The Higgins Bedford and Full House Theatre are among arts organisations in the county that for the first time will receive a share of £1.4m annual Arts Council funding following an announcement today.
They join Bedford Creative Arts (BCA) as a National Portfolio Organisation (NPO), securing art, culture and creativity and ensuring that more people in more places can find fantastic, fulfilling art and culture on their doorsteps.
In a press statement following the announcement, Arts Council England said: “In our conversations and research with the public over the past five years, we have heard again and again that people want and need easy access to meaningful, impactful cultural events and creative activities in the places where they live.
“Through the investment we are announcing today, we have focused on making certain that as many people as possible in England – no matter where they come from or what their circumstances – can get hold of the very best of art and culture on the high streets and in the community spaces of their villages, towns and cities.
“By funding new organisations in new places, we are delivering on the vision set out in our strategy, Let’s Create: that everyone, everywhere, deserves to benefit from public investment in culture and creativity.”
The NPO funding runs for three years and BCA will be given an annual grant of £146,385 towards its work in commissioning creative projects for communities across Bedfordshire in acknowledgement of how the organisation’s work supports Arts Council’s current ten-year strategy known as Let’s Create.
Elaine Midgley, director of BCA, said the funding would ensure the organisation can continue to provide the majority of its programme for free for the community.
“Our projects are delivered by, with, for and inspired by communities in Bedfordshire,” she said.
“We look forward to delivering our new programme of work which will include activity that celebrates residents’ pride in Bedford, inspiring and equipping new generations of culture makers and audiences and working towards a greater level of cultural and demographic diversity within creative activity in Bedfordshire.”
BCA has been an NPO for the past eight years.
Richard Sobey, Chair of Trustees, said: “We thank the Arts Council today for their continued investment in Bedford Creative Arts as part of their prestigious National Portfolio.
“The Arts Council’s new ten year strategy, Let’s Create, strongly aligns with BCA’s values to put people, place, power, possibility and socially-engaged artistic practice at the heart of publicly-funded creative activity.
“We are honoured to receive this funding for a further three years and to be able to use it to deliver projects that we hope will encourage Bedfordshire’s diverse communities to have a strong sense of entitlement to the arts because of its power to provoke change.”
Joining BCA as an NPO for the first time is the Higgins Bedford, the museum and art gallery on Castle Lane.
“For too long, BCA has been the only NPO in Bedford Borough which did not reflect the great wealth of talent and diversity in the creativity that we know is here,” said Elaine.
“This additional investment is a great move forward in helping to strengthen the creative eco-systems of Bedfordshire and ensure growth in talent, ambition, opportunity, excellence and diversity for our cultural activity.”
Speaking to the Bedford Independent, Arts Council England’s area director for the southeast, Hazel Edwards, said: “For this round of funding we received a record number of applications nationally.
“So, they have done extraordinarily well to be selected. Nationally, one of our strategic goals was to fund more museums and The Higgins Bedford is one of four in Bedfordshire.”
Arts Council England Chief Executive, Darren Henley, said: “Together, each of the 990 organisations that have been offered funding today will contribute to a portfolio that is rich, varied and truly national.
“This is our widest ever spread of investment across the country, ensuring that many more people will have access to a wider choice of exceptional art, culture and creative opportunities on their doorsteps.
“We are in tough times but we must remember creativity brings with it extraordinary dividends, boosting our country’s economic growth, creating jobs, bringing communities closer together, and making us happier as individuals.
Everyone deserves to enjoy the benefits it brings, and with this investment, we believe we’ve taken a decisive step towards making that vision a reality.”
