Coventry Cultural Strategy 2017 to 2027

Coventry has a Cultural Strategy which was developed nearly 10 years ago, running from 2017 to 2027. As it was developed a while back with only 2 years left, it was important for us to think about whether the priorities in the strategy were still the right ones. We also needed to think about what action would be required for the remaining 2 years of the strategy.

To help with this process, the Council facilitated a Future Works II event in October 2024, providing an opportunity to get feedback from the sector and people interested in culture, heritage and creativity in the city. In addition, the Coventry Culture Works Collective (CCWC) – a new cultural compact for Coventry – had its first meeting in May 2025.

The CCWC ‘Reps’ represent a wide range of experience from cultural organisations to freelancers and residents. The compact has been working hard since May to consider the feedback from the sector, doing an analysis of what is happening around us, as well as thinking about the activities that would lead us to the things we would like to achieve. It was recognised that some wider ambitions would take longer to achieve – but we could use the next 2 years to take smaller steps towards them.

We also worked on the basis that the cultural strategy should be the city’s strategy – and not just something that gets created and stored somewhere. Everyone who lives and works in Coventry should feel empowered to be part of the delivery of this strategy

The Themes

Based on the feedback, there were five themes that seemed to resonate with people.

• Economic Prosperity
• Health and Wellbeing
• Environment and Social Justice
• Lifelong Learning and Skills
• Cultural Engagement and Opportunity

All of these areas should be based on partnership working, with diversity, equality and inclusion being central to our work

We then worked to develop a theory of change for each area to think about the long-term impact we want to have – with the intention of breaking them down into objectives and actions.

Economic Prosperity

Goal: What is the long-term impact we want to have?

• Coventry has well-performing cultural and creative sectors where organisations and freelancers can thrive, contributing to overall economic prosperity of the city. This will also attract new businesses and support retention of graduates.
• Culture and heritage are recognised and promoted as key tourism drivers for the city

Objective 1.1

Coventry to secure funding to deliver relevant parts of the cultural strategy and priority actions

Action 1.1

• Collectively advocate for the city and influence funders
• Raising the profile of Coventry cultural sector and creative sectors
• Work collaboratively to develop funding bids that will contribute to our strategy

Objective 1.2

Have business and financial resilience support available for anyone working in the cultural/ creative sectors, including freelancers

Action 1.2

• The Council and other partners to aim to deliver programmes aimed at supporting the financial resilience of freelancers, organisations and creative businesses

Objective 1.3

CreaTech Frontiers programme and Coventry and Warwickshire Exchange (CWX) continue to benefit creative and cultural businesses and freelancers

Action 1.3

• Securing continuation funding for CWX
• Ensure CreaTech Frontiers continues to connect with the wider cultural sector

Objective 1.4

Organisations, freelancers and creative businesses know about funding and support opportunities

Action 1.4

• Promoting funding and support opportunities online and through existing networks

Objective 1.5

Culture and heritage are included in the new tourism strategy and considered important for getting more people to visit Coventry

Action 1.5

• CCWC members to participate in the Tourism Strategy consultation in 2026
• Other stakeholders to advocate for the role of culture

Objective 1.6

Increase day visits to cultural venues, events and heritage sites and encourage overnight visitors

Action 1.6

• Work collaboratively to develop ‘packages’ for visitors and cross-promote

Objective 1.7

Culture and heritage are prominently referenced in the new strategic approach to city events and the delivery plan

Action 1.7

• CCWC to participate in Council city events consultation by June 2026
• Coordination across partners to avoid clashes (e.g. multi-faith calendars) and create strong partnerships bids for events (including national cultural events, conferences, events for residents) and cultural tourism

Objective 1.8

Culture and heritage are referenced in the new night-time economy (NTE) plan for Coventry

Action 1.8

• CCWC to participate in Council NTE plan consultation in 2026

Objective 1.9

Heritage Strategy developed and strongly aligned with the Cultural Strategy, with the aim to incorporate into the next cultural/creativity strategy for the city post 2027

Action 1.9

• Following consultation in 2025 and early 2026, Heritage Strategy finalised and approved by Cabinet in Spring 2026

Health and Wellbeing

Goal: What is the long-term impact we want to have?

• Arts and culture are core to the health and wellbeing of the city.
• Participation in and enjoyment of city-wide professional and community arts programming responds to the needs of all generations and combats isolation and mental health in our most vulnerable communities.
• Culture makes a major contribution to encouraging healthy lifestyles and physical activity.

Objective 2.1

Reconnect with key partners (e.g. Integrated Care Boards, University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire, Public Health) to explore how creativity can be better embedded into their activities

Action 2.1

• Meetings with key stakeholders to re-establish connections
• Meeting with the Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) team to understand how the project can deliver against the goal

Objective 2.2

Mapping of organisations and freelancers currently delivering creative health activity including social prescribing

Action 2.2

• Forming stronger links between non-cultural partners delivering health and wellbeing activities in the city
• A process of mapping organisations and freelancers is completed by 31 December 2027

Objective 2.3

Funding and support available for organisations and freelancers with a focus on creative health, especially those working with most vulnerable residents

Action 2.3

• Events showcasing local creatives whilst combining wellbeing activity (e.g. crafts) for residents
• Plan and fundraise for projects and other activities, building on existing work
• Securing funding for delivery of programmes for social prescribing and other creative health initiatives

Objective 2.4

Active sharing of best practice and opportunities for collaboration and development of projects, which would target those most in need

Action 2.4

• Annual Creative Health event (taking turns with Warwickshire) allowing sharing of learning and opportunities

Objective 2.5

Maximise the opportunity around the Coventry Health Determinants Research Collaboration

Environment and Social Justice

Goal: What is the long-term impact we want to have?

• Arts and culture proactively promote and support collaborative behaviour change and practical climate adaptation action in neighbourhoods and across the city.
• Arts and culture model circular economy practices and principles in production and programming that bring fun, interactive and entertaining activities to celebrate and sustain the city’s green and other heritage sites.

Objective 3.1

To ensure that the culture sector and creative activities can form a part of the £1m National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) ‘Green Futures’ programme delivery for the Council

Action 3.1

• CCWC to meet with Council team delivering NLHF funding to explore joint opportunities (as starting point to continuous dialogue)
• Making sure cultural sector partners are kept informed about any opportunities relating to the project

Objective 3.2

Enhanced capability in the cultural sector to engage in Coventry’s new Climate Strategy (both how to help to engage with residents – as well as the sustainability of the cultural sector)

Action 3.2

• CCWC Rep to meet with Council team delivering the Climate Strategy (as a starting point to continuous dialogue)
• Environment and social justice featured at the Future Works annual events and/or organise specific events on the theme

Objective 3.3

There is funding and support available for cultural organisations and freelancers to help them to operate more sustainable way

Action 3.3

• Actively share funding and other opportunities to enable the cultural sector to improve the environmental sustainability of their operations

Objective 3.4

There is funding and support available for cultural organisations and freelancers to support residents in green activism and behaviour change

Action 3.4

• Actively share funding and other opportunities to enable the cultural sector to better engage with residents

Lifelong Learning and Skills

Goal: What is the long-term impact we want to have?

• All children & young people (CYP) have an entitlement to the arts and digital creativity in schools and in their community, which is not limited by family income, location or age.
• There are opportunities for all generations to learn from and develop through the arts.
• Professional talent is recognised, developed and supported at all points of career development.

Objective 4.1

Maintain the momentum with the Coventry Cultural Education Partnership (CCEP), including the network of Cultural Champions in each school

Action 4.1

• CCEP to complete the audit/ mapping of cultural sector work with schools and colleges and other data
• CCEP to deliver a suite of activities promoting creative careers and arts in curriculum

Objective 4.2

There are a number of initiatives in place supporting skills development of Coventry creatives, with a special focus on global majority, freelancers and those experiencing disadvantage

Action 4.2

• Finalising mapping of skills development programmes for next two years and existing funding
• Delivery of a strategic skills programme in Coventry to address gaps in provision
• Ensuring target communities are aware of the opportunities and skills/career pathways

Objective 4.3

There is funding and support available for cultural organisations and freelancers to deliver skills opportunities for residents, with a focus on young people and those experiencing disadvantage

Action 4.3

• Ensuring organisations and freelancers are aware of opportunities for community skills building (e.g. funding, collaborations) through a new website/newsletter including non-cultural opportunities

Objective 4.4

Apprenticeships – cultural and heritage organisations are making use of reforms to hire and train apprentices to fill skills gaps and develop next generation of cultural and heritage workers

Action 4.4

• Ensuring organisations are aware of government apprenticeship reforms and cost reductions to small employers
• Ensuring target communities are aware of the opportunities and skills/career pathways

Cultural Engagement and Opportunity

Goal: What is the long-term impact we want to have?

• Cultural programming reflects the diversity of the city, with community-led production/programming increasing cultural participation and activism especially in areas with less opportunities.
• Establish Coventry as international centre of excellence for co-created cultural practice.
• Coventry has the required spaces and places to support cultural & creative activity through good quality cultural infrastructure.
• Traditional global craft are celebrated and supported and are a feature of Coventry’s cultural landscape.

Objective 5.1

Community centres and community connectors have developed skills and capacity to co- create cultural activity in their communities

Action 5.1

• A ‘Creative People and Places’ type of programme to support capacity building of local communities and enable hyper- local, co-created cultural activity being delivered

Objective 5.2

Opportunities created for sharing good practice in co-creation (events, research) and a learning library

Action 5.2

• A working group blending creative practitioners, residents and academics to create a toolbox for excellence in co-creation
• Opportunities to share learning (e.g. events)

Objective 5.3

A better understanding of existing meanwhile spaces, capital grants and ‘culture friendly’ landlords, with sector access to this information through e.g. CCWC website

Action 5.3

• Council to make the 2025 infrastructure mapping accessible through their website
• Work with Council to identify void spaces suitable for use as meanwhile spaces and develop an approach on how to better engage in city regeneration and developers

Objective 5.4

Better links between the cultural sector and planning teams and/or developers to protect existing cultural infrastructure and facilitate development of new spaces

Action 5.4

• Sharing information about existing capital funding opportunities with the wider sector

Objective 5.5

Raised awareness of extent of global craft being practised in Coventry and scoping feasibility of a Festival of Making centred around global crafts and everyday making skills

Action 5.5

• Ensure global crafts included in Tourism Strategy
• Doing a mapping of the type of crafts practiced in the city, the people and organisations involved
• Creating more opportunities to craft makers to promote and sell their products
• Securing funding to support the process of making crafts more visible (e.g. festival of making)