Plans set to recognise and promote county’s cultural heritage

Recognising and promoting the contribution that the county’s cultural heritage makes is the focus of a new plan.

Staffordshire has a rich tapestry of industries, towns and villages, creativity, heritage and history; all unique threads that knit the county together.

The cultural strategy will help pull together the various aspects of culture, arts, heritage, sport and leisure, and will highlight the contribution these areas make towards Staffordshire being a great place to live and work.

Working with local communities, cultural organisations, district and borough councils, the county council will champion and help all aspects of culture to grow across the county.  It will outline work to support culture and community at grassroots level and attract inward investment from the private sector, regional and national funding bodies.

The county council continues to invest in its culture, including a sustainable library service and the nationally recognised community managed libraries.  The new Staffordshire History Centre, due to open later this year, will bring life to the county’s rich history, in a new £8.7m visitor attraction and through a community focused heritage programme.   The project has been funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, who have provided £4,858,699 funding.

Staffordshire’s country parks at Cannock Chase and Chasewater and the 92-mile Staffordshire Way will receive investment and improvement to help people rediscover the natural beauty and open space on their doorstep.

We Are Staffordshire, established to promote Staffordshire as a great place to put down roots, invest, work, visit and study, are currently setting up a countywide film office.  This three-year pilot project aims to positively impact and celebrate both the cultural development and visitor economy in Staffordshire.

Victoria Wilson, Cabinet Member for Communities and Culture at Staffordshire County Council said: “Our cultural heritage plays an important role in what makes our county a wonderful place to visit and live in and we’re committed to developing this further.

“This plan is all about uniting cultural activities, services, individuals and organisations right across the county.  Whether it’s libraries and arts, heritage or sport and leisure, they all play a role in shaping better social and economic outcomes, while providing huge benefits to residents.

“We can’t do this alone, so we’ll be working closely with our district and borough partners, organisations involved in culture, as well as speaking to local communities about what they would like to see.

“A great example of our commitment to growing our cultural heritage is the creation of the new Staffordshire History Centre.  The centre will collect and share the stories of Staffordshire’s people and protect the heritage assets and collections, which represent a thousand years of history across our great county.”

A series of information events will be held across the county in the autumn, where people can talk to officers and find out more about the cultural strategy.

The plan will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet on 18 September.  Further information is available on the Staffordshire County Council website.