A thriving leisure and cultural environment can bring neighbourhoods together and help create a strong sense of community spirit.
Culture includes a wide range of opportunities and interests including the Arts, recreation, museums, libraries and sports. In addition to facilities and venues North Wiltshire has a valuable rural resource in its countryside and many heritage sites. Great contributions are made by volunteers and voluntary groups who play a big part in creating activities and events that are greatly appreciated by residents and visitors to the area. The diversity of opportunities is important to ensure provision for a wide range of ages and interests.
Key issues
Key issues identified during community consultation included
- Lack of facilities and activities for young people
- Improved rural projects
- Poor public transport to access facilities and activities
- Skate park facilities
- Opportunities for people to access culture and the arts locally
- Improved leisure facilities
What we will do
North Wiltshire Partnership will work with others on
- Increasing leisure opportunities and facilities
- Improving access to existing facilities
- Multi purpose community facilities
- Promoting events
- Increasing breadth of provision at local facilities
- Engaging all the community
What is already happening
A wide range of groups and organisations are delivering work that contributes to improvements in this theme some examples include
- Wiltshire Youth Arts Partnership offers opportunities for young people to take part in diverse arts activities, enabling learning and development
- The Participatory Arts Workshop scheme (PAWS) supports local groups to bring an artist to a locally run project for a choice of creative activities
- Rural Arts Wiltshire takes professional performing arts to rural areas within North Wiltshire supported by volunteer promoters in the villages
- The Big Ideas Mini Opera project is a community music project that will see local people create stories and music about their communities
- Arts North Wiltshire (ArtsNOW) is a network for visual and performance artists, arts organisations and those interested in the arts in North Wiltshire
- Many partners are working together to provide local opportunities to take part in sports activities
- North Wiltshire District Council improving the Pound Arts Centre and is supporting the Pound Arts Trust to run this as a district-wide arts facility
- North Wiltshire Leisure Limited will continue to work to strengthen the opportunities for sport and physical activity offered at centres around the district
- Wiltshire Alternative Youth Sports is a partnership working together to develop and increase the range of opportunities to take part in alternative sports
- Libraries provide accessible venues for cultural activities such as exhibitions, displays, talks, performances and meetings for local clubs and groups
- Information on heritage and archaeology can be accessed through the Window on Wiltshire’s Heritage
- Local partners are working together to develop a network of community resource centres – establishing a programme of activities and social events for local residents and communities
- A number of organisations in North Wiltshire offer grants to communities for activities and improvements