Wrexham Named as Pioneer Area to Use Culture to Tackle Poverty

Wrexham has been chosen by the Welsh Government as one of the areas used to set an example to the rest of the UK by using culture to tackle poverty in its most deprived communities.

The Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Ken Skates, has named Wrexham as one of six Pioneer Areas to lead the Fusion: Tackling Poverty through Culture programme, bringing together Communities First and cultural bodies for the first time to engage with and inspire young people and adults who wouldn’t normally have the opportunities to participate in culture and the arts.

The Pioneer Areas will be supported to trial new approaches which will place culture at the heart of their work with disadvantaged communities.

This includes creating a range of opportunities for people in Wrexham’s Communities First areas to engage with culture, from school visits to enrich the school curriculum, to cultural volunteering opportunities and accredited learning for adults. Each will focus on helping individuals, families and communities engage with heritage and culture to support learning and developing important skills.

The Deputy Minister said: “Earlier this year I set out my ambition to make Wales the most creative nation in Europe and to do this we must ensure culture is accessible to all.

“Participation in culture and the arts has far-reaching educational benefits – improving knowledge, literacy and skills. This is why we are forging a distinctive path in Wales and placing culture at the heart of our work in disadvantaged communities.

“We have fantastic museums, arts and drama groups and libraries across Wales, I want to see these thrive and I want to see everyone reaping the benefits. By bringing these together with our Communities First programmes we can enrich lives, improve attainment and prospects of people in some of our most deprived communities.”

The programme is complemented by the Welsh Government’s Arts and Creative Learning Plan, which will increase and improve arts opportunities in our schools, and greater cultural participation in the Schools Challenge Cymru programme.

The Fusion programme will seek to implement the recommendations of Baroness Andrews’ Culture and Poverty report, which made a compelling case for the Welsh Government, local government, cultural organisations, community bodies and schools to work together to ensure culture is accessible to all and can benefit our most disadvantaged communities