North East Mayor has welcomed £10m
Government investment in the region's cultural offer, securing
support for two major projects.
The North East has been backed with £10m out of £16m available
from the Department for Culture Media and Sport's Cultural
Development Fund.
£5m has been secured to establish a new centre for writing in
central Newcastle, to support a new centre for writing and
publishing. The centre will develop the next generation of
northern writers, become a hub for the publishing industry in the
North and be a place where residents of the region can discover
their writing potential.
Sunderland will benefit from £5m to develop a new space for
glassmaking, protecting the city's rich heritage in the industry
and creating new opportunities for artists and creatives. Led by
Sunderland Culture, working in partnership with the V&A,
University of Sunderland and Sunderland City Council, the site
will be a catalyst for regeneration in the city centre.
North East Mayor said:
“The North East's cultural offer is strong, and steeped in the
pride and creativity of our people, places and industrial
heritage. Now this investment means we are making it even better,
and helping the North East stand tall on the national and
international stage. I want the world to know about our
world-class arts and culture and discover our region, as a Mayor,
I will back these industries. These investments will help create
jobs, attract visitors, revitalise our city centres and create
more opportunity for people across the North East to enjoy our
brilliant cultural offer.”
Cllr Amanda Hopgood, Portfolio holder for Culture, Creative,
Tourism and Sport at the North East Combined Authority and Leader
of Durham County Council, said: “Culture is a major contributor
to the North East's multi-billion pound visitor economy, helping
to attract millions of visitors and supporting tens of thousands
of jobs. What's more, it raises aspirations, bring our
communities together and entertains and inspires people of all
ages. These investments will further enhance our cultural offer
and build on our legacy as a place of creativity and
innovation.”
Claire Malcolm, CEO of New Writing North, who spearheaded the
campaign said: “We're thrilled and excited that central
government has chosen to invest in our region's cultural economy
and infrastructure. Not only can creative writing play a vital
role in the wellbeing and public health of the country, but it is
also the backbone of our world-leading creative industries which
employ 2.4 million. This project will be transformative for
writing in The North and will bring benefits to so many people of
all ages through high quality jobs and creative
opportunities.”
Nick Malyan, Chief Executive of Sunderland Culture, the
organisation leading the development of Glassworks: Sunderland,
said:
“We are immensely grateful to DCMS for awarding this grant for
Glassworks: Sunderland and recognising the important connection
between the city's proud 1,350 year heritage of glassmaking and
our creative future. This is a significant step in ensuring
Sunderland remains one of the few nationally significant centres
of excellence in the UK with specialist facilities to create and
produce in glass.”
Cllr Karen Kilgour, Leader of Newcastle City Council, said: “This
is the latest in a series of exciting investment announcements
about Newcastle's creative industries and an incredible time for
our city. We want the new Centre for Writing to have a catalytic
impact on our cultural heartbeat, based in our city centre's
conservation area and Newcastle's Culture and Creative Zone (CCN)
known as Creative Central NCL.
“Not only will this help support talented residents in every
corner of Newcastle, it can provide a huge economic boost to the
economy of our entire city region, creating jobs, growth and
opportunity for all as part of an inclusive economy. I want to
thank Claire Malcolm at New Writing North and Northumbria
University for spearheading this project, and for working with
the City Council and Combined Authority to secure this funding
for Newcastle.”
Councillor Beth Jones, Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture
and Tourism at Sunderland City Council, said: “This is brilliant
news for Sunderland and the North East's cultural
offer.
“Sunderland has an incredibly proud history of glassmaking
stretching back more than 1,000 years and this announcement plays
a really important role in helping to secure this for the
future.
“It also comes at a time when there are so many exciting
developments underway in Sunderland with the £2bn transformation
of the city centre, including plans to grow the creative
industries which this will only serve to strengthen.”
