Y Pwyllgor Diwylliant, y Gymraeg a Chwaraeon

Adolygiad Polisi: Cyfraniad y Celfyddydau a Chwaraeon at Adfywio Cymunedol

Groundwork Wales

As requested in the invitation to contribute to this policy review, we have structured our submission in line with the four main areas in the terms of reference. 1) The links between arts policy, sport policy and community regeneration policy As summarised under subsequent headings, it is the firm belief of Groundwork as an organisation that art and sport play a vital role in regenerating deprived communities. At present, there are not enough links between arts policy, sport policy and community regeneration policy. Policy relating to community regeneration does not sufficiently take in to account the important contribution made by arts and sport and any such recognition tends to focus upon formal art and sport, where it should also highlight the value of informal varieties. The Welsh Assembly Government’s strategies for Culture and Sport formally recognise that art and sport are central issues in public policy and identify both as having an essential role to play in community regeneration. Groundwork fully supports this recognition and welcomes the policy review on this topic. 2) How local arts and sports projects can contribute to community regeneration Groundwork is a national environmental regeneration charity which exists to help local people in our most deprived communities to take more control over the social, economic and environmental factors that affect their quality of life. Central to Groundwork’s mission and philosophy is the belief that truly meaningful and long-term community regeneration can only be achieved by adopting a holistic approach. We aim to take into account and nurture the full range of activities and dynamics that make up a healthy and sustainable society, supporting regeneration strategies with parallel artistic and cultural programmes. Throughout the Groundwork network, art and sport are considered to be powerful tools for effecting positive change, having a significant positive impact on places, people and communities. Both provide opportunities that other forms of practice may not and offer considerable social, economic and environmental benefits. Local arts and sports projects can:

• Provide access to and participation in art and sport where it may not normally exist and tap into the importance of culture and heritage for local people
• Build capacity within communities, empowering local people to regenerate their own neighbourhood and enabling them to manage projects In the long term
• Foster social inclusion and cohesion through joint action, engaging groups such as youth and ethnic minorities and forging a sense of community and local identity
• Engage youth, especially those at risk of disaffection, offering opportunities which develop talent and broaden horizons
• Become income generators for local economies through stimulation of enterprise or the creation of tourist attractions
• Provide opportunities for local people in terms of employment and training, building skills and qualifications and enhancing confidence and employability
• Develop links and lasting partnerships between schools, groups, individuals and businesses
• Create safer communities through reduced crime and anti-social behaviour
• Improve the aesthetic quality of an area, combating internal and external negative perceptions and making communities more attractive as places to live and work
• Restore underused land to beneficial use and enhance and maintain areas of natural beauty
• Improve physical health and emotional wellbeing
• Deliver informal and formal education and provide a catalyst for individual volunteer involvement
• Constitute a flexible, responsive and cost-effective element of community development
• Offer a new perspective, allowing people to see beyond the way things are to the way they could be

3) Support mechanisms for community regeneration related arts and sports projects Groundwork is keen to incorporate themes of art and sport in all our community regeneration projects where appropriate and to access funding and support to make this possible. We strongly advocate the development of support mechanisms for community regeneration related arts and sports projects and welcome the commitment to this by the Welsh Assembly Government, the Arts Council for Wales and other bodies. 4) Best practice in community regeneration related arts and sports projects

Art

All four Groundwork Trusts in Wales have carried out significant arts programmes which have included working with external artists, employing artists in residence and having an Arts Coordinator post employed by a Trust. There is a fantastic legacy of quality artwork in many of the regeneration programmes that Groundwork has been involved with over the last few years, for example the Garw Valley village centres, the Taff Trail and Penallta Community Park. The Trusts continue these programmes because not only do they provide a legacy of distinctive, attractive physical improvements, but they are also one of the most effective means of engaging people in local regeneration. Projects have included:

• Inclusion of arts features in regeneration programmes in Communities First wards and deprived areas
• Design and production of art and sculpture for community parks and routes
• Major art projects under the Millennium Changing Places Programme including the earth pit-pony sculpture at the Penallta colliery site
• Design workshops with community groups to create interpretive gardens and communal play areas
• Art projects with youth groups to produce murals, sculpture, video documentaries and designs for their own youth shelters
• Arts for All projects enabling participation by disabled people
• Creation of local art groups and the establishment of centres for arts and crafts

Sport

The Groundwork Trusts are increasingly responding to the new health agenda to promote more healthy living styles, linked into the Local Health Action Plans. The Valleys in particular have a legacy of serious health problems. Groundwork aims to provide facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation and leisure time occupation designed to improve the conditions of life for those living, working and visiting deprived areas. This aim is embedded in our regeneration programmes both in terms of formal sport provision through the creation of sports pitches and facilities, and informal recreation through the development of community routes and the integrated access network for walking and cycling and the creation of parks and woodlands for community use. Projects have included:

• Creation of recreational and sport facilities including play areas and multi-use sports pitches in regeneration communities and estates and the International Climbing Centre at Taff Bargoed Community Park
• Healthy Living initiatives in communities e.g. Walking the Way to Health and Green Gym
• Development of community routes for walking, cycling and equestrian access and safe routes to work and school
• Access for All programme extending access for disabled people
• Development of community parks and woodlands and the creation of outdoor activity facilities based around these
• Setting up of sports clubs in communities and the provision of classes in Healthy Living Centres
• Activities with youth groups including sports coaching and outward bound activities

Best Practice

In Groundwork’s experience, good practice in community regeneration related arts and sports projects includes:

• The integration of art and sport into wider regeneration projects wherever possible and appropriate
• Projects which are community led, using consultation, dialogue and involvement by local people to identify and meet local needs
• Projects that are sustainable and capable of enduring, maximising on the features or resources of local communities and taking into account the fact that communities change over time
• A broad definition of art and sport, where sport encompasses both formal and informal recreation and art includes not only visual arts such as sculpture, painting and mosaic, but also the performing arts, literature and multimedia
• Projects which are accessible to all ages, genders, abilities and cultural backgrounds
• Projects undertaken, where appropriate, in partnership with other organisations to ensure they are most effective in community regeneration. Groundwork work in partnership with Local Authorities, voluntary sector partners, schools, businesses and key art and sport organisations
• Projects which are informed by and integrated with council strategy and government policy priorities in order to achieve the best possible outcomes for communities
• Projects that provide opportunities for local people and consider potential for community enterprise and the development of the social economy
• Projects with a clear and thorough brief which are effectively monitored in order to consistently deliver art and recreational facilities of the highest quality