Evaluation of the Impacts and Benefits of the Severn Project 2009
Dr Owain Jones was commissioned by Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) to evaluate a summer-long arts project in Gloucestershire, celebrating the River Severn and the people who live and work along its course.
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 20 June and Lydney Festival on 27 June 2009. 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.
In his report to GCC, Dr Jones' evaluation 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."
