Future looks bright for town's cultural services (From Warrington Guardian)
Text us your news! Start your message Warrington News and send any photos or videos to 80360
Future looks bright for town's cultural services
12:00pm Friday 26th October 2012 in News
The team at Culture Warrington
THE bosses charged with running cultural services in Warrington say the future looks bright in the town.
Saturday will see the official launch of Culture Warrington, the organisation which has taken over organising Warrington Museum and the Parr Hall from the council, with a bash at another of its bases - Pyramid.
And chairman Maureen Banner believes the change provides a unique opportunity for the town.
She added: “It is about involving all parts of the town.
“What the trust provides is a new focus. The council has always recognised how important culture is but we can do it differently.”
One way the new service can work differently is to allow the organisation to bid for new funding, to make decisions more quickly and to allow staff to get more involved in what happens.
While the successful contemporary arts festival, the second to be held, finishes this weekend, plans are already in place for Christmas and beyond.
And Jan Souness, who runs Culture Warrington and Livewire which now manages leisure services, says the growth of culture will be ‘the one to watch’ in the future.
“People in Warrington are always willing to try new things. And what we want to do is to take culture out to them, in the town centre or wherever they are,” she said.
That process has started this week with ‘Pimp my Piano’ - a move which will see two pianos appear across the town, with members of the public encouraged to twinkle the ivories.
And the past two weekends have seen flash mobs of dancers pop in varying spots from the bus station to the market.
The board running the organisation includes professionals within the arts scene and all are volunteers.
Mrs Banner says their passion will be crucial.
She added: “We are all volunteers but we are all passionate and giving up our own time. And it is that sort of commitment which is needed.”
And it already promises to be a busy forthcoming 12 months with the team hoping to hold cultural events in partnership with the Rugby League World Cup in 2013 and with talks starting with the Arts Council to bring more money to Warrington.
