Y Pwyllgor Diwylliant, y Gymraeg a Chwaraeon

Adolygiad Polisi: Cyfraniad y Celfyddydau a Chwaraeon at Adfywio Cymunedol

CYFARWYDDIAETH DYSGU GYDOL OES DIRECTORATE OF LIFELONG LEARNING Cyfarwyddwr Corfforaethol / Corporate Director - Elwyn Williams GWASANAETH LLYFRGELL, GWYBODAETH AC ARCHIFAU LIBRARY, INFORMATION AND ARCHIVES SERVICE Llyfrgellydd ac Archifydd y Sir / County Librarian and Archivist - Rona Aldrich, MLib, ALA Bodlondeb, CONWY, LL32 8DU
Dear Mrs Butler Re: Culture, Welsh Language and Sport Committee - Policy Review: The Contribution of Arts and Sport to Community Regeneration Thank you for the invitation to submit contributions in response to your letter of 3^rd October 2003 to which Conwy County Borough Council is pleased to contribute. It is encouraging that the Committee has chosen to undertake a policy review of this topic and the part it plays in community regeneration as this is not a role which is sufficiently recognised. Arts and sport contribute to the cross cutting agendas of health, crime, lifelong learning, social inclusion and quality of life but this contribution is often under-estimated or overlooked. These services being (with the exception of libraries) discretionary services, are often in a vulnerable position which leads to under funding. It is to be hoped that this review, when published, will be used to demonstrate to those outside the areas of arts and sport the valuable contribution these services can make to social and community regeneration. Another aspect the Review may wish to consider is how to measure and assess such a contribution both on a local authority and a pan Wales basis and may consider initiating further discussion with the umbrella bodies of Arts Council of Wales, Sport Council for Wales, CyMAL and Welsh Local Government Association to develop such mechanisms. We now set out our response according to the terms of reference as outlined in your letter. 1. Links between arts policy, sports policy and community regeneration policy Arts and sports policies in Conwy stem from a strategic base. The major plan (currently at the consultation stage) is the Community Plan which has four guiding principles which are equality of opportunity, safeguarding Welsh culture, sustainability and meaningful involvement. Arts and Sports contribute significantly to these four principles. The cultural strategy (which will act as an umbrella for arts, sport and leisure within the general context of the community plan) has five strategic aims in which community regeneration (in both a social and physical sense) is a constant thread:

• Developing prosperity - to make a contribution to the regeneration of the socio-economic and physical environment through the development of sustainable cultural facilities and opportunities
• Healthier lifestyle: to enable and promote development of partnership arrangements with a range of organisations which have a responsibility for the social well-being of individuals and communities
• Building Communities together: to use the range of cultural activities and opportunities to assist in fulfilling people’s aspirations throughout their lives, to engender social cohesion, community safety and develop individuals within communities
• Learning for Life: to recognise, enable and promote the value of lifelong personal development, using cultural opportunities for people of all ages to continue to learn
• A place to Live, Work and to visit: to enable the provision of a rich mix of cultural opportunities and activities across the County Borough, meeting the aspirations of local communities and visitors alike.

Other related policies and strategies include the equalities policy, sport and recreation strategy, strategy to encourage participation amongst women and girls and the soon to be produced arts strategy. These strategies are seen as a major vehicle to underpin community regeneration. Indeed community involvement in developing these strategies has received a high profile through focus groups, market research and peer review. Organisations that play an important role in delivering these strategies include Arts Network Conwy and the district sports council for Conwy "Sport Conwy". Each of these organisations operates to a related strategy. As part of Conwy’s business planning process, links between local and national strategies are identified and relate to individual activities within improvement action plans. Related national strategies include those of the Welsh Assembly Government, Arts Council of Wales, the Sports Council for Wales and Healthy & Active Lifestyles in Wales. The underlying theme for arts and sports strategies in Conwy is the development of community projects on a partnership basis with the County Borough Council playing and enabling a supportive role. 2. How local arts and sports projects can contribute to community regeneration The strategic approach within Conwy based upon the enabling/partnership model dictates that, in the main, supported projects are those which are driven by communities and reflect the perceived needs of each community. The exceptions to this rule are communities where a suitable structure has to be created in order to develop projects. Since 1996 Conwy has developed over 150 projects on this basis, generating over £17 million of arts, leisure and sport investment both directly and from the deployment of volunteers. Examples of projects include:

• Community arts murals: such projects include those in Old Colwyn and Mochdre where a graffiti problem was identified. The project involved a partnership between the community, local school, Arts Council for Wales and the County Borough Council to appoint a community artist to work with youngsters to develop a mural on the site of the graffiti. Involvement included youngsters painting the mural and the outcome was a source of community pride and elimination of graffiti in the immediate vicinity.
• Skate park provision: revised safety standards in children’s playgrounds resulted in a significant reduction in available play equipment. This provided an opportunity to review play equipment provision, which identified a lack of provision for the 11-16 age group. The partnership involved the National Playing Fields Association, Play Wales, local youngsters, the Sports Council for Wales and the County to develop 7 strategic skate parks.

Equipment manufacturers worked with local youngsters to design each park. The outcome has been a considerable reduction in town centre skate boarding, etc. A major concern centred on vandalism and "unruly behaviour" at each site failed to materialise with youngsters actively involved in the self-management of each site.

• Community sports provision: the Council’s strategy identified the need to provide basic sports facilities in each of the 39 identifiable communities. Partnerships have been created with communities to provide these facilities through grant assistance from the lottery distribution bodies. Facility provision varies according to the needs of each community but generally centre around pavilion/changing facilities, playing fields and multi use games areas. A fundamental part of each project was to develop structures to support supervised activities to ensure facilities are used in a professional and sustainable manor.
• "Llanast Llanrwst": is a programme of events based on the rural town of Llanrwst with input from its wide catchment area. The Council co-operates with the Small Towns and Villages Initiative and Menter Iaith Conwy/Dinbych as well as with a community focussed organising group to arrange and deliver a programme which attracts local and regional interest. It is intended that such community participation will be further developed as plans for a Rural Development Centre (community managed and with Objective 1 funding) are finalised.
• Conwy Civic Hall is a town centre venue which houses a library, meeting/exhibition room and auditorium which has suffered from physical neglect over a number of years which has also resulted in reduction of community use. As part of a larger project to regenerate the predominantly tourist attraction of Conwy Quay and as part of a public/private sector partnership, it is intended to redevelop the Hall to provide a multi function community arts facility. When this redevelopment is complete, the Community (with support from the Council including assistance to establish a company, training, etc.) will manage the activities of the facility.

3. Support mechanisms for community regeneration-related arts and sport projects. Support mechanisms are an essential part of sustainable community regeneration. The following are examples of such mechanisms in Conwy but it should be noted that with sufficient funding, not ad hoc or project based, a more strategic approach to arts and sport development in community regeneration could be achieved.

• Leisure Officers: The County employs a team of Leisure/Sports Development Officers to support communities to provide sustainable projects. Support includes advice and training encompassed within a business-planning framework and funded through national agency grants including lottery funds. The major partners involved in the support network include the District Sports Council "Sport Conwy", National Governing Bodies for Sport, Sports Council for Wales, Arts Council for Wales and Play Wales.
• Sport Conwy: In 1996 two district sports council’s amalgamated to form "Sport Conwy". Sport Conwy is an independent community body supported by the Leisure Development Team. Each year an action plan is identified and developed with a view to increasing participation and developing opportunities. One part of the action plan includes a partnership between the County, Sport Conwy and Llandrillo College whereby the College provides the framework for delivering community-coaching awards over some twelve different sports. For the past three years this programme has delivered over 400 coaching awards which in turn result in activities delivered on a voluntary basis in communities throughout the county. The value of this community work is estimated at approximately £1.2 million per year excluding on-costs based upon each award generating an average of 5 hours voluntary work per week. Sport Conwy has been recognised as the best Sports Council in Wales in two of the past three years.
• Community Centre Network: Conwy Voluntary Services Council in partnership with the county provides a support network for 60 community centres. The network provides a forum for management committees to benchmark their experiences. Identified needs result in training sessions being provided to management committees on such issues as financial management, grant sourcing, basic hygiene and marketing.
• Arts Development: An Arts Development Officer has (with Arts Council funding) recently been appointed. Part of the role of this Officer is to initiate a range of arts projects and activities for all sections of the community and to provide advice, encouragement and support to arts organisations, artists and the community at large. He is already working with a community group to revitalise an under used arts facility and with another in taking over the management of a local story telling festival.
• Arts Network Conwy: A forum established under the Voluntary Arts Wales initiative to bring together persons or organisations with interest in developing the arts in Conwy.

4. Best practice in community regeneration-related arts and sport projects In addition to the above examples, major projects have been developed including:

• Upper Colwyn Community Centre

The community identified a need for a community centre over a period of 4 years the community sourced land from developers and the Land Authority for Wales. A funding package involving 8 funding partners developed a community centre at the value of £800,000. A similar project is currently being developed in Craig-y-Don bringing together the community centre, tennis clubs and bowling clubs to develop a community sports centre with 13 separate funding partners on the site of a dilapidated recreation area.

• Rural Community Sports Team

The approach and work of this team (1 full-time and 2 part-time Officers) has changed over the past 7 years. Initially the team delivered "Mobile Leisure Centre Service" providing activities on a short-term basis in communities for a maximum of 6 weeks. Public consultation identified community frustration when the team left each site because activities ceased. The work role has therefore progressively changed to provide a development continuum as follows:

• running community events on a demonstration basis
• identifying community champions
• providing support for community champions (training, encouragement, fund sourcing)
• establishing a community structure
• progressively withdrawing day-to-day support. Providing ongoing training and encouragement to engender sustainability and expansion of activities.
• Llanrwst Almshouses were founded in 1610 to provide free housing for 12 elderly members of the local community which were closed in the 1970s They are grade II listed buildings, located in the very centre of the town, which by the 1990s were becoming derelict. With funding from HLF, the Almshouses were refurbished and displays were installed to interpret the history of the almshouses and of the town. A community meeting room was provided and from here an oral history project was undertaken to record the reminiscences of elderly members of the community. Some of these memories are available in an oral history 'jukebox' located in the meeting room.

The Almshouses opened in 2002. They are run by a community group, the Llanrwst Almshouse and Museum Trust. They are staffed with volunteers and visitor figures are over 8,000 a year. The meeting room is regularly booked for meetings and classes. A programme of temporary exhibitions on an art or historic theme has recently been established and events are held there. Since the re-opening of the Almshouses, a local history society has been established there and now there are over 80 members. The society is aiming to research and produce exhibitions for display at the Almshouses. A community camera exhibition is already underway. This arts project has rescued a derelict building and has provided a sound focus for community development in Llanrwst.

• "Estyn Allan" is a pan Wales reader development initiative managed by the library services in Wales. A major project which Conwy has undertaken involves people who receive a monthly visit from the Library Service to Housebound people. They have been introduced to books which they would not normally read and are asked to write reviews on these books which will then be used by other people who receive the Service to help them select the books they would wish to read.

This project has helped dispel the feeling of total isolation often felt by people who are housebound and has helped create the feeling of "community" amongst this group of people. I trust the above information will of value to the policy review. If you require further information, please contact me or the two relevant Heads of Service: Rona Aldrich - Head of Libraries, Information and Culture (01492 576140 or rona.aldrich@conwy.gov.uk) or Paul Frost - Head of Leisure (01492 575562 or paul.frost@conwy.gov.uk) and we would be happy to provide further information/support if required. Yours sincerely Elwyn Williams
Corporate Director Lifelong Learning