DRAFT

`ENJOYING HAMPSHIRE!'

Helping people make the most

of living in and visiting Hampshire

Hampshire County Council

`ENJOYING HAMPSHIRE!'

Hampshire's Cultural Strategy

Contents:

1. INTRODUCTION 3

1.1 What is Culture? 3

1.2 The Cultural Strategy 5

1.3 Links 6

2. HAMPSHIRE'S CULTURAL HERITAGE 7

3. THE WIDER CONTEXT 11

3.1 Regional priorities 11

3.2 Local cultural strategies 12

4. VALUES 13

5. A VISION FOR HAMPSHIRE 14

6. KEY ACTIONS 15

7. IMPLEMENTATION 16

8. REVIEW 17

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 What is Culture?

1.1.1 In its broadest sense culture is life - it is the sum of all those things that give context to and define our lives. Participation in culture is a way of expressing our personal and community identity through shared values, attitudes and beliefs. Culture defines our local, regional and national identity - whether this focuses on a sporting activity, a style of cookery, or an artistic tradition. Everyone belongs to more than one cultural group - national, religious, local, ethnic or even ones defined by age, such as youth culture. Culture informs our lives from reading newspapers in the morning to watching television in the evening; from visiting pubs and restaurants to shopping; from playing golf to taking a walk in the countryside or going to the theatre.

1.1.2 Culture is also fundamental to the character of an area. The landscape, built environment, agriculture and industry, the history, lives and leisure activities of its people all combine to form its `personality'. Economic prosperity is often derived from a region's culture. The provision of opportunities to create, participate in and enjoy culture is a significant contributor to the economy and cultural activity plays its part in the delivery of key areas of public policy. Even at a time when the centres of our towns increasingly look alike because of the universal design of chain stores; when the outskirts of one town cannot be distinguished from another; and when intensive agriculture, the loss of hedgerows and the building of new roads change the character of the countryside, each and every area of the country does still have its individuality.

1.1.3 Local authorities have a crucial role to play in our culture. They have an ability to invest in assets for the long term; they have the specialist expertise to see that these assets are used for the benefit of the whole community; and they can provide a co-ordinated approach to cultural provision. In Hampshire local authorities, often in partnership with the voluntary sector, have a long record of providing opportunities for the enjoyment of culture. For example they provide leisure centres, sports fields, museums and libraries, as well as managing significant areas of countryside across the county. They play an active part in arts, sports and community development, as well as helping to protect and enhance the natural and built environment. However, the influence of local authorities on the culture of Hampshire is much wider than this. Together with support for economic and tourism initiatives, their role in education provision, the transport infrastructure and in determining planning policies there are few areas of people's lives that are not influenced in one way or another by the work of local authorities.

1.1.4 So in its widest sense the culture, or cultures of Hampshire, provide the context for everything local authorities do. In the narrower, although still extremely important, sense culture is, in the words of Brian Eno, `everything you don't have to do'. For some the word `culture' has a negative meaning - `culture' is something for others, it is `highbrow art'. However this is not the way we see it. We see it as central to the lives of everyone in Hampshire.

1.1.5 The Department of Culture, Media and Sport, which has been encouraging local authorities to prepare cultural strategies and has been guiding the process, states that

"Culture ... is about improving the quality of life for all, allowing people both to derive pleasure and to fulfil their own potential and broaden their horizons. Equally cultural services play a crucial role tackling social exclusion, contributing to regeneration, to promoting safer communities, encouraging healthier lifestyles, providing opportunities for voluntary and community activity and stimulating life long learning." ¹

It goes on to define the scope of culture in the following way:

"Culture has a material dimension

· The performing and visual arts, craft, and fashion

· Media, film, television, video and language

· Museums, artefacts, archives and design

· Libraries, literature, writing and publishing

· The built heritage, architecture, landscape and archaeology

· Sports events, facilities and development

· Parks, open spaces, wildlife habitats, water environment and countryside recreation

· Children's play, playgrounds and play activities

· Tourism, festivals and attractions

· Informal leisure pursuits

Culture has a value dimension

· Relationships

· Shared memories, experiences and identity

· Diverse cultural, religious and historic backgrounds

· Standards

· What we consider valuable to pass on to future generations."

1.1.6 This is a comprehensive description of culture and is the definition that will be used throughout this document.

1.2 The Cultural Strategy

1.2.1 The aim of this Cultural Strategy is to promote the cultural well being of Hampshire. In order to do this we believe that there is a need for close co-operation between all those involved in the provision and support of culture in Hampshire. We also believe that culture is integral to people's lives and therefore it has to be placed at the heart of public policy planning.

1.2.2 The Strategy sets out what we believe culture to be and what it means in Hampshire. It articulates a vision for the future and describes how it can be achieved. As far as the County Council is concerned the strategy process comes at an opportune moment being part of the re-focussing of the work of the Recreation and Heritage Department, which is leading on it.

"From Bach to Beckham ... all the services within the Recreation and Heritage Department are about the quality of life, the human spirit, enjoyment and most definitely, as TS Elliot said of culture, `making life worth living'". ²

1.2.3 This Cultural Strategy is for the administrative county of Hampshire and has been prepared in consultation with regional agencies, district councils and voluntary organisations. Most local authorities are publishing Cultural Strategies and we have tried to ensure that this Strategy for the whole of Hampshire is compatible with plans produced for local areas within the county. We have also consulted with the unitary authorities of Portsmouth and Southampton. As well as historically having been part of Hampshire, the cultural provision in the cities is extremely important to the people of Hampshire - cultural and leisure activity, like economic activity, is no respecter of administrative boundaries. On the other hand people from the cities use the opportunities for tourism, physical recreation and informal leisure activities provided in Hampshire, for example on the Solent, in the New Forest and at gardens, countryside and historic sites across the county.

1.2.4 Hampshire County Council, through the Recreation and Heritage Department, is investing in culture £34m per annum from the revenue budget. Through its own facilities and its support of independent organisations this provides employment for over 1800 people and generates a total turnover of some £38m.³ It has been estimated that the total benefit to the economy that can be linked to spending by the Recreation & Heritage Department could possibly total more than £1.2 bn.⁴ Aggregate figures for investment in culture in Hampshire by all local authorities, the voluntary, not-for-profit and private sectors are not available at the moment, but are likely to confirm that culture is a vital part of the economy of the county.

1.2.5 The economic importance of the cultural and creative industries (CCIs) sector indicated by these figures is borne out by research conducted for the South East England Cultural Consortium and the South East England Development Agency:⁵

· Employment in the CCIs grew by 28.4% in the South East in the period 1995-2000; almost double the average for England as a whole

· About 560,000 people are employed in the CCIs in the South East - 19% of England's total employment in this sector

· Employment in this sector accounts for 13.2% of the regional workforce

· The CCIs in the South East generate a turnover of c£46.5bn

1.3 Links

1.3.1 Cultural activity has an intrinsic value - individuals participate in sport, arts, countryside recreation, and so on because of what they get out of these activities - as we have already said culture can be defined as `everything you don't have to do'. In this sense culture is integral to people's sense of well being. However, culture can also be instrumental in achieving, or contributing to the achievement of the wider objectives of a local authority. Therefore the Cultural Strategy links to a number of other County Council policies, notably the Corporate Strategy and the Community Strategy which is currently under development.

1.3.2 The Corporate Strategy sets out six aims for the County Council:

· Maximising life opportunities

· Stewardship of the environment

· Achieving economic prosperity

· Building strong and safe communities

· Improving services

· Developing councillors and staff

The Cultural Strategy will play an important part in helping to achieve these aims, in particular in maximising life opportunities, caring for the environment, and achieving economic prosperity for Hampshire.

1.3.3 The aim of Hampshire's Community Strategy is to enhance the quality of life of local communities and to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development. The Strategy is being prepared through the Hampshire Strategic Partnership, which brings together representatives of local government, public services, and the voluntary, community and private sectors. The Community Strategy will provide a long term vision for Hampshire aimed at improving the quality of delivery of public services in Hampshire.

1.3.4 The Cultural Strategy will form the cultural arm of the Community Strategy. It will also provide a framework for the County Council's activity in the cultural field led by the work of the Recreation and Heritage Department, in partnership with other departments of the County Council, regional agencies, district councils and the commercial, not-for-profit and voluntary sectors. It will guide service planning in the County Council, be used as a basis for future funding bids and help to validate action plans.

2. HAMPSHIRE'S CULTURAL HERITAGE

2.1 Hampshire lies at the heart of central southern England - a fact which is behind much of the history and culture of the county. Its borders stretch from Havant in the east to include the New Forest in the west; from the shores of the Solent in the south to within twenty miles of London in the north. One of the largest counties in England, its population numbers over 1.2 million.

2.2 The culture of an area, region or county is like a personality or gene - the gene being the basic unit of heredity, evolution and those things that distinguish each species. Some factors in a given area may be unique but one or more may be shared with neighbouring areas. The individuality, or `personality', of each area is brought about by the coming together of these characteristics in a unique combination. Geology, climate, vegetation and wildlife are the main natural factors that form the character of the landscape but landscape is not static and the most significant force for change is human influence. Communications both within the area and with neighbouring regions, the proximity of markets, and so on, combine with the landscape to create the economic climate which in turn creates the conditions in which people live.

2.3 The key elements of the landscape of Hampshire are the downs, river valleys, the New Forest and the coast. Hampshire down land has been grazed by sheep for much of the last six thousand years. The river valleys have been occupied since Saxon times and the clear waters of the rivers Test and Itchen are internationally renowned for their fishing. The New Forest was created when the Crown appropriated open heath and woodland in the eleventh century. The coastline of Hampshire, whose exposed gravel beaches have provided landfalls for successive invaders and the sheltered waters of the Solent, an outstanding safe haven for recreational sailing, have protected merchant shipping and the Royal Navy for centuries.

2.4 After the landscape it is the vernacular architecture, houses, farms and other domestic buildings which give a particular area its character. Built of local materials, in Hampshire these are wood, flint, cob and locally made bricks. Other materials such as stone had to be imported and so were reserved for churches, castles and great houses and there are many fine examples of these in the county. Winchester Cathedral is one of the finest examples in England of architecture of the first generation after the Norman Conquest and the Great Hall of Winchester Castle is one of the best medieval halls in England. Mottisfont Abbey, The Vyne and Highclere Castle are all important examples of country house architecture. Collectively these great buildings and the domestic architecture of the towns and villages of Hampshire make up the county's unique built environment.

2.5 The principle geographical and historical factors which have helped to shape Hampshire's culture are:

· Its role in medieval Europe

_ Hampshire was one of the first parts of England to be settled after the Norman Conquest and Winchester continued to play a key part in Norman England.

_ Winchester was, at one time, capital of England and it played a major role in several key European events.

_ From the time of the granting of its charter in 966 Winchester Cathedral was in the mainstream of the political and cultural life of medieval Europe.

· Its role in the maritime history of the United Kingdom

_ Portsmouth, only seventy five miles from London and a hundred miles from France, has played a major part in naval history.

_ Southampton has been a major port and gateway to the UK since earliest times. It was the home of many of the great liners and a significant entry point to Britain for immigrants in the 1950's. It is now the UK's leading container port.

_ Hampshire and the Solent were used as a base for invasions of Europe from the time of Henry V, whose troops gathered outside Southampton, to the preparations for the D Day landings, evidence of which can be seen at sites such as Lepe Country Park.

_ The sheltered waters of the Solent are a mecca for sailing enthusiasts today.

· Hampshire as a base for the armed Services

_ As well as its base in Portsmouth, the Royal Navy occupies key sites such as HMS Dryad at Southwick, HMS Collingwood at Fareham, and several sites in Gosport, the Royal Air Force has a base at Odiham, and Aldershot is known as `the home of the British Army'. Nearby Farnborough was the birthplace of aviation. The result of all this activity over the years is that Hampshire's economy is more dependent on the Armed Forces than almost anywhere else in the country. The presence of the Armed Forces in Hampshire has also resulted in a legacy of castles, forts, military museums and historic ships which are a crucial part of Hampshire's cultural heritage.

· Proximity to London

_ London has provided a ready market for Hampshire produce over history, including, bacon, watercress, trout, strawberries and beer.

_ Leading statesmen have had their homes in the county at, for example, Mottisfont and Titchfield Abbeys, The Vyne, Stratfield Saye and Highclere Castle. The patronage of the owners of these houses has benefited the arts and their interest in field sports has influenced the landscape - the wealth of shelter belts in the county depended on the shooting of game.

_ Road and rail provide easy access to London's cultural facilities for Hampshire residents.

_ Towns such as Andover and Basingstoke presented suitable sites for `overspill' housing in the post war years and the towns of northern Hampshire are homes to many of London's commuters today.

2.6 These are not only elements in the history of Hampshire, but they are key factors in the culture of Hampshire today. Collectively they make up the diversity that is Hampshire and they can be seen in:

· The landscape

· The built environment

· Recreational opportunities

· Opportunities for tourism

· Art and craft

· Archives and museums

2.7 Basingstoke and Gosport are the largest towns in the current administrative county of Hampshire with populations of some 80,000 people, Eastleighand Farnborough are the next largest with populations of 55,000 and only ten other places have populations of over 20,000. Some 700,000 people in Hampshire live in settlements smaller than this. This factor is the most important for cultural provision in Hampshire, the key issue being access to opportunities and facilities in what is a largely rural county.

2.8 Provision at the local level is one of the key characteristics of culture today. Local Authorities have provided a network of local libraries, museums, leisure centres, theatres, small scale arts centres, playgrounds, etc. These facilities are backed up by mobile libraries, support for community centres and village halls, and schemes such as the County Council's `Hog the Limelight' ⁶. The County Council is the main provider of countryside recreation opportunities in Hampshire through its management of country parks, countryside sites, Rights of Way and long distance footpaths and cycle ways.

2.9 There is a strong infrastructure for sport and physical recreation provided through leisure centres, schools and voluntary sports groups, offering opportunities at all levels of experience. Calshot Activities Centre plays a fundamental role in training in a range of sports, notably sailing, as well as offering the only indoor velodrome in the south of England. Many of the UK's best known sailors are based around the Solent.

2.10 Hampshire is home to a wealth of artists, craftspeople, writers and musicians providing a reservoir of talent and the impetus for developments such as MOMC ⁷. Together with theatres and concert halls in Basingstoke and Winchester, and facilities in the neighbouring cities of Portsmouth and Southampton, Hampshire has become a base for the cultural industries, including media production, publishing and design.

2.11 Museums and Archives collect, preserve and interpret the material evidence of Hampshire's culture, history and environment, including contemporary material. This provides a fundamental platform for research at all levels from advanced scholarship to individual enthusiasms, material for displays and exhibitions and stimulates learning. A network of museums across Hampshire gives people access to their history and the Hampshire Record Office is nationally recognised as a centre of excellence as well as being used extensively by local people.

2.12 Hampshire is also a major destination for tourism. Sites of national and indeed international significance can be found in the Great Hall and Cathedral in Winchester, Jane Austen's House in Chawton, the Wakes at Selborne, in the military museums, castles and historic ships which are marketed collectively as the Defence of the Realm, and in the county's stately homes and gardens - at Beaulieu, Stratfield Saye and Mottisfont Abbey, for example.

3. THE WIDER CONTEXT

3.1 Regional priorities

3.1.1 Priorities for culture for the South and South East are set out in a number of documents the main one being "The Cultural Agenda" published by the South East England Cultural Consortium (2002). This Consortium was established by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in 2000 as the lead body for culture in the region, creating a common vision and forging links across the whole spectrum of cultural and creative interests in the Region. To this end the Consortium works with regional agencies including SEEDA ⁸, the South East England Regional Assembly, Arts Council England (Southern & South East) ⁹, SEMLAC ¹⁰, Sport England, the regional Tourist Boards and other agencies working in this field. This regional Cultural Strategy sets out to

· `Encompass the Region's shared memory, experience and identity

· Include minority as well as majority interests

· Support the excellent as well as encouraging wider and more inclusive participation

· Value the traditional as well as the experimental

· Emphasise lifelong learning and release individual creativity

· See cultural activity as fundamental to people's health, well-being and the quality of life in the Region.'

3.1.2 These are all aims which can be embraced by Hampshire's Cultural Strategy. The regional strategy sets out fourteen objectives each with linked action points. The regional Cultural Strategy emphasises:

· Partnership

· The joint collection of data and mapping of cultural assets and opportunities

· The use of culture in the development of life in villages and towns

· The need to improve transport in relation to cultural activity

· The continuing need to improve the quality of activities and facilities

· The promoting of the use of IT, including the People's Network

· Promotion of the use of schools and libraries as hubs for community action.

3.2 Local cultural strategies

3.2.1 Most local authorities in Hampshire, together with the unitary authorities of Portsmouth and Southampton, are working on Cultural Strategies. At the time of writing five authorities had produced draft or final strategies:

Basingstoke & Deane

Fareham

Test Valley

Winchester

Southampton

3.2.2 The key issues from these strategies are considered below. All the strategies produced to date have taken a similar approach to that adopted by us and common concerns are emerging from them all. Those listed below have been identified in two or more of the local Cultural Strategies and are of county wide importance:

· Preserve, conserve, interpret and provide access to the countryside and the built environment of Hampshire

· Accessibility

_ improve access to cultural facilities, especially for the socially excluded

_ improve transport, particularly in the evening

_ offer more user-friendly opening times for cultural facilities

· Encourage volunteering

· Improve the quality of existing facilities and develop new facilities at a local level

· Use cultural activities to improve people's health and well-being

· Target opportunities for young people and people after retirement

· Improve the availability and dissemination of information about cultural opportunities

· Promote the use for education of the cultural assets of Hampshire

· Promote the use of the cultural assets of Hampshire for tourism in a sustainable way

· Develop the integrated use by the community of public buildings and facilities (schools, libraries, museums, countryside sites, etc)

· Develop access to information on and to culture itself thorough IT, WWW, etc (e.g. The People's Network)

· Improve the evening economy in key towns in the county

· Encourage and support local people in the planning and delivery of cultural activities

4. VALUES

4.1 We believe that there are a number of values and key features that should be fundamental to Hampshire's Cultural Strategy and which can be shared by Hampshire County Council and its partners. These are:

5. A VISION FOR HAMPSHIRE

5.1 Our vision for the future is that Hampshire County Council and its partners should

· Support the preservation, conservation, development and promotion of Hampshire's cultural heritage

· Enable forward looking, innovative and creative cultures to flourish in the county

· Encourage affordable access to high quality cultural activities and facilities for all

· Facilitate a recognition and understanding of the history of Hampshire and its people, in the context of United Kingdom, European and World history

· Promote and encourage the sharing of the cultures of minority groups within the county

· Ensure that cultural activity plays an increasing role in the economy of the county in a sustainable way

6. KEY ACTIONS

6.1 In order to pursue this vision Hampshire County Council will implement the following key actions:

· Work in partnership with others, including regional agencies, other local authorities, including the unitary authorities of Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight, and the commercial, not-for-profit and voluntary sectors to implement this strategy.

· Ensure that culture is embedded throughout the planning process and in particular that it is central to community strategies and service planning.

· Promote increased and integrated use of public facilities including, schools, libraries, arts, leisure and community centres, village halls, countryside sites and Rights of Way, etc for a broad range of cultural activities in order to enable access for an increased number of people, including those from socially excluded sections of the community.

· Support policies and initiatives to protect, conserve, enhance and develop the individual character and diversity of Hampshire's culture, including the landscape, built environment and its cultural assets.

· Encourage individual and community initiatives which develop creative and physical activities.

· Research the needs and demands of community groups and sectors of the community and facilitate the development of new opportunities.

· Develop the use of IT and the Internet both in terms of access points being widely available and in the material that is made available through the www being user friendly, accessible, comprehensive, attractive, and of high quality.

· Support the development of major initiatives, including working with Arts Council England on the development of Creative Partnerships.

· Pursue the development of major projects including the development of Discovery Centres ¹¹ and the MOMC project.

· Audit and map on a continuing basis

_ cultural opportunities and facilities in Hampshire

_ the economic value of culture

_ take up of, participation in, and attendance at cultural activities and facilities.

· Work with transport providers to devise innovative schemes to improve access to cultural activities.

· Support the development of schemes aimed at young people and socially disadvantaged sectors on the community, e.g. Music Fusion (Youth Music Action Zone South).

· Recognise that some cultural activities and facilities need to be provided regionally because of the size of the catchment area required to sustain them and that therefore the County Council and its partners should support, where appropriate, initiatives outside the administrative area of Hampshire.

7. IMPLEMENTATION

7.1 The development and provision of culture in this country is funded and managed in a variety of different ways. The commercial, public, not-for-profit and voluntary sectors of cultural provision overlap and are interdependent in many ways. Activities and facilities as varied as professional football, cinema, popular music, stately homes and gardens are all provided by the commercial sector. Yet without public support for sports development at the youth level, for example, lottery support for new films, and grants for the restoration of historic houses and gardens, the commercial sector would be the poorer.

7.2 Local authorities are the main provider of public facilities such as libraries, museums, archives, country parks, sports and leisure centres, playgrounds, and so on. Hampshire County Council's Recreation & Heritage Department also maintains the network of footpaths and other Rights of Way, runs arts centres and outdoor activity centres and provides grants and other support to the not-for-profit sector in the community, arts, sports and museums sectors.

7.3 The not-for-profit and voluntary sectors subsidised by local authorities provide many of the cultural opportunities that exist for people outside the main centres of populations. Sports clubs, theatre companies, orchestras, art galleries and arts centres all fall into this category. Some key museums and visitor attractions such as Jane Austen's House and Whitchurch Silk Mill also receive professional support and some funding from local authorities. Voluntary participation both in cultural activities themselves - sports, amateur dramatics, photography, local history, rambling, etc - and the management of sports and arts facilities, stewardship of museums and historic houses, conservation of the countryside, etc is also extremely important.

7.4 Within local or regional cultural strategies there are three levels of actions:

· Those that can be implemented directly by the authority devising that strategy - not just the lead department (in this case the Recreation & Heritage of Hampshire County Council) but all departments

· Those that can be implemented by organisations that work in partnership with that authority (e.g. other tiers of local government, funded organisations, etc)

· Those that can only be implemented by independent bodies (e.g. the commercial and voluntary sectors)

7.5 The strategy has identified Key Actions for the County Council and its partners. However, it is to be hoped that all those responsible for Hampshire's culture and involved in the provision of cultural opportunities will feel able to support the principle aims of this strategy. An integrated approach to the development of culture is required, firstly, because the public are less interested in who is providing the service than in the quality of that service, or that it exists in the first place, and secondly, to ensure that provision is comprehensive, well targeted and that it doesn't overlap.

8. REVIEW

8.1 The Cultural Strategy will be reviewed after three years in 2006. Review will be a consultative process between the County Council and its partners in developing the Cultural Strategy. An important measure of its success will be the degree to which culture and the values of the Cultural Strategy are reflected in Service Plans, Community Strategies and other policies which are pursued by public, private and voluntary bodies across Hampshire.

Written by Peter F. Mason on behalf of Hampshire County Council ©

(PM-v3a: 03/03/03)