What is the Cultural Forum?
The Cultural Forum is a coalition of
cultural and sports organisations - all organising events,
festivals and cultural activities in and around the Bath and North
East Somerset area – who have agreed to work with one another for
mutual benefit and the benefit of the area overall.
All members of the
Forum are independent entities. Members take full responsibility
for the organisation, promotion and fundraising activities of their
own festivals, organisations and events. In addition, they have
committed themselves through Cultural Forum membership to a number
of collective aims and actions which will support and enhance the
cultural provision of the area.
The Cultural
Forum’s work is co-ordinated and administered (as described in
detail below) with support from staff of Bath Festivals Ltd, a
charitable company funded by Bath & North East Somerset
Council and Arts Council England, and by the advocacy and strategy
development worker (formerly Cultural Partnership development
worker).
The Aims of the Cultural Forum
The Cultural
Forum’s aims echo those of the Department of Culture, Media and
Sport: to improve the quality of life for all through cultural and
sporting activities, to support the pursuit of excellence, and to
champion tourism, creative and leisure industries. More
specifically, the Cultural Forum has been established to:
-
strategically
affect the development of cultural activity and the centrality of
its impact in Bath and North East Somerset;
-
act as a
reference point for major developments in the local authority area
and the sub-region;
-
celebrate high
quality cultural experiences and creative activity in the
area;
-
involve
residents and the community;
-
develop
educational opportunities for arts and sports in the area;
-
animate the
urban and rural environment;
-
promote an image
for the area that communicates creativity, innovation, and
contemporary culture;
-
develop
joint box office, website, marketing and promotional
campaigns;
-
create a
productive network for those involved in cultural activities;
-
develop the
cultural tourism offer and thus, generate income for local
businesses through this, creating employment for local
people;
-
maximize the
social and economic impact of festivals, cultural organisations and
events.
What the Cultural Forum Seeks to Achieve
Through co-operation
and collaboration the members of the Cultural Forum will:
-
influence and
affect the development of cultural activity in Bath and North East
Somerset - strategically, through advocacy and engagement;
monitoring the delivery of the Cultural Strategy; and acting as a
reference point for major developments in the local authority area
and the sub-region;
-
develop the
quality and scope of what each independent member organisation
offers;
-
work towards a
year-round programme of events for the city;
-
strengthen the
ability of each member to organise and promote effectively;
-
increase the
welcome for, and participation of, local residents in members’
events and activities;
-
increasingly attract new audiences from further afield;
-
work with
the tourism sector to attract an increase in the numbers of day and
short-break visitors to the area;
-
work with local
businesses (hotels, retail, travel, visitor attractions) to
increase income generated in the area;
-
maintain and
increase employment opportunities in the area, both directly by
festivals and other cultural organisations and indirectly by other
businesses;
-
create and
enhance the visibility of cultural activities and a year-round
festive atmosphere in Bath city centre and other local areas;
-
market and
promote these collective activities of Cultural Forum members to
embrace an image of Bath and the area’s modern, vibrant culture
alongside that of its Roman, rural, industrial and Georgian
heritage.
Cultural Forum Work on Areas of Shared Concerns
In addition to
organising their own festivals, sporting and cultural activities in
a year round programme, individuals within the Cultural Forum group
will also be active in smaller working groups that concentrate on
shared concerns. Working groups are supported by Bath
Festivals staff and the advocacy and strategy (formerly Cultural
Partnership) development worker.
This practical
work of the Cultural Forum falls into the following broad
categories:
Administrative – to plan the work and budgets of
the Cultural Forum overall, liaise with working groups, Bath
Festivals Ltd staff and Board
Strategy – liaison, partnerships and influence on
policy making and development in the Bath and North East
Somerset area
Advocacy – acting as a point of contact and
representative voice to other organisations and agencies which have
a bearing on the collective work and aims of the Cultural Forum
Box
Office and What’s On information –
building on the services provided by the Bath Festivals Box Office
and website to audiences, Cultural Forum members and other event
promoters and cultural organisations in the area
Education – liaison on the coverage of the area by
members’ individual education programmes, developing joint projects
between members and building collective relationships with
educational institutions
Marketing – working on joint initiatives which can
enhance the members’ own marketing activities and market the
overall year-round attraction of the area’s cultural life
Membership – defining and regulating Cultural
Forum membership, increasing membership benefits and encouraging
recruitment of appropriate new members
Public
Realm – making and operating umbrella agreements with the
Council and others on behalf of all members for the use and
development of public spaces for decoration, signage and public
art.
Venues – seeking to improve current venue
provision and to advise on future developments
Website – developing a comprehensive Bath
Festivals’ What’s On website to provide collective marketing for
the year-round series of events, information about the Cultural
Forum, box office sales and links to all members’ own sites and
incorporating the ‘Happening Bath’ brand. www.bathfestivals.org.uk
The Constituents of the Cultural Forum: How it Works
Bath
Festivals Ltd
Bath Festivals Ltd
is governed by a Board of volunteer trustees who oversee the
management of all the company’s activities.
Bath Festivals Ltd
is the company that co-ordinates and administers the collective
activities of the Cultural Forum, along with the advocacy and
strategy development worker, including management of the finances
and administration of the Cultural Forum.
It also directly
manages the year-round Festivals Box Office which serves over 90
different promoters.
In addition, Bath
Festivals Ltd has a separate and independent role in directly
organising and promoting two of the City’s major festivals – Bath
Literature Festival and Bath International Music Festival, and a
year-round education programme that links to both.
Thus, the
professional staff of Bath Festivals Ltd have specific roles within
the organisation for the marketing, fundraising and management of
Bath Festivals Ltd’s directly promoted festivals and education
programme. The staff members also have the responsibility of
working together with Cultural Forum members on different aspects
of agreed collective actions.
In raising funds,
Bath Festivals Ltd seeks sponsorship and support for its own
directly promoted festivals and education work. It does
not raise funds for any other festivals’ specific activity.
However, Bath Festivals Ltd can and will work together with
Cultural Forum members to raise funds for any agreed collective
action or project.
Key professional staffing support services for Cultural
Forum activities:
-
Co-ordination,
Box Office, research, website, marketing (and other aspects of
practical development to be determined from time to time):
Alison Sully (Box Office/Cultural Forum Co-ordinator, Bath
Festivals)
-
Advocacy and
strategic activity: Jo Beal (Advocacy and
Strategy Development Worker, Freelance)
-
Education:
Louise Betts (Education Manager, Bath Festivals)
-
General and
membership administration: Bethany Alexander (Office
Administrator, Bath Festivals)
-
Finance
management and accounts: Andrew Whitehead (Financial
Controller, Bath Festivals)
-
General
management: Nod Knowles (Chief Executive, Bath
Festivals)
Membership
The Cultural Forum
is an independent group and will determine its own workplan and
agenda.
Each Cultural
Forum member is autonomous within the operation of their own
festivals and events. They come together to create and
operate collective activities.
The Cultural Forum
elects a Chair annually. The Chair also chairs the
Cultural Forum Executive Group.
The members of the
Cultural Forum pay an annual membership subscription which
contributes to the funds raised to support specific Cultural Forum
activities.
Full Membership of
the Cultural Forum is open to an organisation or individual
provided they agree to support the basic aims and actions in the
Manifesto and meet the following criteria:
-
support and/or
deliver a cultural programme of activities
-
have a
record of relevant professional activity
-
have financial
viability
-
are willing to
engage in mutual marketing and promotional activity
-
agree to have a
named representative, plus deputies, to attend Cultural Forum
meetings
In addition to
Full Membership, Associate Membership is offered to private
individuals or members of other non-cultural organisations who
agree to support the Manifesto and who thus support the delivery of
cultural activity.
Each Member,
whether Full or Associate, is entitled to one vote and casts his or
her vote according to the instructions and wishes of the
organisation they represent.
Cultural Forum Meetings
The quarterly
Cultural Forum meetings, which are open to all members,
provide:
-
a regular
opportunity for Cultural Forum members to meet, share ideas and
drive areas of collective action;
-
the pool of
active members from which working groups can be drawn to work on
specific issues (and to report back charting progress);
-
a regular point
of contact, for reporting, overview, consultation and discussion
between Cultural Forum members and Bath Festivals Ltd.;
-
a regular
point of contact between the Cultural Forum membership and other
individuals and organisations (including Bath and North East
Somerset Council);
-
opportunities to
advise and assist in the development of policy in respect of
Cultural Forum and related initiatives - and take an overview on
progress.
Working
Groups
The working groups
are drawn from Cultural Forum membership and Bath Festivals Ltd
staff. They undertake the practical work of the Cultural
Forum.
The groups
have:
-
the authority of
the full Cultural Forum membership in their work and can speak and
negotiate on specific issues on behalf of the Cultural Forum;
-
stable
membership comprising small numbers - 5 people maximum;
-
a well-defined
written remit for work to be accomplished;
-
a time-limited
remit as necessary – they are not standing committees but are set
up to get defined work done and then disband - unless clearly
dealing with an ongoing subject such as education;
-
a nominated
leader of the group – which may be a Bath Festivals Ltd staff
member or a Cultural Forum member as appropriate;
-
responsibility
to report back progress to the Cultural Forum (and to Bath
Festivals Ltd staff or Board as appropriate).
Current
Working Groups
How to Join the Cultural Forum
Organisations and individuals wishing to become members of the
Cultural Forum should fill in a membership form and send it with a
cheque for £50 to Bath Festivals Ltd.
The application will be received by the Membership Working Group
who will approve the membership. In the event of any
question of eligibility the application will be referred to the
Executive Group and to the next full Cultural Forum meeting for
consideration.
Contact the Cultural Forum Chair and Administration at:
Cultural Forum
Bath Festivals
3rd Floor
Abbey Chambers
Kingston Buildings
Bath BA1 1NT
01225 462231 phone
01225 445551 fax
info@bathfestivals.org.uk
www.bathfestivals.org.uk
Cultural Forum Chair: Jean
Brushfield
Nod
Knowles: Chief
Executive, Bath Festivals Ltd
Bethany Alexander:
Office Administrator, Bath Festivals Ltd
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