Home Local News Ormskirk’s High Street awarded £80,000 for cultural programme

Ormskirk’s High Street awarded £80,000 for cultural programme

0
council
File ID 129643218 | © Bluejay Khudri | Dreamstime.com

We are delighted to reveal we have been awarded a £80,000 grant from Historic England as part of the Ormskirk’s High Streets Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) to create and deliver community-led cultural activities on the high street over the next three years.

Ormskirk’s HSHAZ is one of more than 60 high streets to receive a share of £6 million for their cultural programme. Grants of up to £120,000 have been awarded to local arts organisations for cultural activity on each high street.

Ormskirk has a rich and varied history and this programme will draw on that history by working with creative professionals who can connect with the community, bring heritage alive and animate the high street. It will play an integral part in revitalising the high street following an extremely difficult year of lockdowns and restrictions.

The award will help us develop a series of events that will create a legacy in both people’s memories and the community by delivering a programme of artist residencies and events on the high street. It will be an inclusive programme of engagement involving schools, the community and individuals, promoting heritage, increasing skills and creativity while providing health and well-being outcomes.

This programme of work with be overseen by the Cultural Consortia and will be planned to support cultural facilities, improving cultural networks whilst developing cultural volunteering opportunities. The aim is to ensure long-term sustainability through volunteering and the development of income streams, so a cultural programme can be sustained beyond this programme of work.

Councillor Ian Moran, Leader of West Lancashire Borough Council, said: “This funding will allow us to put on some fantastic events in the historic setting of Ormskirk town centre for everyone in the Borough to get involved in and enjoy.

“The pandemic has been especially unkind to our high streets and as long as we can keep working towards step four of the roadmap, this initiative will help breathe life back into the heart of the town centre, while providing a chance for our communities to get creative and have some fun.”

This initiative is part of the four-year-long High Streets Heritage Action Zones’ Cultural Programme, led by Historic England, in partnership with Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The Cultural Programme aims to make our high streets more attractive, engaging and vibrant places for people to live, work and spend time.

Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive, Historic England, said: “The high street cultural programme is a step change in the way we think about bringing high streets back from the brink. As we start to see these important historic spaces become regenerated through building work, it is the community-led cultural work that helps people to enjoy their high street again and also have a say in what the future of their high street might be.”

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here