The Cultural Spring is a new three-year arts and culture initiative, funded by Arts Council England to the tune of £2m, aimed at ten council wards in Sunderland and South Tyneside: Red House, Castletown, Southwick, Fulwell and Roker/St Peter's in Sunderland and Biddick and All Saints, Boldon Colliery, Cleadon and East Boldon, Whitburn and Marsden and Whiteleas in South Tyneside.
"The word 'arts' terrifies people on our estates," said one Sunderland resident, and statistics seem to bear this out, with participation being 32% in South Tyneside and 35% in Sunderland, well below the national average.
The aims of the project are:
- to increase arts participation in all the wards by a minimum of 5%;
- to encourage 'excellent art' to happen in these wards;
- to create a lasting social and cultural legacies for both area;
- to reflect on and share what is learned.
There will be two strands to the programme: everyday essentials and highlights of the year.
The everyday essential will include regular arts "taster" sessions in all the wards, blocks of eight to twelve 2-hour sessions, given by North East artists and and groups, and there will be four "Highlights" every year:
- The Cultural Spring (focusing on the performing arts);
- Summer Streets (celebrations of music);
- Autumn Lights (visual arts);
- Winter Tales (story-telling in all its forms).
There will be three lead consortium partners—Sunderland University (the lead partner), The Customs House in South Shields and Sunderland Music, Arts and Culture Trust—and they will be supported by a wide range of organisations, business and educational institutions, including Sunderland City and South Tyneside Council.
The first event, to be held on Good Friday, will be The Great North Passion, the BBC's annual Easter event which this year will be held in Bents Park in South Shields.