Cumbria is set to stage one of the UK’s most ambitious programmes of world-class outdoor performance and arts events over the next four years.
Kendal Arts International (KAI) has secured at least £2 million of new money up to 2012 with the objective of making Cumbria the national centre of excellence for street arts.
Lakes Alive is one of the three Annual Legacy Programmes commissioned by the Legacy Trust UK for WE PLAY, the Northwest cultural legacy programme for the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, and is being sponsored by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA). It has also received funding from Arts Council England and the Northern Rock Foundation.
KAI will be working in partnership with every local authority in Cumbria, the Lake District National Park Authority, Cumbria Tourism, the University of Cumbria and key arts organisations to deliver the programme.
Julie Tait, from KAI, says: “We’ve piloted a number of events over the last few years which have demonstrated the pivotal role that outdoor arts events and festivals can play in boosting the economy and cultural participation, as well as giving the area a more contemporary image. They have also clearly demonstrated the demand for cultural events like these which are surprising, inspiring and fun.
“The extra funding that we have secured will enable us to deliver an internationally significant programme across the whole of Cumbria over the next four years which is inspired by the 2012 Olympics to deliver a legacy for the Northwest. We believe that combining our varied and spectacular landscapes with the highest quality outdoor arts experiences is cultural dynamite and will put Cumbria at the forefront of this vibrant area of the arts.”
Lakes Alive will be launched in Cumbria during the May half term (23rd to 31st May) with Reach for the Sky, six spectacular aerial performances in each part of the County (Windermere, Barrow, Carlisle, Whitehaven, Maryport and Penrith). It will be a unique opportunity to experience so many different large-scale performances in one area and all of them will be free.
This will be followed in the summer by a series of six new events across the County, culminating in the flagship festival Mintfest in Kendal from the 28-30 August. Mintfest, now one of the leading international street arts festivals in the UK, is being produced in partnership with South Lakeland District Council. It will include a packed line up of world class acts performing in every corner of the town.
Peter Mearns, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications at the NWDA, says: "Lakes Alive is an inspiring flagship programme of events and the setting within Cumbria’s great outdoors cannot be matched. The new association with London 2012 will not only showcase the region’s outstanding cultural offer, but will help to position Lakes Alive at a national level.
“Last summer Lakes Alive generated £1.25million for Cumbria’s economy. I am delighted the NWDA can continue to support a programme which makes a valuable contribution to the tourism economy and delivers economic and social benefits.”
Lakes Alive is also devising a winter project in collaboration with Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd and Northumberland Lights which includes an ambitious plan to light the whole length of Hadrian’s Wall later in the year.
The arts and culture are increasingly recognised as playing a key role in driving economic growth. Liverpool’s year as Capital of Culture is believed to have generated an £800 million boost to the region’s economy.
WE PLAY is a Legacy Trust UK project, led by the Arts Council England Northwest, on behalf of a new regional partnership and has been set up to support a range of innovative cultural and sporting initiatives which celebrate the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and which will leave a lasting legacy in communities throughout the UK.
Aileen McEvoy, the Interim Regional Executive Director of Arts Council England in the North West, says: “We are delighted that Cumbria is leading the way in presenting excellent arts performances in outdoor locations across the whole County. The fantastic Lakes Alive programme will encourage many more people to enjoy and participate in the arts. It also includes vital training and development opportunities for local people and for budding artists thus building skills and talent for the future.”
Reach for the Sky will open with a British premiere of Voala from Argentina on Saturday 23rd May on the Glebe in Bowness. Voala is a breathtakingly beautiful acrobatic show that will take place 100 feet about the audience’s heads, set against the spectacular backdrop of Lake Windermere.
The following day in Carlisle internationally-acclaimed French performers Transe Express will take to the air in an extraordinary human mobile as part of a huge public banquet, complete with live music and dancing in the streets.
The rest of the programme will be revealed shortly but other performances during the May half term are scheduled to take place in Penrith on Monday 25 May, Maryport on Friday 29 May, Whitehaven on Saturday 30 May and Barrow on Sunday 31 May.
Further details about the Lakes Alive programme will be made available over the next few months. To keep up to date with the Lakes Alive season visit www.lakesalive.org.
Lakes Alive will also include education and skills development, community participation and the creation of new work. The programme will continue to be developed in the run up to the Olympics in 2012.
ENDS
Media Contacts
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Notes to Editors
Quotes from Cumbrian councils:
Councillor Colin Nineham, Eden District Council’s Leader, says: “We are delighted to be part of this promising high quality cultural experience, which has many profile raising benefits for Penrith and the surrounding market towns.”
Councillor Brendan Jameson, Leader of South Lakeland District Council, says: "Kendal Arts International is to be congratulated on its success. We are delighted to be strengthening our partnership with KAI and working with them on the delivery of the Olympic Legacy programme over the next four years. This cash injection for the area provides enormous grounds for optimism for people as they face challenging economic times.
"'We Play' is a bold new initiative and a great opportunity for local communities to be part of, and participate in, such a unique programme. We are excited by the prospect of aiding the development of this new work, which will create a lasting legacy, by establishing Cumbria as the national centre of excellence for street arts."
Councillor Margaret Jackson, Deputy Leader of Allerdale Borough Council and Executive member with responsibility for regeneration, says: “We are delighted to be part of this fantastic opportunity which will raise the profile of the county as a whole. The range of regeneration possibilities for arts and cultural development means we are facing exciting times ahead.”
Councillor Hugh Branney, Copeland Borough Council’s portfolio holder for Leisure and Culture, says: “We are very excited about this project. Hopefully it will create spectacles that inspire the whole community to become involved – and it should be impressive for visitors too.”
Tom Campbell, Chief Executive of Barrow Borough Council, says: "We are delighted to be working with Kendal Arts International to bring what promises to be a really exciting project, Lakes Alive, to Barrow as part of the Northwest’s legacy programme for the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games."
Councillor Barbara Cannon, Cumbria County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Adults and Culture and Acting Portfolio Holder for Communities, says “This is an important project for Cumbria and the opportunity for people to take part in a range of exciting activities all leading up to the Olympics in 2012 demonstrates that Cumbria can deliver alongside the big cities as regards its cultural talent, I look forward to seeing the project in action”.
WE PLAY is the Northwest’s legacy programme for the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. It will represent a diverse range of projects and events, across culture, education and sport, appealing to people from all walks of life.
The term WE PLAY implies community, competition, participation, creativity, debate, connections and involvement.
WE PLAY is led by a new regional partnership group commissioned by the Legacy Trust UK and led by the Arts Council Northwest.
For further information and to view all press releases visit the NWDA at www.nwda.co.uk/press
The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) leads the economic development and regeneration of England's Northwest and is responsible for:
• Supporting business growth and encouraging investment
• Matching skills provision to employer needs
• Creating the conditions for economic growth
• Connecting the region through effective transport and communication infrastructure
• Promoting the region’s outstanding quality of life
