knocking on for many years. The city must now push forward with energy, imagination, and determination to ensure that this opportunity translates into lasting cultural and economic benefits.”
