Cross artform

Last summer’s Manchester International Festival (MIF23) attracted more than 325,000 visitors to the city, according to a new report.

The report, by Manchester City Council’s Economy and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee, found the amount of money spent by attendees at the ninth edition of the biennial festival totaled £39.2m.

Almost half (47%) of visits to MIF23 were by first-timers to the festivals, compared with 36% in 2019 and 40% in 2021.

A total of 428 volunteers contributed 9,000 volunteer hours during the 18-day event. Meanwhile, 178 artists benefited from a development opportunity at MIF23, and more than 1,164 children were involved in creative activities.

The council’s report also found more than 300,000 visitors have passed through the doors of Manchester’s Aviva Studios since it opened last summer, with almost a third (32%) from Manchester.

Councillor Luthfur Rahman, Manchester City Council Deputy Leader, said 2023 "was without doubt a stand-out year for culture in Manchester and MIF23 had a big part to play in this".

"From visitor spend and audience numbers, to volunteer hours and the number of amazing opportunities for local artists, residents and young people to get involved, together with a world-class programme of new work to see and enjoy, the festival delivers on every front. 

"And now with the opening of Aviva Studios, the country's landmark new building for the arts, it's very clear that Manchester is the cultural place to be."

Administrators investigating a charity's spending have been given another year to continue their work.

Since Coventry City of Culture Trust collapsed in February 2023 with debts of more than £4m, administrators have been working to sell off assets to try to pay back creditors while investigating the circumstances of the collapse, with forensic accountants being hired to assist.

The appointment of an administrator automatically ends one year after the date it takes effect.

But a notice filed with Companies House states that, with creditors' consent, the administration period will now run until 27 February 2025. Any further extensions are only possible by court order.

Meanwhile, a senior Conservative MP said they want to "get to the bottom of what went wrong".

Speaking to the Coventry Observer, Conservative Party Chairman Richard Holden said he and his party’s local candidates for the next general election were "very keen" for the full legacy of the City of Culture year to be realised.

“Millions was given by central government to fund the City of Culture year and I know there is a big desire in Coventry to get to the bottom of this issue.

“I know [our local candidates] are very passionate about this issue and want to see a real legacy of the City of Culture.

“This includes getting to the bottom of what went wrong but also to work towards building on the positive as there was so much money and goodwill invested into the year.”

A cultural programme covering Bath, Bristol, North and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire is set to go ahead after securing investment.

Bath Spa University partnered with the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (WECA) to secure funding through Arts Council England’s (ACE) National Lottery Place Partnerships Fund for Culture West, a two-year, region-wide programme aiming to enable every child and young person access to cultural experiences.

It plans to commission two new festivals, support and provide work for 425 creative freelancers and engage over 109,000 people in arts and cultural experiences with live audiences of more than 270,000.

Other initiatives include a new residency scheme for low-income artists and makers at Bath Spa University’s creative practice studio, while a new arts space will open in Radstock early next year.

Bath Spa University will also support the delivery of a new regional Creative Agency, creating employment guidance and networks for those entering the creative industries.

WECA has invested £1.5m in the programme, ACE has provided a £1m grant and local partners have given a combined £640,000.

Professor Sue Rigby, Bath Spa University Vice-Chancellor said the shared ambition is “to create a step change for the region by increasing access to arts and culture in every place for all communities and creatives.”

“Through this, we aim to improve lives, support local economies, help regenerate neighbourhoods and bring people back into work in the creative industries, post-pandemic.”

Six areas across England are to be awarded a share of £10.9m to scale up hundreds of creative industry businesses.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer announced the expansion of the government’s Creative Growth programme during the WeCreate conference at Manchester’s Aviva Studios yesterday (14 November).

The expansion doubles the areas covered by the programme. Creative businesses in Nottinghamshire, Hull and East Yorkshire, West Midlands, West Yorkshire, Devon and Hertfordshire will now be eligible to access private investment and scale-up advice.

The amount of funding each area will receive is not set and depends on the individual area’s business needs and the number of businesses that apply for grants and support. 

Since launching in 2022, the Creative Growth programme has delivered £28.4m. It is estimated the programme’s expansion will take the total number of creative organisations supported by the scheme to 1,800.

The programme was developed to support government ambitions to grow the creative industries by £50bn by 2030.

Speaking in Manchester yesterday, Frazer said: "We’re already making progress towards the ambitious goals set out in our sector vision, unveiling millions in new funding to drive growth in our grassroots and scale ups and banging the drum for creative careers."