Vital Sparks project ignites Plymouth's cultural potential

The brand new Vital Sparks project is being ignited in Plymouth thanks to funding from Arts Council England.

Vital Sparks will be designed to inspire arts, culture and creativity in the city and act as a link between different groups involved in these activities.

A dedicated project leader will be recruited to develop an activity programme that will put creativity into the heart of our communities. They will also work with community, youth and residents’ groups across Plymouth, supporting them to reach their full potential. The groups will be helped to develop their plans, to link in with others across the city and co-ordinate their activities and will be introduced to artists and arts organisations.

The project is being led by Plymouth City Council on behalf of the Plymouth Culture Board and in partnership with a large group of arts and community organisations from around the city.

Leader of the Council, Councillor Tudor Evans said: “We are proud that the work in Plymouth has been recognised and given this funding support. The Vital Sparks project is drawing on our strong track record in cultural development and support for key partnership activities. The project also represents a significant step change in supporting the city’s ambition to become the next UK City of Culture in 2017.”

Vital Sparks project is an example of how cultural projects will benefit communities and the work that is being carried out for Plymouth’s bid to become City of Culture 2017.

Adrian Vinken, Chair of the Plymouth Culture Board said: “We recognise that much good work has been done over recent years to encourage communities to participate in cultural development. This project is a great step towards raising the creative profile of the city and provide a well-connected and communicated arts and cultural offer. This is particularly significant as Plymouth competes for the UK City of Culture accolade in 2017.”

The idea for the two year Vital Sparks project was born out of Plymouth Culture Board’s ambition to get more people involved in arts and heritage based cultural activities. It is the first time all of the city’s arts organisations involved in participatory work have been brought together in one project. This will mean community groups can be connected to whichever organisation can support them to achieve their ambitions. It was developed through extensive consultation with the city’s arts sector, the regeneration and youth services, housing and the voluntary and community sector.