A Community Arts Strategy
for Cambourne
Start
Sharing Art :: Connecting Lives
• A network to develop the arts in
South Cambridgeshire
• Based on Village College ethos
• Five Arts Development Managers
working in seven schools
Creating A Cultural Strategy For
Cambourne
• Based on Town & Country
Planning Association’s Culture &
Sport Planning Toolkit
• Arts Council/MLA Standard
Charge Approach for Cultural
Facilities
The Culture and Sport Planning
Toolkit
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Leadership and Coordination:
Visioning
Needs and Provision Assessment
Securing successful delivery
Monitoring and review
Leaderships & Coordination
Cambourne Cultural Facilities Groups formed
• Chair of Cambourne Parish Council & Leisure
committee Member
• District councillor
• South Cambs DC Arts Development Officer
• Chair Cambourne Arts (residents group)
• Arts Development Manager Comberton Village
College
Purpose was to look at best value for the S106
funding (related to the 950 homes) for public art
Visioning
• Decided not to spend it on ‘more rusty leaves’
but rather on much need arts facilities
• Looked at extending The Hub Community
Centre
• Looked at working with Cambourne Youth
Partnership
• Finally settled on working with the new
secondary school to provide dual use facilities
The Need Assessment
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Residents surveyed twice over five years
Use of Arts Council’s INSIGHT data
Use of Arts Council’s Active People Survey
County Council demographic data and
predictions
• Audit of existing cultural provision, spaces,
equipment, opportunities, clubs & societies
• Focus group interviews
The Need Assessment
• Over 80% of residents when surveyed rated arts
facilities in Cambourne as poor
• All of the community spaces are currently running at
near full capacity 95% to 99%
• Surveys show that 87% of residents take an active part
in the arts or regularly attend arts events but most
have to travel to access them.
• Cambourne has twice as many 20 to 40 year olds and
twice as many ‘movers’ as a % of population than the
rest of the district…and lots and lots more kids!!!
• Local GP cites higher than average levels of depression
& pregnancy
Dual Use – Village College Ethos
• Building of the new school presents a fantastic
opportunity for a dual use community arts
centre
• Creating community spaces to use for the arts
• Architects have been thoughtful in the layout
by putting the community access areas in the
front of the school
Securing Successful Delivery
• Worked closely with the Parish Council and
residents groups
• Identified the new school as a potential
partner
• Devised the Cultural Strategy & Business Plan
in partnership with CPC, the school and SCDC
• Ensured that all were kept informed and that
each partner was involved along the way
Town & Country Planning Association’s
Culture and Sport Planning Toolkit
• The Standard Charge approach for cultural
spaces is designed by the MLA & Arts Council
England and allows Dual Use as a solution
• Determines the amount of space a new
community requires for the arts as 45sqm per
1000 residents
• Population of Cambourne set to rise to 10,500
• Calculation reveals that Cambourne requires
477sqm of space
Potential Dual Use Areas Ground Floor
Potential Dual Use Areas First Floor
Potential Dual Use Areas Could Provide
Area
Dining Room
Main Hall
Activity Studio/Main Stage
Community Meeting Room
Art Room
Music recital Room
Drama
Total
sqm
175
224
120
60
180
120
135
1014
Finance – £150k of S106 Funding
Item
Cost
Procurement of additional equipment for Arts Spaces
(above the DfE contribution for fit out costs)
£100,000
Management costs to cover part of the ADM’s costs
over three years
£13,000
Contribution towards programming in the first two
years
£7,000
Display boards
£5,000
Public Art Project or additional programme support
£25,000
Total
£150,000
Additional Capital Spend
• Enhanced infrastructure to make spaces future
proof
• Large Cinema screen brighter projector, surround
sound
• Bigger, better and more flexible lighting grid
• Bigger more flexible PA
• Lectern with pre-sets for light and sound
• Printing facilities in art department
• More comfortable seating
…and if we can get even more money
we would spend it on…
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Demountable movable raked seating
Grand piano
Drum kit, more mics, amplifiers etc.
Moving lights
Winches on lighting bars
More visual arts kit
Process for releasing the S106 Funding
• Completion of A Cultural Strategy for Cambourne
written in partnership with Cambourne Facilities Group
including local stakeholders, CPC & SCDC
• Completion of business plan
• Dual use of new school agreed by Comberton Academy
Trust
• Strategy adopted by Cambourne Parish Council &
signed off by SCDC member (portfolio holder)
• Agreement with developers to release funding
according to the proposed timetable
• Funding released
Business Plan - Aims and Objectives
…Just one single aim
• To create a sustainable community arts venue
for Cambourne
Get Messy
Get Noisy
Get Noticed
Programming
• To devise a broad based workshop programme
which reflects the needs of the community and
achieves targets set
• Vibrant participation programme reflecting
whatever the community wants to do
Programming
• Exciting performance programme with a mix of
community and professional work
• Partnerships with ACT for professional touring
theatre & dance, Wysing for visual arts, Arts
Picturehouse for cinema and high quality
digital content, Custard Comedy and others
Marketing
• To devise a marketing
strategy to raise
awareness of the
venue’s programme and
opportunities to
participate in activities
• Extensive use of
internet marketing
• Clear branding
• Well designed print
Operations
To devise a robust, affordable and flexible staffing
system, which harnesses the strong volunteering
culture in Cambourne and with clear lines of
responsibility and communication
Executive Principal Stephen Munday
Head of School Claire Coates
Members of the SLG & Governors
Arts / Venue
Development Manager
Event / Bar
Manager
FOH & SIA
Finance,
Personnel,
Catering, etc.
Site
Management
Technical Manager
(could be a voluntary role or
Creative Apprentice)
Bar Staff
Volunteer Techs
Cleaners &
contractors
Finance
Make Money
to Make Art
Make Money, to Make Art!
• Community, commercial & private hires to
bring in earned funding
• Workshop programme – should make money
eventually but will be slow to start
• Programme of events will reflect community
needs and aspirations – should eventually
break even but it will take sometime to work
• Sustainable financially after four years
Monitoring & Review
• Steering group set up to guide the
implementation of the Cultural Strategy and
to have overview of the new venue
• Finance is overseen by both the school’s SLG,
board of governors and the Parish Council
• Six monthly reviews
• Five year business plan