Cornwall has taken a giant leap towards becoming the first ever European Region of Culture with a £350,000 funding boost. The European Union’s Culture 2007 Programme has selected the Cornwall-led European Regions of Culture Campaign (EROC) as one of only a handful of projects to receive backing, allowing the continuation of the campaign which aims to catapult Cornwall to the cultural forefront of Europe.
The EU currently recognises cities as Capitals of Culture, whereby the spotlight turns on urban centres who then have a year to showcase their cultural life on a national and international stage. Major subsidies and grants are devoted to the cities and they benefit from an influx visitors and consequent income, such as is currently being seen in Liverpool, a 2008 Capital of Culture. In 2006, a Cornish creative think tank questioned why it is only cities who receive this prestigious accolade and as a result, the EROC project was born. The ambitious Cornish-led campaign has spent the last three years lobbying influential European decision makers and challenging them to see that rural regions have just as much valuable and attention-worthy culture as any city, meaning new funding and a new designation is required.
The high profile ‘What does Cornwall mean to you?’ public feedback project was run throughout 2006 inviting Cornish people to join the campaign. Following TV adverts and media coverage, touring interactive ‘pods’, workshops and a website, thousands of Cornish people at home and abroad responded by sending thoughts, ideas and images. It is this information that has consequently provided the evidence and the key ammunition needed to secure today’s £350,000 vital funding boost.
The Cornwall County Council managed project is being delivered by the European Regions of Culture Campaign organisation (EROCCO formerly Cornwall Arts Marketing), in partnership with Arts Centre Trust, Arts Council England South West (who are contributing financially to the project), Cornwall County Council Creative Unit, Creative Skills, Hall for Cornwall, Tate St Ives and RiO. The bid has also been supported by Cornwall Enterprise and the South West UK Brussels Office. The project will work with cultural bodies in the rural regions of Poland and Finland as well as others in Bulgaria and Denmark.
The European Regions of Culture Campaign’s aim is to celebrate culture as central to the life and identity of the county, from Mousehole’s allotment gardens to Kneehigh’s ground breaking theatre and from surf and music festivals to Cornwall’s Mining World Heritage Site status.
As a result of today’s funding, EROCCO will appoint a Cornwall-based Cultural Producer and applications for this post are currently being invited. The next stage of the campaign will include collaborative artistic residencies in Cornwall, South Ostrobothnia in Finland and Kujawsko Pomorskie in Poland as well as a series of international cultural exchange events and the formation of an expert multi-regional European Region of Culture team. The project will also bring influential decision makers from across Europe to the Cornwall Film Festival in November 2009, inviting them to witness the importance of rural culture and the sustainable impact of the campaign. EROCCO is also keen to hear from anyone in Cornwall who has existing cultural links with Poland, Finland, Denmark and Bulgaria.
Andrew Mitchell, Economy Portfolio Holder, Cornwall County Council said “We hope that this project will not only demonstrate the cultural riches present in Cornwall, but will also show the possibilities for culture as an economic regeneration activity. This project raises the possibility to influence European policies and perceptions on rural and peripheral areas.”
Miranda Bird, Director of EROCCO, says, “It is obviously fantastic news that we have been successful in our bid and this gain is testament to the thousands of people who responded to our original public feedback campaign and to the hard work of all our partners both here in Cornwall and in our collaborative countries. We owe them all major thanks. The granting of this funding is undoubtedly recognition that the European Commission backs the philosophy of our bid and it the strongest indication yet that we are likely to be successful overall and bring the first ever Region of Culture designation to Cornwall.”
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