Press Release
19 November 2009
Impact of Severn Arts project confirmed by CCRI
A summer-long arts project in Gloucestershire, celebrating the River Severn and the people who live and work along its course, was a great success according to an evaluation by Dr Owain Jones from the Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI). CCRI is a collaboration between UWE and the University of Gloucestershire.
The Severn Project free summer festival offered four months of creative opportunities for adults and children alike. The main performances took place at Tewkesbury Festival on June 20 and Lydney Festival on June 27.
The project also saw the commissioning of a major new work, A Sleepwalk on the Severn, by poet Alice Oswald. This was the centrepiece of the artistic programme, adapted into a number of performances and interpretations through music, stage/street theatre, dance, sculpture, writing and heritage workshops.
The project was funded by the National Lottery through the Arts Council of England and led by Gloucestershire County Council with partners.
Dr Jones’s report to Gloucestershire County Council published this month gave the project an enthusiastic seal of approval.
“The Severn Project 2009 was a great success in terms of artistic content, participant experience, audience experience, and, for the participating artists, creative and professional development opportunities,” he said.
“It is estimated that the project reached more than 10,000 people as audiences and participants. Up to 150 people participated in the staging of each festival, including artists, musicians, performers, youth theatre groups, community choirs, other participant performers, crew and back-up support.
“The Severn Project leaves a considerable legacy in terms of community impact, skills development and artistic development. The staging of the festivals entailed procuring a significant amount of goods and services from local suppliers, thus helping them at what was possibly the low point of the current economic recession.”
Helen Owen, Arts Development Officer for Gloucestershire County Council: “This is terrific endorsement of all the hard work and sheer talent that went into the whole series of events.
“It was such an exciting and innovative project that I think it really put Gloucestershire on the cultural map of the UK in a new way and brought so many people into contact with the arts.”
Chris Humphrey, Executive Director for Arts Council England, South West, said: “We were delighted to fund the River Severn Project. Villages and towns along the River Severn were able to experience great art in different spaces and places, which we believe is a wonderful example of how communities can come together to enjoy and participate in performances and events."
ENDS
Editors Notes:
Owain Jones can be contacted on tel +44 (0) 1242 715315 or email ojones@glos.ac.uk
The Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI) is a collaboration between the University of Gloucestershire, the University of the West of England, Royal Agricultural College and Hartpury College. It is one of the leading specialist rural research centres in the country with programmes of research in rural community development, rural poverty, agri-environment policies, agri-tourism, local sustainability, local economic development, EU and UK rural development, and the planning system in the countryside.
Julie Ryan, Communications Officer, can be contacted on jryan@glos.ac.uk
Chris Rayfield, the CCRI Business Manager, can be contacted on tel. 00 44 (0) 1242 714121
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