H&F Launches Bid to Become London Borough of Culture

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Residents urged to back the bid to be chosen by Mayor of London

Hammersmith and Fulham Council has unveiled a bid for H&F to become the next London Borough of Culture in 2019 or 2020.

The council's announcement says: "Culture in Hammersmith & Fulham is extraordinary: but we want it to be bigger, better and louder.

" If H&F wins the Mayor of London’s Borough of Culture competition for either 2019 or 2020, it will build a Cultural Capital for West London in H&F to produce the best art, enable the best artistic talent to grow and ensure everyone has their lives enriched by the arts."

The council adds that our borough already has the basics in place to maximise the possibilities that a London Borough of Culture designation offers, saying that artistic endeavours underpin the dynamic local economy, with the council’s collaborative new arts strategy designed to put culture at the heart of policy-making.

The core aims of the council’s new Arts Strategy include:

• Destination: Boosting the local economy by developing and promoting a thriving borough for the arts
• Creation: Supporting people to create and produce excellent art of all kinds
• Inclusion: Giving residents from a wide range of backgrounds more opportunity to experience and participate in artistic and cultural activities

Hammersmith & Fulham, of course, already boasts world-class venues for theatre, music and dance, including Lyric Hammersmith, Bush Theatre, Fulham Palace, the Eventim Apollo, the Bhavan Centre, Bush Hall, the Irish Cultural Centre, the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, POSK, Under the Bridge and LAMDA and its Carne Studio and Sainsbury Theatres.

"We are proud to call Hammersmith our home and to be part of the vibrant west London arts scene supported by H&F Council," said Sian Alexander, Executive Director of the Lyric Hammersmith. "We fully endorse their bid for London’s Borough of Culture, which will enable them to inspire even more Londoners, national and international visitors through the arts."

Joanna Read, Principal of LAMDA (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art) said: “We’re proud to have contributed to H&F’s richly diverse cultural and creative scene for over 150 years. We are delighted to fully support its bid to become London’s Borough of Culture.”

While Siân Harrington, Chief Executive of the Fulham Palace Trust, said: “Fulham Palace is delighted to back Hammersmith & Fulham’s bid to be the London Borough of Culture. As the Bishop of London’s former Summer home, we want to engage with as many people as possible and provide an insight into over 1,300 years of English history, so this seems like a wonderful opportunity to share the area’s rich cultural history and stories.

Cllr Andrew Jones, H&F Cabinet Member for Economic Development annd Regeneration, said: "Winning the bid for 2019 or 2020 would allow us to build on the arts scene generated by our existing facilities and inspire other Londoners – and people from the UK, Europe and further afield – to share what we are able to offer.”

Winning the bid to become London’s 2019-20 Borough of Culture would give a tremendous boost to existing drives to involve more residents in the arts, drawing on the pool of local talent and expertise to bring together diverse communities and celebrate worldwide culture.

If the bid is successful, a year-long calendar of events will be created using the £1.1million of fresh funding, aimed at bringing people together and acting as a springboard to create full-time jobs for young people, and mentoring programmes around the existing theatre, film, music and art centres of excellence.

The council is inviting people to register their support for the bid at the website, and to come along to London Borough of Culture Meetings, at dates to be announced soon.

For more details, visit: www.lbhf.gov.uk/getcultured.

Novembber 9, 2017