Creative Network

Creative Industries Network event, Himley Hall, 25th September 2009

Pamela Smith Presentation (PPT, 29mb)

Pamela is a horticulturist who creates walks, pamphlets, talks and promotes community engagement through observation of nature in the urban environment.  She has been granted lottery funds through the University of Birmingham to develop a walk in the Brierley Hill area.  In her presentation Pam talked about her work and gave her practical tips for anyone setting up their own creative enterprise.

Duncan Lowndes Presentation (ppt, 126k)

Duncan is coordinating the revision of Dudley Borough’s Cultural Strategy.  This is a key strategic document which will help determine where organisations choose to direct their resources.  Duncan commented that the existing strategy is very council centric and he hoped that the revised document will be much more inclusive and include sections on the role of creativity in the local economy.

Lara Ratnaraja Presentation (ppt, 4.6mb)

Business Link’s Sector Development Director for Creative Cultural and Digital enterprises, Lara set out her role – advising and linking creative industries to regional and national strategies.  A range of potential business opportunities, events and very useful contacts were given during her presentation.

Rupert Dugdale Presentation (ppt, 81mb)

The government has announced a grant of £52,000 to Dudley Council to try and open up empty premises in High Streets.  Rupert’s presentation covered the background and context of the initiative and, although early days, set out Dudley’s approach to the scheme and asked for suggestions and comments on how the funding could be best utilised.

Angela Swan Presentation (ppt, 4.5mb)

Angela, the West Midlands Based Partnerships Officer, Regeneration for Arts Council England talked about how to go about applying for Arts Council funding, incorporating lots of ideas, hints and tips into her presentation.

The White Room Report (Word document, 2.5mb)

In 2008 Brierley Hill was designated as the new town centre for Dudley Borough – reflecting its importance with over 23.5 million visitors to the Merry Hill Centre and the Waterfront Office Complex each year.

The regeneration master plan proposes to link the Brierley Hill High Street area, the Waterfront and Merry Hill into a new town centre – creating over 10,000 new jobs, improving public transport, building 2,800 new homes and bringing in new activities.  Partners felt that it would be tragic if what will, effectively, be a new town centre is built without regard to providing cultural facilities in the area.  The White Room were commissioned by the Arts Council, Dudley Community Partnership, Dudley MBC, the National Youth Theatre, Stourbridge College, and Westfield to examine what could be done to boost the creative economy in the area.

Dudley’s Cultural Strategy (pdf, 0.5mb, external link)

A preliminary cultural strategy was prepared in November 2005 following targeted internal consultation with council officers. This far reaching strategy cannot be delivered by the council on its own and the final version of the document includes input from key partners and agencies throughout the borough.  A  wider consultation process from 1 February to 28 April 2006 was undertaken with a variety of organisations and individuals.  The final document was published in winter 2006.

A review of the Cultural Strategy is taking place now.

Dudley Community Strategy 2005-2020 (pdf, 6.5mb, , external link)

The Community Strategy is the over-arching partnership strategy for Dudley Borough.  It sets out how sectors intend to work together to improve the lives of local residents. The strategy is presently undergoing a revision.

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