“a pretty shitty city……” swansea uk city of ......has a resident population of 685,000. with...

SWANSEAUK CITY OF CULTURE 2021Initial Bid

“A Pretty Shitty City……”[Twin Town]

CONTENTSCROESO / WELCOME Page 1

OUR AREA Pages 2 - 3

OUR VISION Pages 4 - 8

CULTURAL AND ARTISTIC STRENGTHS Pages 9 - 13

OUR SOCIAL IMPACT Pages 14 - 15

OUR ECONOMIC IMPACT Pages 16 - 17

OUR TOURISM IMPACT Pages 18 - 19

LEADERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNANCEPages 20 - 21

OUR TRACK RECORD Page 22

FUNDING AND BUDGET Page 22 - 23

PARTNERSHIPS Page 23

RISK ASSESSMENTPages 24 - 25

LEGACY Pages 25 - 26 LEARNING AND EVALUATION Pages 26 - 27

CLOSING WORDS Pages 28

APPENDICES Pages 29 - 62

“... an ugly, lovely town ... crawling, sprawling ... by the side of a long and splendid curving shore. This sea-town was my world.”

[Dylan Thomas]

SWANSEA - UK CITY OF CULTUREOur bid to be UK City of Culture 2021 stems from an enduring commitment to place culture at the heart of our regeneration and growth. Ours is a tale of a city of contrasts, continuously grappling with the lovely/ugly, rural/urban, people/place, past/future, east/west balance, but being one Place and one People, with pride and ambitions to shine on the world’s stage. We are a city of ‘world firsts’, not a ‘Second City’ – returning to our rightful place as the cultural link between post-industrial and rural Wales.

Our time to shine has arrived. Our city is changing rapidly, with urban regeneration and population growth creating a landscape ripe for investment, innovation, diversity and connectivity; the likes of which we have not experienced since we were at the heart of the industrial revolution. This has led us to securing a once in a generation investment for the city, including a new City Deal which will create a new cultural infrastructure for Swansea by 2021. The City Deal will bring with it new digital infrastructure which will create thousands of much needed jobs; growing creative and tech industries and driving innovation, with an international connectivity that we want to see benefit all our People, in our ‘Lovely, Ugly’ Place. From a period of looking back to the heyday of the traditional industries, we are looking forward with a new confidence, tackling head on the challenges and opportunities facing us.

We need Culture to connect us more deeply with this new Swansea, drawing on our rich heritage, stories, culture, and

sense of Place to create opportunities that may otherwise be unreachable. From urban deprivation, poverty and low aspiration in the east, to rural isolation, ageing populations and lack of infrastructure in the west, we believe that culture is our bridge to greater equality, engagement and connectivity. Our partnerships are growing stronger, for programming and delivery and we will build on our existing infrastructure, with sustainability and growth of our cultural and natural assets at the forefront of our programming and legacy planning.

We have a pragmatic approach to leadership, programme development and delivery. In our bid, we describe how UK City of Culture 2021 will frame and accelerate our investment in our cultural and community infrastructure, strategic partnerships, community engagement and creative and tourism economies. This will deliver a number of Step Changes with long term impact and legacy.

Our evaluation framework will provide the evidence and tools for us, our partners and other cities, to ensure that culture is recognised as an architectural component of a healthy, sustainable city, supporting the long term prospects for growth and community wellbeing. Our legacy will also be intertwined with our long-term sustainability planning for regional partnerships, with a new governance model established, which will genuinely place culture and our People and Place at the heart of the regeneration of the Swansea Bay City Region.

Swansea is the economic centre of the wider Swansea Bay City Region, which has a resident population of 685,000. With a contained population of 240,000, Swansea is the second largest city in Wales. Residential patterns remain shaped by our industrial past, with the majority of people living and working in the urban heartlands. Our waterfront city centre is flanked to the north and west by a stunning mix of coastal and upland rural landscapes, enveloped by a sweeping sandy coastline that defines Swansea Bay, curving around the coast to the Mumbles headland. The historic Docklands, now being reborn as the SA1 Waterfront area, marks the eastern boundary. Forging its way north-east, through a series of urban settlements, the River Tawe winds through the formerly heavily industrialised Swansea Valley. With spectacular visual effect, the drama of the dense urban setting, boldly meets the sparsely populated

rural hinterland, which makes up two thirds of the 378km sq. area. Our rural area’s components are broadly defined as Gower, the UK’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the hilly Lliw uplands, including reservoirs, former collieries and Swansea’s highest point at Penlle’r Castell. Two major universities, with student populations of around 30,000 add to the vibrancy, diversity and innovation emerging in the area, with major campus developments anchoring the north and south of the city.

Our culture, pride and ambition

Dylan Thomas’ blunt assessment of Swansea in 1941 contrasts starkly with the Swansea now entering the 21st Century, seeking to reinvent itself with culture and heritage at the forefront of the city’s plans. The breadth and diversity of Swansea’s history presents a rich source of cultural inspiration – named by the Vikings, and home to a series of ‘world firsts’ such as the Mumbles Railway - the first passenger railway in the world. Swansea’s history as a Place also defines the challenges now facing our People.

Our unique geography and industrial legacy has created a city of contrasts, with inequality between the populations of east and west, and disconnect of the urban and rural. ‘Swansea East’ was formed as dormitories for the once booming industries of copper, tin and

chemicals in the Industrial Revolution. They are now characterised as high-density communities, with row upon row of stone-built terraced housing, interspersed with post-war council housing estates. The pressure on these communities and local services is high and life expectancy, social and economic mobility, skills and employment are low. Conversely, Swansea West, including the rural hinterland as described above, is characterised by higher socio and economic indicators of wellbeing. However it has a lack of digital connectivity, transport and cultural infrastructure, with higher levels of rural isolation, and disconnection from city-centre lifestyle, culture, recreation and core services.

OUR AREA

Dylan Thomas walked through the bombed-out shell of the town centre with his friend Bert Trick. Upset at the sight, he concluded: “Our Swansea is dead”

Having once been at the heart of Wales’ and Britain’s trade links, the decline in Swansea’s position as chief exporter, at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution, hit us hard. During WWII, Swansea’s Dock was the link to the world’s first full-scale submarine pipeline, but due to its logistic significance, became the target for a ‘three night blitz’ in February 1941, which saw the city centre and surrounding residential areas flattened. Post-war planning saw the city centre shift its axis away from the waterfront, and by the 1960s, the Valley’s industries were in steep decline - leaving behind a polluted, scarred and barren landscape. The Lower Swansea Valley project was a pioneering attempt to reclaim this land and reintroduce a green lung, along with new enterprise zones and leisure facilities. Swansea Marina was another pioneering regeneration scheme to transform derelict industrial dockland to residential and retail uses. Nonetheless, the impact of the decline of our industries is still starkly felt and visible. Major investments are beginning to turn this around, but more can be done to ensure the cultural and physical wellbeing of all our People, so that they can connect with, and benefit from Swansea’s forthcoming regeneration of Place.

Population Growth: Swansea is changing constantly and rapidly. Between 2005 and 2015, the average rate of population growth was approximately +1,300 people (+0.6%) per year. This growth is set to continue. Official estimates suggest that the main driver of this has been migration, with 6.0% of the total population from a non-white

ethnic group, higher than the Welsh average of 4% and the third highest percentage of the 22 local authorities in Wales. Key groups include Eastern Europeans (rising since 2003); a doubling of the Bangladeshi ethnic group between 2001 and 2011; and a considerable increase in the Chinese ethnic group. The largest ethnic minority populations were recorded in the urban Wards of Uplands, Castle and Sketty, the latter two recording ethnic minority populations above 10%. Overall, the latest census information revealed some 5,415 residents as Muslim, making this the most common religion after Christianity.

Education: Swansea is both a city of academic excellence with world-class universities and a city of educational inequality. Published statistics for Swansea in 2013-14, record over 16,500 full-time university students and over 4,500 full-time students in Further Education. Both Swansea University and University of Wales Trinity St. David forecast growth in student numbers by some 10,000 in the next few years. Possibly due to the presence of these Institutions, 34% of Swansea’s residents (aged 16-64) are qualified to NVQ Level 4 (degree level) and above, slightly higher than the Wales figure. However, 13% of Swansea’s working age population have no qualifications, compared to Wales’ 10% and the UK’s 9%, revealing a gap within our communities that we can narrow, if not fully close, as UK City of Culture 2021.

Employment: Our position as the regional centre for services, education, commercial, leisure, tourism and culture,

is reflected in higher proportions of employment in the service industries. Commuting patterns point to significant estimated daily inflows to Swansea of 27,700 (net inflow +8,300), with the majority coming from Neath Port Talbot (13,200) and Carmarthenshire (8,600)1. Road arteries and traffic management dominate the landscape and reduce connectivity by creating physical barriers between our historic and suburban communities, key assets, infrastructure and natural resources.

Health: According to the 2011 Census, 78% of Swansea residents assessed their health as good or very good, almost in tandem with the Wales average. However, just over 23% said their day-to-day activities are limited a lot, or a little, by a long-term health problem or disability, which is slightly higher than the Wales average and considerably higher than the UK at 18%. The Census data also reveals considerable variations within Swansea, ranging from a little over 4% in Killay North (west) to nearly 17% in Townhill (east), reinforcing this picture of Swansea as a city of contrasts. The national context underlines this as we have an above average share of Wales’ Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs), with 18 out of 148, or 12%, featuring in the most deprived 10 per cent in Wales. In contrast, 25 (17%) are within the 10% least deprived.

Why Culture Matters

Our ‘Lovely, Ugly’ Place and friendly, happy People make us a natural City of Culture. We believe that culture is a significant contributor to health,

wellbeing, educational attainment, aspiration and tackling poverty. It unifies People and contributes to our economy through tourism, creative and cultural industries, vibrancy and sense of Place. These are the key outcomes we want from our strategic investment in the city, so to move forward without culture led regeneration would be unthinkable to us. By 2021 we will see a new digital infrastructure, new creative workspace, a new Arena, Aquatics Research Centre and the world’s first Tidal Lagoon in-situ; all connected by unparalleled digital capability and infrastructure, via the installation of 5G and broadband via ‘the Jupiter Pipe’. With this platform we can connect and mobilise our businesses and communities, in ways previously unimaginable. Augmenting this commitment through Culture is a natural step forward for the city’s authorities and partners, helping us achieve our vision. Our themes and Programme reflect the use of assets - current and planned, as well as building on our cultural heritage and changing population.

1 (source: APS, 2015).

OUR AREA

OUR VISIONOur vision has two core principles of People and Place. People are central to our core identity and vision, and we need more ways to increase participation, providing opportunity for all. Our Place is where we live and work; where we grew up, or migrated to; where we spend time with our friends and family - growing and learning. We have a deep seated pride and love of this distinctive city, which reveals inspirational stories of innovation and outwardly facing ambitions every time we scratch its surface.

Our aim is that our cultural strategy will meet head-on our city’s challenges and embrace its many opportunities through the ability of culture to engage and inspire - connecting the ordinary and the extraordinary. Culture will play a transformational role, unifying People and Place, mobilised by stronger, richer and deeper participation. This collaboration and dialogue will be facilitated by digital technology, as well as place based activity - demonstrating how culture is the ‘bridge’ to tackling the inequality in Swansea but whihc is also so prevalent in cities and towns in Wales and across the UK.

Our Step Changes Our baseline data is fragmented, with too much focus on quantitative data for usage / attendance at venues or organised activity. We describe this weakness and how we will overcome this in future sections. However, it has presented a challenge for us in quantifying a step change that only UK City of Culture 2021 can deliver

and which adds genuine value and meaning for legacy. We believe real transformation is iterative and evolutionary. Therefore we describe our Step Changes in qualitative terms. This is described within the context of a strong learning and evaluation framework, as described in Part C, which will capture and evidence outcomes from our City of Culture Programme, and the long term significance of delivering our Step Changes.

1) Strong Cultural Planning: with participation of audiences, artists and practitioners in City Making; in particular the next phases of the city’s regeneration. We include artist residencies, events, creative consultation and engagement in our Programme to engage the whole community in our city’s regeneration. This will be significant for Swansea as previous developments have not integrated artists or the community effectively in ‘place making’, leading to the perceived disconnect, poor navigation to the sea, low quality public spaces, ineffective performance of the city centre and negative perception of Swansea.

2) Growing the Creative Economy: building the capacity, networks and infrastructure for a strong and sustainable creative and cultural industries sector, particularly within the wider innovation ecosystem. This is about Culture being a ‘super-connector’ for our local businesses, ensuring they all benefit from the opportunities and the resources that will be available. This is significant for Swansea as the wider creative and cultural sectors do not interact as well as they could; with tech

industries and cultural practice working in a polarised way, and businesses generally being disconnected from their communities. Providing new forums for collaboration and production is a key part of our Programme. Creating new artist residencies, new digital art projects and business partnerships is also a feature. The opportunity for a new cultural brand for Swansea will also be an attractor for new business to be connected more deeply with the sector through our Programme.

3) Increasing Community Participation and Wellbeing: with culture supporting cohesive, prosperous, resilient, healthy communities, with greater diversity – reducing poverty and building capacity for sustainable community leadership. Having already acknowledged our weakness in comprehensive audience data, we have chosen not to add a numerical target to increasing participation. Instead, we will set a target that every resident and visitor to Swansea will participate in at least one of our Programme components. We don’t want our City of Culture to be about counting the same people coming to similar events many times. The real value for us is in growing and diversifying our audiences and building skills and capacity in our communities to sustain participation. Our Programme will create cultural connectors across the city - bringing to life open spaces and community buildings, with new opportunities for People to interact and participate. UK City of Culture 2021 will create the environment for community groups and artists to work together, in a structured and measured way.

“I was born in a large Welsh industrial town at the beginning of the Great War: an ugly, lovely town (or so it was, and is, to me), crawling, sprawling, slummed, unplanned, jerry-villa’d, and smug- suburbed by the side of a long and splendid-curving shore” Dylan Thomas, ‘Reminiscences of Childhood’.

4) Improving Creative Education, Skills and Research: with a coordinated approach to building and retaining knowledge, talent and skills for the wider community and city centre. Linked to Step Changes 2 and 3, UK City of Culture 2021 will help us position creative learning as a central component of our curriculum, FE and HE courses. This is significant for Swansea as we see a leakage of talent out of the city as we lack the cultural brand and creative clusters to retain it. UK City of Culture 2021 will mobilise better connections between education, businesses and community, with a new cultural network that we don’t think we can achieve without it. Our Programme will create a new virtual and real infrastructure for talent to flourish and professionals to develop their business here in Swansea. We say more about this under the ‘Our Economic Impact’ section as it is directly linked to our growth targets for the sector.

5) Increasing Cultural Tourism: coordinating, expanding and developing the cultural offer to increase positive perceptions, drive tourism and inward investment, pride, ambition and wellbeing and maximise our potential as an urban, coastal and rural destination. The absence of a cultural strategy for the city meant that previously, the power of culture to add vibrancy and connectivity of People and Place, with an impact on economic and spatial planning for regeneration, was lost. We have addressed this since the last bid, by co-creating a new Cultural Development Framework, but we have a long way to go. UK City of Culture 2021 creates a platform for

us to create new partnerships, build capacity in our cultural sector and new ways of collaborating, producing and broadcasting to the world. Elements of our Programme demonstrate this particularly well, with artists in residence and the large scale programmes planned for outdoor performances and reimagining our city. Our venues, new markets, studio space, creative industries, child and event friendly public places will be opened up and connected through the transformative power of culture. We need UK City of Culture 2021 to help us reframe and rebrand our city as a natural cultural destination.

Our Main Themes

Pioneers of culture, innovation and change – where People and Place intertwine in celebration of innovators, pathfinders and leaders - building platforms for new pathways, partnerships, experiment and risk.

Cultural Production and distribution of ideas, skills, broadcast, trade, markets, tech, digital, traditional and industrial crafts and ideas exchange.

Our Voices - making a noise and being heard; through song, language, connectivity, expression and collaboration.

Digging Deep into our communities, finding and nurturing talent and resources; harvesting, collecting, rebuilding, regenerating, reseeding and distributing culture.

Navigating east to west and coast to

coast - crossing boundaries and looking outwards across the UK; exploring connectivity and global /local through science, technology, culture and creative industries.

These themes and our outline Programme have emerged from a period of dialogue, active engagement and development. We continue to draw in new participants and partners, to build and curate a stronger, well defined Programme leading up to 2021. The Programme’s components will reflect our core principles of People and Place - bridging divides and increasing connectivity. At this stage, we have some distinctive ideas for integrating art and artists into the major infrastructure schemes, such as the Tidal Lagoon and the Digital Arena, as indicated in our outline Programme (Appendix A). Our thinking is wide open to new opportunities, new ideas, and continuing the dialogue with our curators, artists, local, regional, and national partners.

Our Programme and its themes and components, help us to achieve our Step Changes:

Pioneers - Swansea has a rich history of pioneers, commissioning or building ‘world firsts’ (of which Swansea has an extensive list, ranging from the inspirational to the bizarre)of risk, innovation, disruption and dissent in creativity. Being on the edge of technological and cultural breakthrough and making a real step change for Swansea is stimulating our ideas for cultural programming, commissioning and product for 2021. We want our

City of Culture to provide a voice to our communities who are unheard, traditionally not present, or excluded for a variety of reasons. In particular, hearing and amplifying the voice of children is a key ambition for us. This will be harnessed through our Programme. We will embed innovation, diversity of thought and participation, in our planning for the city’s spatial, social and economic development, as described in Step Change 1.

This aspect of our ambition is also illustrated by Swansea’s support for the world’s first Tidal Lagoon (subject to Government approval). Whether the Lagoon goes ahead or not, this project exemplifies everything that we stand for, with innovation, an appetite for risk and creativity driving our ambitions for the city. The Tidal Lagoon represents a vital innovation for environmentally sustainable energy production, but also a transformational cultural intervention. It presents a new type of cultural infrastructure for the next generation, with a series of galleries, amphitheatre, skills academy, visitor and education centre, water-sports and leisure facilities, as well as the reintroduction of oyster beds. This is a landmark intervention which draws on the resources of Place for the cultural benefit of its People. This theme is about demonstrating the impact of innovation, inspirational people and partnerships in place making.

OUR VISION

Cultural production and distribution - The link between culture, production and industry has opened up an exploration of the mining and traditional industries of our city’s crafts and manufacturing - versus new, digital and tech industries, production and distribution. We will work with our cultural sector, traditional print, design and craft industries and link them with digital design and tech-industries, to create a new ‘Made in Swansea’ platform. This will build capacity and confidence - clustering and connecting businesses to develop new collaborations and a strong and resilient cultural sector. We will develop new models of exchange – trading products and ideas through co-working and collaboration. This will be online and offline, including new pop-up and ‘virtual markets’, showcasing and broadcasting innovation. This theme is about our People and how their skills, ideas and ability to connect will help us achieve Step Change 2.

Our Voices - People and Place weave their way through our cultural narrative and stories. Our cultural pioneers, including some of our more famous alumni such as Catherine Zeta Jones, Michael Sheen and Bonnie Tyler are, we believe, drawn back again and again by the compelling contrasts of our Place and People. These contrasts have enormous potential to stimulate a creative response, challenge stereotypes and offering new ways of seeing and communicating. Our Programme opens up new opportunities to communicate, with multiple celebrations of language, talent and heritage, as well as conceiving new ways of visualising and narrating our stories. This theme is about our identity,

beliefs, values and heritage, connecting past, present and future. It is particularly complementary to us in achieving Step Change 3.

Digging Deep - Swansea, like many areas, was mined of its human and natural resources during the industrial revolution. These industries were often the result of enterprise and innovation – led by pioneers in their own right, who opened up international links. Subsequent travels brought back riches and cultural collections, which now inform research and innovative schemes to increase access and participation in our cultural offer. This offers much to our exploration of Place, migration and cultural consumption in our Programme, as we source and collect local talent along the way. We will dig deep into our communities, harvesting and collecting audiences, stories, assets and talent - stimulating learning and participation. This theme is about providing new opportunities for creative learning, mentoring and knowledge exchange, retention of skills and much needed new routes into employment in the creative and cultural sectors, as needed for Step Changes 2 and 4.

Navigating - Our Programme ideas for understanding, exploring and reimagining our city – past, present and future – are all part of this theme. Our waterways and Port have been a route to import, export and travel, but also exposed us to invasion, as illustrated by our coastal architecture of castles and fortifications. Indeed, the story goes that Swansea was named by the Vikings, who also likened part of our coastline to a dragon’s head

– naming it Wurm’s Head (now known as Worm’s Head), giving rise to the myths and legends of a land of Dragons. This ‘legendary’ status also surrounds Arthur’s Stone in Gower, a Neolithic burial tomb dating back to 2500 BC and one of the first sites to be protected under the Ancient Monuments Act of 1882. This aspect of our culture has come through strongly, with stories and storytelling - song, music, literature and language - all informing our cultural narrative and sense of identity and Place. UK City of Culture 2021 will frame our navigation of the city and our children’s understanding of their place in the world, through our cultural heritage. For example, exploring the links with the other twelve places in the world called Swansea. In particular, a ghost town in Death Valley, California

which has a memorial to the once booming mining town, after hundreds of Welsh Miners made the trip to America and beyond to set up and run mines. Equally fascinating is the Y Wladfa (The Colony) settlement in Argentina, which began in 1865 in the southern region of Patagonia. In the early 21st Century around 50,000 Patagonians were of Welsh descent and the language has been sustained, with estimates of between 1,500 and 5,000 Welsh speakers in the area. This theme is about engaging everyone in Swansea to participate in our city planning, finding their place in our world and creating a new cultural landscape, as needed to achieve Step Changes 1, 3 and 5.

OUR VISIONLegend says that King Arthur found a rock in his shoe and threw it from Carmarthenshire, to Cefn Bryn in Gower where the stone physically grew and was elevated by the other stones, who raised it high with admiration.

Our Main Programming Components

Our Programme and partnerships will be distinctive as we weave a new cultural landscape from stories of People and Place that are familiar, yet new - presenting Swansea through a new view-finder or lens, literally and metaphorically. Using music, photography, installation art, pop-up events, film-making, digital and multimedia, performance, light and visual arts, we will develop real time digital interaction, virtual and augmented reality and immersive experiences. We will create a physical and metaphorical bridge between communities, past and present, to co-create a future landscape where culture is visible and permeates the city. Our components cut across all our themes and will be illuminated, expanded and broadcast as a result of us being UK City of Culture 2021.

Amplification – hearing our voices, making a noise: Swansea is a city of festivals, events and community celebration, with a ‘can do – will do’ attitude to generating and staging events and artistic product - with or without permission occasionally. This is a great tool in our armoury for transformation and engagement, displaying talent and brave programming in some of the most unlikely places. We will embrace the disruptive, discursive and provocative potential of events and festivals, positioning artists and creative innovators as the agents of engagement and change. Artists from all over the world visit Swansea to take part in activities and similarly, our cultural pioneers take their ideas all over the world. Now we want

the world to come to us and see our city at its best. UK City of Culture 2021 will provide a springboard for us to achieve this, and we will carefully curate our 365 day ‘Festival of Noise’ with artists that develop new product that is compelling and innovative. Existing festivals that have the potential to grow and respond to the opportunity and step change offered by UK City of Culture 2021 will be connected and supported, ensuring knowledge transfer, audience development and legacy.

Our city – reimagined: Existing and forthcoming architecture and public realm presents significant opportunity for us to reimagine the city as a cultural landscape. We will draw out and illuminate the past, which speaks of our identity, heritage, ambition and growth - aligning it with a new cultural vision for Swansea. We will commission artworks and projects that compel our audiences to ‘look again’, through rethinking, reframing and communicating this Place, which is constantly changing - using arts and creativity in a structured, playful and collaborative way. The concept of Ports & Forts gives context to our castles (literally and metaphorically). These, along with housing, artist studios, landmark buildings, gateways, waterways and coast all feature in our Programme commissioning ideas for 2021. We will engage with the planning process to ensure that the city, in 2021, is as colourful and creative in its new architecture as possible - respecting the iconic buildings that offer insight to the past ambitions of our People, which we will illuminate. For example, some of the most beautiful streets have the

worst reputation, including Wind Street – colloquially known as Wine Street, due to its concentration of bars and clubs, occupying the ground and first floors of a grand street-scape of Merchant houses / shop fronts, extravagantly embellished with mouldings and ornamental features. Reframing our heritage and interpretation of Swansea through culture will be a key ambition for achieving Step Changes 3 and 5.

Visual and Media Arts, Exhibitions and Conferences: Visual arts, media, film and photography are particular strengths in Swansea, with our world class Glynn Vivian Art Gallery (part of the Plus Tate Network), regularly hosting high profile exhibitions. The Gallery works with the wide range of independent galleries in the area, nationally and internationally. Hosting the Turner Prize, alongside an exemplar exhibition programme and artist residencies, with open studios, arts, crafts and film festivals, pop-up markets and digital collaborations, will be a strong component of our Programme. The city is also host to a range of conferences and seminars, with a market evolving around specialist subjects, research and investigations of culture, regeneration, economics, health and wellbeing. Current examples include industry conventions such as Swansea Animation Days, which brings global leaders in animation and computer game industries to Swansea every year and the Storytelling for Health Conference this year. We will actively seek out, design and develop new exhibitions and events that bring leading thinkers and specialists to Swansea, stimulating debate and knowledge exchange through creating a new ‘market’ for trading ideas

OUR VISION

OUR VISIONand experience and broadcasting to the world through UK City of Culture 2021.

Literature: With alumni including Dylan Thomas and Vernon Watkins, it is understandable that literature is one of our components. We regularly work with colleagues in Literature Wales, the Dylan Thomas Society and a number of local groups, schools and institutions to develop skills and appreciation of the written word. Dylan Thomas’ work is strongly rooted in a sense of place and tells much of the history of the city in the 20th Century, including its most traumatic event: the three night blitz. He offers inspiration for what can be achieved from a young age and from within Swansea. A 2003 City & County of Swansea study estimated that the ‘Dylan Thomas effect’ brought £3.6 million into the local economy annually. As part of our Programme, we will create a spectacular international event for Dylan Day in 2021 (May 14th). This will build on the legacy of one of our more recently passed cultural pioneers, Michael Bogdanov, who created a remarkable 36 hour long, continuous Dylathon in 2014, marking Dylan’s birthday Centenary. We will do this in collaboration with other major institutions who share the same aims - including Literature Wales, Welsh Books Council, National Library of Wales, The Southbank Centre and The Poetry Society, as well as Visit Wales who have supported our literary links with Dylan’s London and New York.

Performing Arts and Live Music: A lively performing arts and music scene has nurtured strong national relationships and partnerships and we are especially

keen to develop these in the lead up to, delivery and legacy of our City of Culture. Projects are already in commission for the opening of Tidal Lagoon in 2021 (and which we will honour if this is delayed). These include a collaboration between Welsh poet and playwright Owen Sheers, alongside Oscar winning composer Rachel Portman, for a new choral piece inspired by our changing relationship with the sea and its tides. The Lagoon’s turbine house will be constructed in a coffer dam – a dry dock out at sea the size of 39 football pitches – which we will utilise for our Programme and legacy. For example, we will commission Welsh National Opera and BBC National Orchestra of Wales to work with local musicians, bands and performers, to create a new musical relay and production. This will celebrate the centenary of the Brangwyn Hall organ (2021) and present a musical story that relays across the city. We will also bring together our theatre companies, with contemporary artists and our alumni, to commission and create a new theatre piece in response to our themes, resulting in a live theatrical experience.

Public Arts, Heritage and Culture Trails – a cultural landscape: We have a strong record of public arts and public realm commissions, having implemented one of the first Percentage for Arts schemes in Wales. We have undertaken a full audit of these works, many of which are by internationally notable artists. However, we have not fully capitalised on our position as a waterfront city, with an outstanding landscape and cultural heritage, to commission and curate a truly innovative and inspirational public

arts programme. As part of our year, we will commission artists to redress the practical and conceptual disconnections in the city. Jason deCaires Taylor (who created the world’s first underwater sculpture park, Molinere) is one of the artists commissioned for a year-long residency. Working with local communities he will create a sea-based installation for Tidal Lagoon and we will augment this with a series of community based works and complementary artist residencies. Building on the concept of the city as a cultural landscape, we will also develop new cultural trails, connecting the buildings, public realm and the people that use them now - creating a new way of seeing the city through cultural intervention. We will also commission new gateways and beacons, utilising landmarks and cultural touchstones that signpost our audiences in new ways, unifying People and Place.

Creative Swansea – digital by design: Digital is critical to us. We know there is a digital divide, with parts of Swansea not able to receive a mobile phone signal, let alone access services and information through ‘superfast broadband’. Our City Deal will see unparalleled digital capacity introduced to Swansea, creating opportunities for thousands of much needed jobs and supporting new health, technology and cultural attractions. We are committed to ensuring this works for our communities as much as for industry. We will work with our TechHub, Universities, Libraries and Connected Communities to create new ways to engage the wider community. The concept of a ‘Made in Swansea’ or ‘Creative Swansea’ digital platform and

forum has arisen many times and we will develop this as part of our Programme. UK City of Culture 2021 provides a unique frame for this conversation, in terms of what a truly digitally connected City of Culture can achieve.

We strongly believe that our themes and components will provide a firm foundation for a broad and varied programme, in which there will be something of interest for everyone. As referenced in our ‘Gaps and Weaknesses’ and ‘Learning and Evaluation’ sections (pages 13 and 28), more data and intelligence on participation and audience connectivity and growth will be gathered as part of our Programme development and delivery, in order to ensure we are really maximising this opportunity.

Swansea was unsuccessful in its efforts to be UK City of Culture 2017, but one of the legacies of going through this process was the adoption of ‘a city of culture’ as a policy commitment by the Council. Over the past three years, this has informed the production of a new Cultural Development Framework for the city. This is very much a partnership strategy with the private, voluntary and community sectors, creative and cultural practitioners, both Universities and the Health Authority. This Framework sits alongside the Local Planning Development Framework and City Centre Strategic Framework, as well as informing our work with Welsh Government to tackle poverty through culture as a ‘Pioneer Area’. This is further underscored by the nine commitments the Council has signed up to for UCLGs Culture 21 programme. Swansea is the only UK city to do so, entailing a contract between Swansea and UCLG to embed culture in sustainable city making. This proposition is supported by the national and UK context - reflecting Welsh Government’s vision for culture in Wales, the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act (Wales) and the clear objectives of the DCMS in delivering UK City of Culture.

This is one of our key strengths as it illustrates a long-term plan for culture in Swansea and a strategy for getting the most out of our strong cultural infrastructure. Swansea has award winning galleries and museums; a growing community of artists with increasing provision of artist studios; several theatres and concert venues, libraries, community centres, dual use schools, parks, beaches and event

friendly public realm. Music and literature are particularly strong cultural seams, but we also have a notable number of film and media companies and impressive alumni. Our Universities are expanding their campuses - further increasing their positive impact on inward investment and growth. They are investing heavily in research programmes, knowledge and skills transfer, incubation and partnership programmes, with industry, the Council and the Health Authority. Swansea University has recently earned the accolade of Welsh University of the Year 2017, and has a growing reputation and commitment to research, in particular for Computational Science and Engineering, Marine Biology and Life Sciences. It has a significant cultural dimension with a number of arts venues, cultural programming and archives open to the public. University of Wales Trinity St David (UWTSD) is a leading light in research for creative industries, talent incubation and retention; providing support and workspace for tech industries, vocational and work based learning, arts practice and health research.

Our city’s cultural assets include:

Glynn Vivian Art Gallery: a destination Art Gallery, part of the Plus Tate Network and arguably a national gallery for Wales, with its own Collection.

Plantasia: a unique educational and visitor attraction for Swansea, housing a range of tropical rainforest plants, with two climate zones, rare animals and beasties.

Swansea Museum: the oldest museum in Wales, founded in 1835. The museum

has several sites, with a strong learning programme and extensive Collection.

West Glamorgan Archives and Family History Centre: is the Archive for the former County of West Glamorgan. This resource is consolidated by the Richard Burton Archives and Miner’s Library Archive at Swansea University, Health Archive of ABMU and the Jazz Heritage Wales Archive based at UWTSD.

The National Waterfront Museum Swansea: part of Amgueddfa Cymru (Museums Wales), this state of the art museum tells the story of Welsh industry and culture in its broadest sense - from the Industrial Revolution through to contemporary creative industries.

Dylan Thomas Centre: houses the interactive and digitised Dylan Thomas Exhibition and the world class Dylan Thomas Collection.

The Brangwyn Hall: is a 1,150 capacity traditional concert hall and event space, named after Frank Brangwyn and home to his historic Panels.

The Grand Theatre Swansea: the largest presenting house in the region, with 1,100 house capacity, and an Arts Wing with studio and exhibition space.

The Taliesin: an Arts Council Wales funded arts centre of circa 350 seated capacity, based on Swansea University’s Singleton Campus.

Penyrheol Theatre: 850 capacity (550 seating) theatre based within a school ‘dual-use’ site.

CULTURAL AND ARTISTIC STRENGTHS

CULTURAL AND ARTISTIC STRENGTHSThe Great Hall: 700 capacity, Swansea University venue for concerts, events, conferences and seminars.

The Alex Building – Swansea Art College: part of the University of Wales Trinity St David and home to the School of Art & Design as a research centre for creative industries.

The Dylan Thomas Theatre: 150 seater theatre, run by around 150 volunteer artists and technicians.

Castle Square – Swansea Castle and Oystermouth Castle: outdoor and indoor event spaces regularly hosting screenings, outdoor cinema, festivals and community events.

Singleton Park: The city’s waterfront park, with outdoor live music and event space with a 25,000 capacity.

Liberty Stadium: home to Swansea City AFC and the Ospreys RFC and major conference, event and live music stadium, with a capacity up to 30,000.

A range of dedicated Live Music and Event spaces: The Hyst, The Office, The Scene and Sin City, Noah’s Bar, Swansea Jazz Club and The Garage to name but a few. Seventeen Libraries and 39 Council-owned Community Buildings: across the City and County of Swansea.

Independent Attractions, Workspace and Galleries: 5 Cwmdonkin Drive - Dylan Thomas’ birthplace, Swansea Artist Studios, TechHub, Volcano Theatre,

Elysium Artist Studios & Gallery, Gallerie Simpson, Bloc Gallery, Mission Gallery, Oriel Science, Cinema & Co.

Film and Media Facilities: Bay Studios, Bay TV, Dylan Thomas House (former BBC broadcasting studios).

Planned New Venues/Facilities for 2020/21:

Tidal Lagoon: a pioneering infrastructure for renewable energy, harnessing the power of the tides. The Lagoon is nearly six miles long and at its furthest point, reaches over 2 miles out to sea. Subject to approval, the Lagoon will be a world first and on opening in 2021, will shine a light on Swansea with an inspiring new infrastructure, offshore visitor centre, arts programme, sculpture park, amphitheatre and water-sports centre.

Box Village: 28,000sqft Innovation Precinct and 64,600sqft workspace facility at UWTSD’s SA1 Waterfront Development to provide incubation and co-working space for start-ups.

Digital Village: 100,000sqft of flexible and affordable accommodation to support tech businesses in the city centre.

Digital Arena: a 3,500 seat Arena with state of the art, fully digitised facilities for broadcast, streaming, conferencing, interactive sports, arts and cultural events. A new hotel will be part of the development with direct ‘bridge’ access into Phase 1 of the city centre regeneration, offering new restaurants, retail, cinema and a new Digital Square.

Digital Square: within Phase 1 of the city centre regeneration. This will create a vibrant leisure and lifestyle environment for events, information, distribution and connected businesses, places and people.

Hydro Hub Acquatics Research Centre and Digital Aquarium: on the seafront, surrounded by new public realm, cafés and restaurants.

Cultural Organisations, Creatives, Producers and Practitioners:

Many of our larger venues are run by Council employed, expert teams of curators, programmers, educationalists,

event managers and promoters - all of whom have excellent industry networks. These are supported by a diverse range of arts, cultural and community organisations, many of whom have been referenced or are detailed in Appendix B.

Sports, Recreation and Leisure facilities:

As well as 10 Leisure Centres and 54 parks, we have a significant coastline, plus the UK’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The city’s waterfront is peppered with playgrounds, waterparks, golf courses, pitch and putt, boating lakes, historic gardens, visitor centres, boat parks. The Swansea Bay Rider is a passenger land-train which traverses the Bay to Mumbles during peak seasons and which is regularly themed to cultural events. We have 14 LEA Secondary Schools in Swansea, many of which have theatre, recording and performance space and five of which have dual use facilities, including swimming pools, large sports halls, 3G pitches and outdoor sports grounds. These complement the main sport and leisure facilities for the city, which include the LC Waterpark, the 360 Beach Volleyball and Watersports Centre, Wales National Pool and Athletics Village, St Helen’s Cricket and Rugby Ground. Numerous outdoor sports pitches, tennis courts, cycle, go-kart, sailing and water sports facilities are self-managed by local clubs or independent businesses. This offer will be augmented in 2021, with the introduction of a new bridge across the main highway linking the city to the sea and to new attractions. Our Programme for UK City of Culture 2021 will exploit these as venues and spaces for the exploration of our themes.

How these will work for our Programme Larger events, productions and ‘high yield’ programming will take place in our established venues, including the

city centre and beach as a venue – along with those planned to be open in 2021. Outreach and delivery arms will create ‘cultural-connectors’ throughout the city, utilising smaller spaces, community based facilities and venues. We will establish new collaborations and networks, by ensuring the ‘large’ infrastructure is actively working to enable and support the smaller venues and partnerships. These in turn, are fed into by the broad community network of arts, sports and cultural activity, practice and provision. This will be supported through mentoring, capacity building, Programme activity, training and volunteer programmes. A structured set of contracts and commissions will also be developed, exploring arts and business links, ‘community pacts’, service level agreements and memoranda of understanding.

Gaps and WeaknessesNot having a cultural strategy for the city was a long standing weakness. However, we began work on this, through consultation, in the period following our bid to be named UK City of Culture 2017. A partnership approach to engagement has helped capture and build on the enthusiasm and belief that the previous bid process uncovered - establishing a solid vision and framework for culture in Swansea. Our ambitions for UK City of Culture 2021 are long-term and strategic, with genuine Step Changes that will have impact for future generations. We need UK City of Culture 2021 in order to achieve these, as it brings a transformative power to host cities - connecting participants, programmers and leaders, as accelerants of change, to

a single cause. This will also address the following gaps and weaknesses:

Data and intelligence on audiences and participation: This is a gap for us. We have data on usage, aligned with formal programmes and venues. However, we have no real intelligence about our audiences and how we can better connect them, through cross marketing or engagement in order to set an ambitious target for audience and participation growth. UK City of Culture 2021 will provide us with the context, partners and evaluation framework to redress this and help us achieve Step

Changes 3 and 4.

Arts development and coordination: We have a broad network of artists, creatives and organisations, but there is a gap around coordination, arts and cultural development. UK City of Culture 2021 has already created the impetus for more capacity, as well as a partnership approach with the sector, to ensure we are putting forward a sustainable Programme with a genuine legacy. This is linked to the weakness above and addressing this will support our achievement of Step Change 3.


Limited diversity of participation in city-wide planning, consultation and representation in the arts and cultural sector generally: UK City of Culture 2021 will help address this weakness. The process has already identified and helped to make the case for the Council appointing new Cultural Partnership Officers. These officers will work with our diverse and harder to reach communities - developing a collaborative approach to engagement in the Programme development, delivery and legacy for 2021. This will scale up through new partnerships and community engagement, which will also meet Step Changes 1, 3 and 4.

Transport: is an ongoing issue for accessing groups, clubs, audiences and vice versa. We will work with our private hire, bus and rail providers in the lead up to and during 2021, to ensure that the networks are increased at times to suit a range of audiences. We will make the case for these arrangements being in place for the long term, by providing the evidence of demand through our Programme, Learning and Evaluation. Similarly with the rail network, ensuring a late night service is consistent with and part of the overall economic and social benefits of 2021. UK City of Culture 2021 will bring weight and visibility to these negotiations as a key part of us achieving Step Changes 1, 2, 3 and 5.

Limited diversity of funding: An over reliance on public sector funding, specifically Arts Council Wales and Swansea Council, is a weakness. The momentum around UK City of Culture 2021 has already focused the minds

of local business (some of which have international reach) on sponsorship and commissioning of cultural events, artists and organisations. We will build on this to develop new business planning skills and arts and business partnerships in the lead up to and post 2021. This will help us to achieve Step Changes 2, 3, 4 and 5.

Programme Development

Our approach to Programme development is illustrated as a sequence of key steps leading up to 2021 and beyond (right):

Innovative and Distinctive – Delivering Cultural Excellence

Our ambition is for innovation and distinctiveness to shine from our Programme as we work with world class cultural practitioners to test new technologies, new collaborations and fusions of People and Place. We are a distinct waterfront city, with a distinct language and culture that provides a rich source of inspiration for programming

and collaboration. Our timing has never been better. Unique infrastructure projects combine with our wonderful People and Place, to create the best possible platform for us to shout out to and welcome the world.

May – June • PR/Comms – #SwanseaISCulture digital/social media; • Programme of engagement events

June – Septem-ber

September

• Community engagement and campaign activation events• Detailed programme, evaluation tools and budget

development in place• Governance Models confirmed• Local and National Delivery Partners confirmed• International Links established• Full Submission• Assessment and clarification period• Campaign and partnership development momentum

maintained

December Decision AnnouncedJan 2018 – 19 • Delivery model established

• Curatorial team appointed• City Leadership Team confirmed• Marketing and Media partnerships confirmed• Monitoring and Evaluation commissioned• Programme briefs, commissions and delivery partners

confirmed

Jan 2019 – 20 • Consultation; Fundraising; Partnership devt. Marketing strategy in place

Jan 2020 – Dec 2020

• Marketing underway• Programme content confirmed and contracted • Residencies established to create product for 2021


Cultural excellence and quality will be a constant touchstone for us - we are too proud of our Place not to ensure that this is the case. In securing this, we will;

• Appoint a dedicated Artistic Director – with proven experience to commission and curate a world class Programme for 2021.

• Facilitate and encourage multiple strands of collaboration between internationally renowned practitioners and local talent to build knowledge, practice and capacity in and around Swansea.

• Provide a Programme that showcases local talent, building from the best of our curators, producers and arts practitioners in Swansea, assembling the potential for legacy and sustainability.

• Work with our cultural alumni and a field of international guest artists, designers and curators, to develop new inspirational commissions and immersive experiences.

• Work closely with our national and international partners, the Arts Councils of Wales, England Northern Ireland and Creative Scotland, British Council, British Film Institute (BFI), Tate and National Theatre, to guide and develop the commissioning Programme, artist briefs and selection.

• Develop the partnerships and brand profile to attract the best talent in the world to work in Swansea.

Our initial City of Culture creative team consists of a range of Swansea based practitioners and producers who are responding to the themes, with the full knowledge that this will develop, as our partnerships and participants increase and diversify. They consist of a strong skill-set in creative production and include Swansea based Creative Producer Mal Pope, Film Director and Producer Kevin Allen, BAFTA Award winning and Emmy nominated Musician Mark Thomas and several local creative, theatre and festival producers. This includes independent producer Isabel Griffin, the hard hitting Volcano Theatre Director Paul Davies, Artist Marc Rees, Artists and PHD students in arts, health and wellbeing – Becky and Jason, Tess Blazey Director of Programmes for Tidal Lagoon, Jane Simpson of Gallerie Simpson, Musician and Director of Swansea International Jazz Festival Dave Cottle and Artistic Director of the Swansea International Festival Lyndon Jones (formerly musical director at the BBC).

They are working side by side with the Council’s cultural managers, curators, theatre directors, educationalists, youth and community workers, historians, archivists, sports and health professionals, schools, sports and community organisations. We will continue to develop this going forward.

Ensuring Diversity: Diversity will underpin our Cultural Programme. To us, this means;

• Commissioning diverse artists and

organisations to develop product as well as participate in the outcomes.

• Programming for diverse venues, geographical locations and genres.

• A realistic balance of free and locally based activity with an international product offer.

• A year round offer that works well with existing organisations, events and celebrations.

• Working with our network of community representatives to build participation and engagement in our programme development and delivery.

• Sharing the positive learning of the Young Ambassador Schemes in our sport sector across arts and cultural activity - building new routes to participation.

• Working with national agencies and governing bodies to ensure we are putting in place the correct facilities, marketing tools, access to information and product for all people.

• Working with our venues, hospitality and trade partners, transport and accommodation providers to ensure diversity, inclusivity, signposting and support is in place for all sectors of our society to enjoy our year of UK City of Culture 2021.

• Working with our Universities and City Region Board, to develop an international marketing package that frames Swansea as a welcoming city

for visitors, students and tourism.

• Building a team of volunteers and city ambassadors who can not only identify extra need e.g. people with dementia but also apply and deploy the skills needed to ensure that all our audiences and their carers can be reached, and their needs and expectations fulfilled.

• Working with our colleagues across schools, poverty and prevention, adult and social care and looked after children, to provide the mechanism, programme and diversity of venues and product to engage with those most at risk of exclusion.

• Utilising our new digital infrastructure to reach out to, engage and connect with our communities.


OUR SOCIAL IMPACTThere are numerous partnerships in place including the Public Service Board - to deliver social outcomes through culture. The Cultural Services Division within the Council focuses on culture delivering the Council’s Corporate Priorities of Tackling Poverty and Educational Attainment. Working across the Council and with the private and voluntary sector to also achieve Sustainable Communities and A Vibrant and Viable City and Economy. Safeguarding, monitoring and delivering excellent services - providing training and engagement with community groups and individuals within their communities, underpins everything they do.

Specific and exemplar initiatives are:

• Swansea is a ‘Pioneer Area’ for tackling poverty through culture, as championed by Baroness Kay Andrews OBE in her report to Welsh Government in 2013 and which complemented Professor Dai Smith’s report on the ‘Arts in Education’. This is delivered through a Creative Learning Partnership consisting of 40 arts organisations, co-chaired and administered by the Council with the National Waterfront Museum (Museums Wales).

• Our Libraries work closely with local schools to ensure our ‘Every Child a Library Member’ scheme (which saw 2,640 Year 4 children participate in over 78 Primary Schools) and that the ‘Summer Reading Challenge’ is taken up effectively.

• Swansea Museum delivers the Memory Box project, which is an ongoing initiative for dementia support and to observe and adapt dementia friendly space. The team also undertake a range of activities and project work with targeted groups such as Varda Venture – a HLF funded project exploring the heritage and culture of Gypsy Traveller young people.

• The Glynn Vivian Art Gallery’s learning and participation programme, includes Art Classes and workshops for the 55+ group, adults with special needs, young aspiring artists and art students and a specific programme for NEETs, which is accredited by Arts Award. The Young People’s Radio project works with residents of the Swansea Foyer and the Gallery also holds a Future Focus Circle with representatives from all community groups to consult on the future programming and priorities of the Gallery.

• The Egypt Centre runs an innovative volunteering programme for students and the community. At weekends and during school holidays, children staff the galleries. Their young volunteers entered and won the World Heritage Youth Summit Competition (run by UNESCO).

• Our Sports, Community Development and Outreach services deliver Swansea Street Sport and Us Girls - two programmes that exclusively

target young people in Community First areas, based on research indicating the inequalities of sports opportunity and participation in these areas.

• The ROAR project is a unique and innovative peer support and mentoring project run in partnership with Disability Sport Wales to ensure representation on our Young Ambassador (YA) programme.

• We have also established a BME Sports forum and Community Chest scheme which is overseen by a panel of volunteers who represent the sports infrastructure of Swansea; distributing an annual small grants scheme targeting diverse participation.

We acknowledge gaps in our baseline data and tools for longitudinal measurements of the impact of culture on social, health, wellbeing and economic indicators and we say more about this in the next section, as well as in the evaluation methodology. We have a significant body of data about the Council’s Cultural Services and the Arts Council of Wales most recent survey (2015) provides a good snapshot of participation in the arts across Wales. However, we lack segmented data on participation in arts /cultural activity delivered by clubs, organisations and artists outside of formal venues or commissioned activity. The lack of cultural and arts development coordinators has exacerbated this, further reinforcing

our belief that the UK City of Culture 2021 Programme and partnership approach will enable us to achieve the Step Changes we have described. The overall baseline that we are working to is the 2015/16 statistics for participation in Council (and its contract) venues. This includes galleries and museums, sports and leisure, libraries, archives and events, as illustrated below. Dips and peaks will be accounted for by a range of factors including periods when venues were in development / closed for refurbishment, or when the city was hosting major events.

Young People, Place and Digital Realms

As well as engaging young people in devising their own festival, commissioning and curatorial activity, participating in immersive and digital projects and inter-city events are major components of our Programme (as described in previous sections and Appendix A). Young people will be the protagonists of reimagining our city, working with inter-generational groups to understand the context of history and place, communities and people, in understanding their own place in the world. Gaming, 3D printing and exploring identity and sense of place, through avatars, augmented and virtual reality all feature in our Programme. We will also continue to work with the youth forums, young ambassadors, pupil’s voice forum, Foyer and other young people’s services and representatives to develop new ideas.

Apps, social media platforms and websites will be designed, managed and content driven by, and for the young people themselves.

Accessible, Safe and WelcomingSwansea was the first city in Wales to achieve Purple Flag status in 2015. Delivering this scheme has resulted in rising numbers of people using the pubs, restaurants, cinemas and other entertainment venues in the city centre between 5pm and 5am, with a steady drop in crimes. This is an important starting point in achieving a step change in participation in city centre cultural activities, especially for vulnerable groups. Buskers, alongside other outdoor arts activities are positively encouraged. There are multiple pitches located in popular areas which provide a great platform for budding, new, or more experienced entertainers; offering a great initial platform for transforming Swansea into a vibrant landscape of cultural participation and challenging the negative brand of the city centre’s night-time economy.

Our UK City of Culture 2021 will be a ‘Festival of Voice and Noise’ where all community voices are heard and amplified and where communication, language and connectivity are also amplified. As referred to in the previous section, we will also implement a number of actions to ensure that our commitment to diversity is visible in our planning, engagement, delivery, management and programming. Accessibility, whether physical, cultural, intellectual, financial or geographic, is key to our effectiveness and ability to deliver our Step Changes. We will regularly review and consult on programming ideas, content and proposed locations, as well as pricing strategies – striking a balance between city centre and community based events. Use of open space, neutral venues like libraries, schools, care homes and community centres, alongside places

of congregation and worship will also feature in our programming. Our existing arts and cultural venues, as inspirational spaces and places for collaboration will act as ‘cultural connectors’ to achieve this - building links and agreements with community groups and community venues to amplify and connect our infrastructure.

Specific projects that involve language, song and collaboration, such as ‘re-imagining the city’, which will use photography, augmented and virtual reality, will be customised and adapted, as needed, to account for physical, audio and visual impairments. We will also introduce multi-cultural heritage and urban myths into our storytelling projects and diverse musical genres into our concert programmes. We will carefully plan for cultural and generational considerations with content, audience engagement and presentation. We are particularly committed to sharing the good practice in the sports sector, with our Young Ambassadors and BME Forums actively working with peers to raise aspiration and participation in the arts and cultural sector. These schemes will also complement our volunteer training programme which we will promote widely, to ensure our ‘face’ of 2021 is truly reflective of our diverse city and representative of our principles and programme for UK City of Culture 2021.

Page 15

OUR SOCIAL IMPACT

09/10 10 /11 11 /12 12 /13 13 /14 14 / 15 15 / 16

Visits to Cultural Services Venues7,200,000

7,000,000

6,800,000

6,600,000

Creative Industries in Swansea: The Creative Industries employ 5,000 people in Swansea - nearly 5% of total employment, which is slightly higher than Wales and GB figures. Particular strengths in our Creative Industries are around Film, Media and TV – with a number of facilities and production companies based in the city. Over the last 5 years (2010-2015) the number of businesses in Swansea’s creative sector has grown by 30%, with over 90% being micro-businesses, which is typical of this sector. APS Survey data (which includes those self-employed) also shows a growth in jobs in the sector of 36% since 2010.

The main areas of growth have been in motion picture, video & TV programme production; computer programming and IT consultancy. TechHub Swansea, which is one of only seven TechHubs around the world, has helped facilitate these growing tech areas through the development of unique start up space for

tech entrepreneurs to meet, work, learn and collaborate.

Skills and employability development for this sector is supported by our Universities. UWTSD and Swansea University offer a range of graduate and undergraduate courses in the creative sector. Swansea’s education and business sectors also work closely to run programmes of Enterprise Education in Swansea schools, colleges and Universities in order to help and support young people in reaching their potential.

Established businesses include iCreate, Waters Creative, Vibe TV, Veeqo and NetBop. Wales’s first dedicated space built purely for use by the creative industries is located at Swansea’s Urban Village development in the city centre, providing an affordable and cutting-edge hub for small start-ups, creative companies and the performing arts.

OUR ECONOMIC IMPACT

Swansea is underperforming economically with output (Gross Value Added per head) 25.4% below the UK average in 2014. Compared to the rest of the UK, Swansea has:

• Low levels of productivity (83.8% of UK average in 2013)

• Too few businesses (413 businesses per 10,000 population compared with 598 for UK), and its business base is not growing quickly enough.

• High levels of economic inactivity (25%) and unemployment (9.2%) compared to the UK (22.7% and 6.0% respectively)

• Too few people with higher level qualifications (34.9% compared with 35.8% for UK) and too many people with no qualifications (10.4% compared to 9% for UK)

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

450400

100

350300250

200150

50

Employment

Creative Enterpises in Swansea

Sector Data The latest local data available on the Creative Industries is published by the Welsh Government (WG) from 2015 (available at: http://gov.wales/docs/statis-tics/2016/160831-priority-sector-statistics-sub-wales-2016-en.ods). WG uses the DCMS definition of Creative Industries.

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

6,000

3,000

1,000

5,000

4,000

2,000

Economic impact assessment The Economic Impact Assessment undertaken by Swansea University as part of the City Deal bid estimates that the Swansea City and Waterfront Digital District project will deliver 1,323 gross direct jobs over 15 years - resulting in £318m additional Gross Value Added for the wider city region. The Benefit / Cost ratio will be 7.04. In addition, significant construction jobs will be created and there is the potential for a further £488m GVA contribution through the wider impact of the new Arena, involving 250+ additional jobs in the tourism sector through the new hotel, immediate leisure services and supply chains.

Clustering, capacity building and growth: how UK City of Culture 2021 will boost these sectorsLocal examples of clustering are increasingly private sector in origin, but also driven by our Universities, with a particular focus on research and outcomes. Examples by UWTSD include: Contemporary Maker Hub, which explores the synthesis of new technology with traditional craft skills - exploring the limits of digital practice in terms of process parameters and material outcomes. The Creative Industries Hub aims to bridge the gap between industry and academia. The on-going dialogue between process and product is examined through individual and group practice-based research. Spearheaded by Coastal Housing, a new Creative Industries Urban Village in the City Centre houses TechHub amongst other Creative Industries. Tech, creative workspace and artist studios are a significant part of our present and

future landscape, with around 100 artist studios managed by Swansea Artists and Elysium, and a further 100,000sq. ft. of flexible and affordable accommodation to support tech businesses in a Digital Village in the city centre planned for 2020. The Digital Village proposal supports the vision of the Swansea Bay City Region Economic Regeneration Strategy to raise productivity to 90% of the UK average, by facilitating the growth of higher value activities. Working with schools, FE and HE to develop pathways to these industries will be a key objective for us in delivering UK City of Culture 2021.

We have the ingredients, ambition and talent pool to grow these sectors and UK City of Culture 2021 is the connective tissue - providing us with the tools to pull the threads of our investment strategy and engagement of our talent base firmly together. We can achieve this through delivering our Programme, with its focus on People and Place, and utilising and magnifying our brand and identity as a creative and cultural hot-spot in the UK. We need UK City of Culture 2021 because we do not think we will grow the whole of our talent base and boost our creative and cultural sectors without it - as illustrated by our inclusion of Step Change 2. As described in our section on Social Impacts, our baseline data is incomplete in some areas, but we will move forward with confidence by early implementation of our Learning and Evaluation framework, which includes surveys and baseline assessments which provide a meaningful base for our qualitative approach to achieving our Step Changes.

Developing Talent: increasing engagement in education, training and employmentUK City of Culture 2021 will, through the delivery of our Programme, introduce projects, engagement activity and cultural connectors into the city’s key strategic plans for growth and community development. These will draw in the wider community and distribute the benefits of the ‘Digital City’ to all our communities - including our young people, Universities and businesses – in order to develop new routes into employment and Creative Industries through our Programme and legacy. Understanding the economic impact of these initiatives and the added value of culture is a key aspiration for us and our partners as described in our Learning and Evaluation methodology. Our Programme includes a number of projects with and for young people, including supporting and mentoring them to curate and present a children’s festival, gaming and virtual reality projects, live music events and collaboration with schools, FE and HE, to build new routes to employment. We will also work with the British Council’s Cultural Skills programme and Creative & Cultural Skills to support engagement and delivery of apprenticeships. Our partnership with UWTSD and Sinffonica is also a key strand of us delivering on this ambition. This directly influences the courses on offer, to create more recording and broadcast industry ‘work ready’ graduates.

Da Vinci’s Demons and the BAFTA Award winning productions of Set Fire to the Stars and Jack to a King were made locally in Swansea’s Bay Studios. The education arm of Screen Alliance Wales connects

UWTSD with the film and television industry. Since 2013, students have worked with 14 different productions including high budget dramas, including those mentioned above. We will work to roll this out to our wider community, developing new routes into creative industries and employment in these industries for young people who would not otherwise have these opportunities.

Our Young Ambassador and Volunteer programme will also be a significant contributor to our ambition that UK City of Culture 2021 builds the skills, confidence and employability of our community. We will transverse the practices and organisational structures that are so successful in the sports and wellbeing sector to the arts and cultural sector. This will entail seeking out talent and building mentoring and communication skills in all areas of our delivery. This will have a huge impact on our perception of pioneers and routes to creative and cultural employment. For our UK City of Culture 2021, we have been inspired by Hull’s approach, which has entailed 4,000 volunteers working for the city. Their systems for managing, supporting and developing each individual has fed our own ambitions for a UK City of Culture 2021 volunteer programme that is directly linked to our Workways and employability strategies in Swansea.

OUR ECONOMIC IMPACT

Our new Cultural Development Framework places arts, heritage, events and leisure at the heart of Swansea’s regeneration and profile as a visitor destination. However, we still have far to go. This is illustrated by our need to achieve Step Change 5, and which, we believe, UK CIty of Culture 2021will deliver.

Our ambition and strategy to achieve this through UK City of Culture 2021 is supported by Visit Wales. Their Partnership for Growth Strategy 2013-2020 aims to grow tourism earnings in Wales by 10% or more by 2020. This means that by 2020 the number of jobs supported in Wales overall, will have grown from 88,300 in 2011 to 97,130 with Tourism contributing almost 5% of direct GVA (as compared to just over 4% in 2011).

Our ambition for UK City of Culture 2021 is also reflected in the vision and strategic aims in the city’s Destination Management Plan – Destination Swansea Bay 2013-16, particularly its Strategic Theme 3 – ‘Tackling Seasonality: support the development of all-weather attractions & activities as well as luxury, high-end product to create new demand’. This Plan is relaunching in 2017 as a Tourism and Enterprise strategy, including a focus on destination marketing, place making, culture, adventure, recreation and skills within the industry.

The strategic marketing of Wales by Visit Wales has focussed upon thematic years - Year of Adventure (2016) Year of Legends (2017) and Year of the Sea

(2018) all of which have had a strong cultural focus and relevance for Swansea. Visit Wales is set to announce new thematic years taking us up to 2021. We, along with our partners will also develop the next phase of this activity, with a strong cultural focus, in order to dovetail with the UK City of Culture 2021. Our expectation is that UK City of Culture will achieve at least 10% of the Wales overall target, directly in Swansea, reflected in an uplift of around 20% of growth on our current performance.

Tourism is already a key part of Swansea’s economy. Economic modelling estimates (Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Model) suggest that 4.5 million people visited Swansea Bay in 2015 contributing £401 million to the local economy. Figures demonstrate a slow but steady growth in recent years, thanks in part to Swansea City AFC being in the Premier Football League and the international student marketing activity undertaken by both Universities. However, UK City of Culture would provide us with a significant impetus for driving visits and visitors, as a result of a new and exciting local / global Programme of cultural activity, accelerating our much needed growth in the sector. We will monitor and evaluate the impact of UK City of Culture 2021 on all agreed performance targets, through a network of established and new systems, co-owned with public and private sector partners. Together with our monitoring and evaluation framework (outlined on -page 25), this will robustly demonstrate the impact that UK City of Culture 2021 has had for Swansea, Wales and the UK.

Strategic tourism marketing and development is led by the Council in partnership with private sector operators. Over 150 marketing partners are signed up to a shared ambition for the city, through an agreed (and first of its kind in the region) Memorandum of Understanding. This relationship will expand across existing and new marketing partners in the cultural sector, clearly illustrating the benefits of a cross-sector partnership approach. The cultural profile in our Tourism Marketing Plan will be significantly boosted by the status and brand of 2021.

Managing DemandAccommodation: We have a diverse range of accommodation, including major chains, a range of independent hotels, self-catering, camping and caravanning

sites and B&B’s of varying star ratings. Tourism Swansea Bay (Trade Association) works closely with the Council and other public and private sector partners providing professional advice and intelligence. Investments planned leading up to 2021 include a new four star hotel adjacent to the Arena, a new boutique hotel on Swansea’s seafront specialising in arts and music, a serviced ‘hostel’ for walkers and visitors in a large ship on the waterfront, new campervan sites and airbnb style serviced facilities as part of new developments. Working with our event, conference, accommodation and marketing partners, we will develop a coherent and consistent offer and marketing package in the lead up to, during and post UK City of Culture 2021; offering a range of cultural packages and bespoke services to maximise the economic impact and visitor experience.

OUR TOURISM IMPACTSTEAM (Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Bedstock - no. of establishments

TOTAL: 603 establishments (January 2017) 32K bedspaces

Serviced 156

Self Catering 383

Caravan & Camping 54

2013 2014 2015 2016Value £

375MValue £

394MValue £

401MValue £

400M

Visitors 4M

Visitors 4.4M

Visitors 4.5M

Visitors 4.6M

Jobs 5.7K

Jobs 5.5K

Jobs 5.7K

Jobs 5.6K

Staying Visitors

1.4M

Staying Visitors

1.5M

Staying Visitors

1.5M

Staying Visitors

1.5M

Wales average

Wales average

2015 Occupancy figures

68.9%

48.1%

62.9%

54.3%

Serviced averageSelf Catering average

The Local Picture - Tourism in Swansea Bay

OUR TOURISM IMPACTWe see UK City of Culture as being a key mobilising factor to drive investment. Our emphasis is on ‘best in class’ quality and perception-changing projects to realise additional economic growth, jobs and wealth. This is for business, the supply chains and the multiplier benefits including delivering jobs, cultural infrastructure, health and wellbeing in the community.

Large Scale Event Management, Capacity and Experience: Our Programme will be curated and commissioned by experienced professional artists and practitioners at the peak of their careers, to ensure quality and inspirational experiences with widespread appeal. Intellectual and physical access will be at the forefront of our planning, working with ‘experts by experience’, as well as artists, cultural and sports practitioners. We will develop our new Visitor Information Point (VIP) initiative to recruit retailers, cafés, restaurants, hoteliers, taxi drivers etc. as ambassadors for the city. We will equip them with the information and skills to give information and signpost visitors (including residents and the important Visiting / Staying with Friends and Relatives market) in the lead up to, during and beyond our UK City of Culture 2021. Ambassadors, young and old will be trained to engage and support all sectors of the community to access and enjoy our Programme - developing employability skills in the process and creating a lasting legacy for our destination.

Transport:Brunel’s Great Western railway remains the mainline access to the South East,

South West, Midlands and the North. The M4 corridor passes through Swansea with the city centre only a 10 minute drive from three major junctions linking to London and West Wales. Cardiff and Bristol airports are in easy reach as is Swansea’s own small airport, often used by visiting VIPs and air display teams.

Swansea’s city centre zone is on a central computer system operated via the Telematics system in the Council. The system operators successfully assist with a number of large scale events in Swansea. During peak times or for major events, the Council’s Transport Team works with the bus operators to run more services to keep car use to a minimum. Examples of increased services include the additional Park & Ride (P&R) buses over Christmas (weekends) and, as a result of external funding, the extension of the popular Sunday Gower Explorer bus services from May to October. For major events such as the Wales Airshow (which attracts hundreds of thousands of people into Swansea over 2 days in peak season), additional P&R services are provided to cater for the increased demand.

We will also work conjointly with the bus operators and private hire companies as well as Cardiff Airport to create shuttle services and accommodation packages. Network Rail is investing significantly in the electrification of the railway line between London and Swansea, which will reduce transport times by approximately 15-20 minutes. This will have a significant impact on the perception of Swansea’s accessibility.

LEADERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNANCEOur UK City of Culture 2021 bid is led by the City and County of Swansea (Council), working in partnership with the city’s principal stakeholders and cultural sector representatives. The Council will act as guarantor for the year and owner of the Step Changes, but our model adopts the ‘Team Swansea’ approach as undertaken for the City Deal. Our key financial and leadership stakeholders will form a Cultural Leadership Board, responsible for overall governance and strategic leadership of our Programme. It includes representation at the highest level i.e. CEO’s, Vice Chancellors and Pro Vice Chancellors, Chairs, Heads and other senior colleagues, who have worked with us over the last few years to develop our Cultural Framework and subsequently the rationale for our Step Changes.

Beneath this is a Creative Programme and Engagement Panel, including the Council’s Head of Cultural Services, Cultural Strategy and Partnership officers, Head of Poverty and Prevention, Head of Regeneration and managers for Tourism, Events, Health and Wellbeing, supporting a range of composers, curators, educators, and health workers, journalists, marketing and social media specialists, promoters, artists and community workers to develop and deliver our Programme. These have all participated in a number of workshops to explore the issues around culture, People and Place, and the creation of our Step Changes. This ensures a seamless transition between us developing our Cultural Framework, to realising our ambitions through UK City of Culture 2021. This panel will work closely with a ‘body’ of key non-delivery partner

organisations such as Arts and Sports Councils for Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, National Lottery, HLF, British Council, Sector Skills Councils, BBC, Welsh Government departments, NGOs etc. Adjacent is a sub set of ‘pillar groups’, chaired by Board Members but consisting of sector specialists and representatives, to oversee the monitoring and evaluation and steer the Programme and Delivery Company towards achieving the Step Changes.

Our Strategic Delivery Partners consist of:

Creative and Cultural sector partners – these are numerous. Those most closely involved in the development of the bid but not already mentioned include HLF Wales, Arts Council Wales, BBC National Orchestra Wales, the full range of the Council’s Cultural Services, Friends groups, specialist interest societies. A range of Council Services across Community Development, Education, Youth Services

“a pretty shitty city……” swansea uk city of ......has a resident population of 685,000. with...

Documents