Dacorum Borough Council Arts & Culture Consultation
Listening & Sharing - Consultation
Year
2024-2025
Client
Dacorum Borough Council
Services
Facilitation of consultation for the Borough’s arts & cultural strategy
Locations
Dacorum, Hertfordshire
Arts & Cultural Conversations
We were commissioned by Dacorum Borough Council to work with them to carry out research and aid discussion about the arts, creativity and cultural provision across the Borough, mapping the current context and identifying gaps in provision to inform the Borough’s new arts and cultural strategy.
Dacorum Borough includes Hemel Hempstead, the towns of Berkhamsted and Tring and surrounding villages.
The arts and cultural strategy for Dacorum wants to place culture and creativity at the heart of its economic and social future, and this can only be achieved through a distinctive vision and plan created from the broadest possible range of views. The Council is exploring three main themes for the strategy: Health & Wellbeing; Places & Communities: and Children & Young People. All of these are important, but we want to understand more about your thoughts on culture, and how they might contribute to these. We are keen to ensure that all voices are listened to….
“Thank you to those who shared your thoughts with us and completed the survey about arts and culture in the Borough”
Listening & Sharing Conversations
We spoke with local residents, stakeholders and the Council about the existing cultural provision and listening to their arts and cultural experiences and collecting their thoughts and aspirations for culture in the district.
We delivered a series of artist-led creative listening and sharing events in neighbourhoods across the borough to bring local people together for a creative activity and to talk about arts and culture. Events took place in Hemel Hempstead, Kings Langley, Tring and Berkhamstead during November and early December 2024 with some great artwork created in the process by the participants.
To ensure that we included as many views as possible we attended meetings / events with special interest groups for more focussed conversations about culture and their cultural experiences and ambitions.
Thank you to everyone who gave us their thoughts at Dacorum at 50 Fest, some valuable insights and some wonderful drawings created by younger contributors. Also to those working in the arts and culture who were able to attend the event on Thursday 28 November, braving the cold to share their thoughts and ideas with us. It was an invaluable event for us to gain more detailed insights into the sector.
Surveys about arts and culture in Dacorum
A survey for local residents and those who work or visit the Borough to tell us about their arts, cultural and creative activities was undertaken.
Thank you so much to the 584 people who completed it online and at the libraries across the Borough. We are delighted by the response and the overwhelming interest in and passion about arts and culture in the borough.
The free draw to win one of three gift vouchers worth £40.00 valid for booking performances at The Old Town Hall Theatre, Hemel Hempstead has now been made and the winners informed.
A bespoke arts survey for arts & heritage organisations, community groups, cultural providers, artists, creative freelancers and venues hosting cultural activities across the borough was also completed.
Thank you to everyone who kindly spared the time to submit responses to the surveys, participate in events and shared their thoughts directly with us. We have collated the data and comments from these and included these within our report to the Council.
“Many thanks to all the artists, practitioners, arts, heritage or cultural organisations who responded to the bespoke survey. Some invaluable contributions to the research.”
Young Creatives & Artists
Following the open calls for young creatives from Dacorum Borough Council area to help us deliver the project and expand on their experience, we were delighted to work with Lucy Bevan, Lily Hart and Elizabeth Perry.
The artists who led on the delivery of the creative Listening & Sharing Conversations were: Khizra Ahmed, Kerry Lanigan, Lucy Steggals and Emily Tracy.
Dacorum Borough Council’s 5-year Arts & Culture Strategy
The research findings and people’s views have been compiled and presented to the Borough Council in a comprehensive report. The information will inform the development of the arts, cultural and creative strategy for the Borough being led by Dacorum’s Arts & Culture Team, that will lay out the vision, ambitions and framework for culture in the borough.
To further inform the Arts & Culture Strategy we are working with the Borough Council to develop a Public Art Framework.