Ashfield Cultural Strategy - 2026 to 2035

Ashfield’s culture has always been a key part of who we are and forms the key elements of our unique identity, connecting us together and tying us to our place. 

From our rich mining background to literature, computing, and civic heritage, to the incredible events and activities that we attend across our towns and villages throughout the year.

Popular events like Ashfield Show and Hucknall Fest demonstrate our community’s appetite for shared experiences and headline events such as Sutton’s Light Night by First Art in 2022 set the ambition for what we want to see more of in the future. 

Local artists share their practice in original and organic ways, building festivals like Ashfield Arts Festival, and bringing colour to our towns through creative-led sign painting initiatives (Allie Paints signs). Organisations such as Newstead Brass shine a light at a national level on the talents of our area and James Graham (playwright and screenwriter of PUNCH, Sherwood, and Dear England) will make sure people all over the world hear about the strength of our creativity and community.

Within the grassroots, hundreds of community-led initiatives, such as Lovelace Theatre Group and Centre Stage Youth Theatre demonstrate the incredible strength of our community’s commitments to engaging with creativity, and the organisations that support this activity as well as their own programmes bring life to our high streets, neighbourhoods and outdoor spaces.

Culture strengthens Ashfield through:

• Social value: bringing people together and uniting our diverse communities through shared stories and experiences. Culture fosters our sense of who we are and our pride in our local areas, celebrating our heritage and bringing people together to imagine our future. It enriches our daily lives, supports wellbeing, and creates opportunities for lifelong learning and personal growth.

• Economic value: culture is a real driver of growth, attracting visitors, creating jobs, and driving innovation. Our cultural events boost local businesses, while creative industries and skills development position Ashfield as a vibrant place to invest, work, and grow.

By investing in culture, we invest in the heart of Ashfield—ensuring it remains a vibrant, connected, and thriving place for generations to come. This strategy outlines our collective plan to grow our creative and cultural offering to further expand the values and outcomes that arts, culture, and creativity can bring.  

Culture can be a tricky term to define, with many having a personal insight into the feelings and instincts of what ‘culture’ can be, but few able to define what it tangibly represents. To truly reap the benefits of a cultural strategy, we look to establish a mutual understanding of what culture means to us and to the outcomes and activities that this strategy will seek to achieve through our collective action. 

The United Nations and UNESCO outline and place culture at the heart of their sustainable development goals, which seek to shift how development is viewed away from a solely economic focus. They look to envision a desirable future that is equitable, inclusive, peaceful, and environmentally sustainable. Culture and creativity sit across these goals and pillars of sustainable development: economic, social and environmental development.

“Culture is who we are, and what shapes our identity. Placing culture at the heart of human development policies is the only way to ensure a human-centred, inclusive, and equitable development… 

Cultural heritage – both tangible and intangible – and creativity are resources that need to be protected and carefully managed” -  unesco.org

Throughout this document we seek to define culture as:

“Culture is a dynamic, evolving force, encompassing both inherited traditions and contemporary expressions, which fundamentally shapes our individual and collective identities. It is manifest in the arts, heritage, shared experiences, and how we interact with our places and communities. More than just personal inspiration, culture is a powerful contributor to social cohesion, wellbeing, economic prosperity, and fostering local pride”

Culture includes:

• Arts and creativity at all levels, from professional to grassroots.
  Heritage, both tangible and intangible.
• Libraries, museums, and archives.
• Public spaces, parks, and the natural environment.
• Digital media and screen-based culture.
• Fashion, food, and design.
• Festivals, events, and celebrations.
• Recreational activities (including connections with Sports and Leisure).
• Local traditions, dialects, and languages.
• Faith and belief practices.

When we refer to creativity, we built on Arts Council England's distinct definition between culture and creativity.

“We believe that creativity and culture are deeply connected, but different. Creativity is the process by which, either individually or with others, we make something new: a work of art, or a reimagining of an existing work. Culture is the result of that creative process: we encounter it in the world, in museums and libraries, theatres and galleries, carnivals and concert halls, festivals and digital spaces. In this Strategy, we are drawing a distinction between the two because we want everyone to have more opportunities for both: to be creative, and to experience high-quality culture.” - Arts Council England, Let's Create.

Arts and culture as part of the wider creative industries

While this strategy adopts a broad, inclusive definition of Culture that recognises its fundamental role in all aspects of life, it maintains a deliberate focus on the Arts and Cultural Sector. This sector encompasses the non-commercial and publicly engaged activities (such as theatres, museums, libraries, community arts, and heritage sites) as well as the commercial operations of these entities and the wider cultural events sector (festivals, exhibitions etc.) that are vital for social cohesion, community wellbeing, and celebrating identity. 

We recognise that this sector is a core component of the wider Creative Industries, which include commercial activities like design, digital media, and creative technology. The strategic emphasis of this document is on nurturing the foundational cultural ecosystem of Ashfield, which in turn acts as the essential wellspring of talent, inspiration, and audience development that sustains the commercial growth of the entire creative economy. 

This Cultural Strategy responds directly to the desire of many across Ashfield to see a sustained and ambitious growth in the role the arts and cultural sector and creativity play in the lives of everyone who lives, works, and learns in Ashfield. 

Inspired by conversations and commitments from a wide range of partners, communities, residents and policy makers, this document seeks to establish a clear roadmap through which collaboration, development and investment can begin to catalyse the growth of arts, culture, and creativity in Ashfield. 

Responding to both the wealth of opportunities available over the coming 10 years and an awareness of some of the challenges the creative and cultural sector have faced in the past, this strategy aims to unify efforts and build momentum for sustainable and inclusive creative growth.

Further, this strategy acknowledges the vast contribution made by community and voluntary organisations; this strategy aims to create a clear plan to enable the sustained growth of arts and culture in Ashfield alongside the changes that will naturally happen as a result of Local Government reorganisation and the growth of the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) and the devolution agenda. This strategy has been instigated by the Ashfield Arts Partnership but is designed for the people and places of Ashfield to adopt and bring life over the coming 10 years. 

At its core a Cultural Strategy aims to establish mechanisms, ways of working and priorities through which further investment, collaboration and impact can be channelled into a place, and this document centres a clear place-based focus to enable the towns, villages and communities of Ashfield to realise their potential as a key cultural heartland of the county, and the wider East Midlands region. 

It is a clear, collaborative signpost to the future, celebrating Ashfield’s strengths and ambitions by focusing on how partners can collectively impact all communities.

Arts and culture are not just a ‘nice to have,’ they are essential to successful, inclusive, and vibrant communities and places. They bring people together, build skills and are a key factor in enabling inclusive and sustainable growth and present a huge opportunity for Ashfield and the wider East Midlands region. 

Economic impact: arts and culture make good business

While the broader creative industries contribute over £124 billion to the UK economy, the specific contribution of the cultural sector is distinct and significant.

• Gross Value Added (GVA): The cultural sector contributes approximately £33–£34 billion annually to the UK economy from DCMS (Department for Culture, Media, and Sport) figures on the value of the creative industries sub-sectors in 2022.
• Employment: The sector supports roughly 614,000 to 703,000 jobs. Notably, for every one job directly created in the arts, an additional 1.21 jobs are supported in the wider economy (supply chains, hospitality, etc.).
• Multiplier effect: The sector has a high economic multiplier. For every £1 of GVA generated by the arts and culture industry, an additional £0.91 is generated in the wider economy.
• Exports: Cultural services exports are valued at approximately £9.3 billion, demonstrating strong international demand for UK theatre, music, and heritage.
  
  
• website: House of Lords library: Contribution of the arts to society and the economy

Health and wellbeing impact: arts and culture improve health outcomes

This is currently the most rapidly developing area of research. A landmark 2024 report by the DCMS "monetised" these benefits for the first time to allow for comparison with other government spending.

• Total Society-Wide Benefit: The health and wellbeing benefits of arts engagement for UK adults are valued at £8.6 billion per year.
• website: Arts Professional: Health benefits of cultural engagement valued at £8 billion

Specific health values

• Mental Health: General arts engagement generates £2 billion in mental health benefits annually for adults aged 30–49.
• Dementia: The value of arts/museum interventions in delaying or managing dementia is estimated at £1.5 billion.
• Children: Arts activities contribute £122m–£162m in value specifically through improved self-esteem in children.

Place making and regeneration: arts and culture make vibrant places

Arts and culture are often the "anchor" for local regeneration, driving footfall that supports the wider high street and hospitality sectors.

Cultural tourism

• Value: heritage tourism contributes roughly £20.2 billion to the UK's GDP.
• Visitor behaviour: 40% of all tourists to the UK are "cultural tourists." Crucially, these visitors spend more and stay longer than other types of tourists.
• High streets: In areas where retail is declining, cultural institutions act as vital anchors. Data shows 50% of adults want more cultural experiences on their high streets, which drives footfall for nearby businesses.
• website: Local Government Association: Debate on contribution of the Arts to the economy and the society - The value of the Arts to the economy

Civic pride

• "Culture-led regeneration" (seen in cities like Hull, Margate, and Dundee) significantly boosts civic pride. Residents in areas with active cultural investment report higher satisfaction with their "place," which is a key metric for local retention of talent and investment.

Social impact: arts and culture help shape strong communities

Participation: engagement is exceptionally high, with roughly 90% of adults engaging with the arts culturally in some form annually.

Education and development: participation in structured arts activities is linked to higher cognitive abilities and transferable skills. However, there is a noted decline in formal arts education in schools, which contrasts with the growing evidence of its value to young people’s self-esteem and social mobility.

Cohesion: the arts provide a rare "third space" (neither work nor home) where diverse communities mix. This social cohesion is difficult to monetise but is qualitatively valued for reducing isolation and building community resilience.

This strategy has been shaped through extensive consultation and research with the communities, artists, residents, and creative organisations of Ashfield, ensuring it reflects both local voices and sector’s best practice. 

At the heart of this was a public engagement programme which included community workshops and an online survey that gathered views from community leaders and residents across our district. These insights were invaluable in understanding how our communities experience and value culture, and what they want to see in Ashfield's future.

The Ashfield Arts Partnership played a crucial role, bringing together cultural organisations, creative practitioners, and community groups to share their expertise and aspirations. Their deep understanding of our cultural landscape helped ensure the strategy addresses real needs and opportunities.

To develop a robust framework for action, we analysed local and regional policies, including economic development plans, tourism strategies, and health and wellbeing initiatives. We also looked beyond our borders, learning from successful cultural strategies across the UK and incorporating insights from Arts Council England, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and other leading sector bodies.

This collaborative approach has resulted in a strategy that is both ambitious and achievable, rooted in local identity while drawing on national best practice. The development of this strategy has been deeply informed by the voices of Ashfield, captured through extensive public consultation including an open survey that reached over 200 residents and artists from across Ashfield.

These findings reveal a community that is predominantly "excited", "hopeful", and "optimistic" about the district's creative potential. When asked if being creative is personally important, an overwhelming majority of participants strongly agreed. However, there is a clear consensus that current opportunities are lacking; many residents disagreed that the district is currently a creative place, often rating the existing offer as very low. This gap between the personal value placed on creativity and the perceived local reality forms the fundamental mandate for this strategy.

Qualitative feedback emphasised a desire for "high quality" experiences that move beyond traditional approaches to craft and heritage to events and programmes "amaze and inspire". While many value Ashfield's industrial and mining heritage, a recurring theme was the need for "new beginnings" and a vision that looks toward "future innovations". Residents identified improved mental health, community spirit, and pride in place as the most critical impacts they wish to see creativity make over the coming years. Specific requests for the future included more live music venues, public murals to "brighten up" high streets, and diverse workshops ranging from digital art and filmmaking to traditional crafts like pottery and willow weaving.

The surveys further highlighted that the community views culture as a direct route to addressing social challenges such as isolation, apathy, and antisocial behaviour. Participants frequently noted that creative activity helps them to "socialise" and provides a much-needed "sense of togetherness". There was also a strong call for more inclusive programming that caters to working-age adults and young people, as many respondents disagreed that current activities are accessible to those who work full-time.

Despite the general enthusiasm, several barriers to engagement were identified that must be addressed to unlock success. Many residents disagreed that they are well-informed about local opportunities, noting they often discover events "after they have happened". Cost was another major deterrent, with a high number of participants agreeing that expensive tickets or materials prevent them from taking part. By prioritising affordable, well-advertised, and inclusive opportunities, this plan aims to ensure that creative growth reaches every neighbourhood in Ashfield.