A PARTNERSHIP in Redditch has received over £800,000 from Arts Council England providing creative opportunities for the town.

Reimagine Redditch Partnership has received £852,000 as part of the Arts Council’s £38.3m investment in its ‘Creative People and Places’ programme over the next three years.

The project comprises of five partners which include Bromsgrove and Redditch Network -BARN, Arts in Redditch, Forthright Arts (trading name Jestaminute Community Theatre), Redditch Borough Council and Severn Arts.

Jan Higgitt, chair of the Reimagine Redditch Consortium said: “Reimagine Redditch represents a whole new way of looking at our town, creating new opportunities for all its communities to engage in the widest possible range of creative activities.

“Through a varied programme created with and for local people, it will empower communities to say what they want to see and experience, and to celebrate creativity in all its forms, reflecting the people and 100 languages which make up Redditch.''

Reimagine Redditch is a three-year participation campaign, acting as a launch-pad supporting the town’s cultural recovery from COVID-19.

Gary Roskell, chief executive officer of BARN said: “The programme, with its initial funding and the support of local partners, will provide the foundations for a long-term approach which ensures that creativity is embedded in the life of the town, reflecting the town’s industrial heritage.”

Redditch Borough Council’s portfolio holder for leisure and culture, Cllr Joanne Beecham, said: “It provides a blank canvass for our residents to get creative and to help the Redditch bounce back from Covid, and we were delighted to play our part in the process which has led to this successful outcome.

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Peter Knott, midlands area director of Arts Council England said: “Arts, culture and creativity make the places we live vibrant, exciting and inspiring, benefitting our wellbeing and helping to boost local economies.”