It is an exciting and challenging time for Kirklees and for culture. However, we recognise that we are at a point of great global, national, and local shifts, and we are not immune to these events and factors as a cultural sector, as a community or as individuals.
Kirklees as a place, has strengths and weaknesses, has opportunities and challenges. Kirklees is a district with a rich and diverse cultural heritage and future. It is home to a wide range of cultural organisations and businesses, who continually produce new work, develop new content and support relationships and communities across the district. Therefore, Kirklees Council, with support from Arts Council England and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority is developing a new Cultural Strategy that is about people, artists, musicians, makers, creatives, thinkers and innovators who work across all sectors.
The journey to produce the Culture Strategy for Kirklees started with the Culture is Ordinary conference , held in November 2022 which brought together cultural stakeholders from across the district to look at the future of culture in Kirklees. Following on from the conference, CT Consults have been appointed to work with the Council and cultural stakeholders from across Kirklees over the coming months to produce the Cultural Strategy that will be about place, is of place and is place-based. It should be localised to celebrate our differences but over-arching to unite the district
It is important to note that there is a trio of new strategies, which is headed up by the Cultural Strategy. These three strategies will work together to transform the district for the future. The Heritage Strategy was supported by National Heritage Lottery Fund through a project called 'Bringing out the Best', and through creative consultation the Heritage Strategy, called 'We are making history', captures the unique stories of Kirklees. It tells of why we look the way we do, shining a light on the unique heritage of Kirklees. The Tourism Strategy is how we are sharing the story of place and encouraging visitors to Kirklees from community-based tourists within, to regional, national, and international visitors. The cultural strategy draws together how we express our identity, our creativity and how we celebrate who we are.