Case studies

Sheffield City Council has used government funding to set up a specialist multi agency support team, which works alongside the access and inclusion service to help keep the most vulnerable children in school by providing holistic support to the whole family.

North Somerset has launched programmes targeting issues such as nutrition, healthy weight and oral health for children.

Southend City Council is refreshing its approach to teenage pregnancy with a host of new initiatives to help prevent conceptions and the impact on health inequalities that comes with it.

In 2020, support was agreed from Derbyshire County Council's public health budget to promote access to affordable lending through the provision of a dedicated Service Development Officer and funding targeted at promoting affordable lending.

Norfolk County Council has worked with a voluntary sector group to run a project aimed at tackling obesity among pregnant women and new mothers. It is a bottom-up community-driven approach which has seen women in one of the county’s most deprived areas given training to help create sustainable change.

Sheffield’s diverse freelance artists and creatives were seriously impacted by Covid lockdowns and the cancellation of arts events. National government support was often not available to them.

As part of wider regeneration proposals for Stevenage Town Centre, the Danestrete Bus Station has relocated to a new facility. The vacant bus station space presents an exciting transformation opportunity in the heart of the town in advance of wider regeneration proposals happening.

Local Cultural Education Partnerships (LCEPs) are an England-wide network of change partnerships. In the North East, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums drives the LCEP network in its remit as an Arts Council England Bridge organisation.

Showtown worked with youth organisation HeadStart and professional comedians to deliver Open Up the Mic, a 12-week course supporting young people aged 10-15 to develop their resilience, performance skills and confidence.

This case study provides an overview of the West of England and its cultural and creative economy, and the role of the West of England Cultural Compact in this context. It also summarises the new West of England Cultural Plan, including reference to some early initiatives.