Enjoy, Talk, Do, Be a Cultural Strategy for Torbay and Its Communities

Enjoy, talk, do, be... a cultural strategy for Torbay and its communities

Brief for a Torbay cultural volunteering scoping study, strategy and action plan (24 June 2015)

Introduction

1. Torbay Development Agency (TDA), on behalf of Torbay Culture Board, invites tenders for a scoping study, strategy and action plan to support and further develop cultural volunteering across the Bay.

2. Tenders should be submitted to [email protected] by 12.00 noon, Friday 3 July 2015.

3. Please address any questions to Sue Kay either by email [email protected] or by phone on 01364 653152.

About TDA and Torbay Culture Board

4. TDA’s mission is to bring about the regeneration of Torbay and deliver economic benefits for the whole community.

5. Working in partnership with Torbay Council, TDA commissioned a new cultural strategy for Torbay, funded by Arts Council England (ACE). A new Torbay Culture Board has been established to oversee strategy delivery and, as a result of further successful fundraising (Arts Council Grants for the Arts), an Executive Director has appointed (commencing mid-September 2015) to lead an initial two-year programme of work. Within this successful bid, funding is also available to commission this study, in partnership with Torbay Council (including Libraries and Torre Abbey), the English Riviera Global Geopark, Torbay Community Development Trust (Torbay CDT), Torquay Museum, Brixham Heritage Museum and Doorstep Arts.

1 Context

6. Enjoy, talk, do, be...a cultural strategy for Torbay and its communities 2014-2024 advocates wider ownership of the cultural strategy through the recruitment of 'Torbay Culture Ambassadors' – volunteers ranging from guest house owners to taxi drivers; neighbourhood champions to young activists; and housing officers to local celebrities – who will champion culture in the Bay with their colleagues, customers and communities http://www.torbaydevelopmentagency.co.uk/networking-and-events/cultural-strategy

7. This cultural strategy recommendation sits alongside important existing cultural volunteering opportunities in the Bay, particularly in libraries, and heritage facilities (notably, through Torbay’s Accredited museums); Torbay’s forthcoming hosting of the 7th UNESCO International conference on Global Geoparks in September 2016 (signalling a step-change in volunteering and ‘ambassadorial’ activity); and the recent launch of a new Volunteer Centre under the auspices of Torbay CDT (who promote and support volunteering in the Bay in a number of ways, including a recent volunteer week and a planned skills timebank for local groups). Torbay CDT is also the lead organisation for Ageing Well, a six-year Big Lottery funded project to reduce isolation amongst the 50 plus generation in the Bay.

8. Other initiatives being supported in the initial two-year Arts Council Grants for the Arts-funded programme (see 5) include scoping an arts on prescription scheme, piloting a male suicide prevention project, developing cultural commissioning and enhancing Torbay as an 'eventful' cultural destination. These – along with vital work by Youth Cultural Partnership, Torbay, supporting young people in making their own cultural opportunities – also provide new possibilities for and ‘takes’ on cultural volunteering.

9. All partners now wish to bring all these elements together and develop a broad-based, joined-up strategy and action plan to support and promote cultural volunteering as a whole across the Bay.

Tender requirements

10. Those interested in tendering for this contract should email a letter of application outlining their suitability, plus a CV to: [email protected]

11. Please also include two references and any examples of similar or compatible work you have successfully undertaken.

12. The total budget for the delivery of this study is £6000.00 to include VAT and travel.

13. Your quotation should break down all costs and highlight any process elements you feel are omitted below.

2 Timescales

The closing date for tenders is: 12.00 noon, Friday 3 July 2015

A shortlist of consultants will be interviewed in Torquay on: Wednesday 8 July 2015

The contract will commence as soon as possible after: Monday 13 July 2015

It is anticipated that the majority of the work will take place in July, September and the first half of October 2015, with interim desk-work in August where possible.

The completion date for the work is Friday 30 October 2015 at the latest.

Submission of tenders

Please email your tender (subject: ‘Torbay Cultural Volunteering Tender’) by 12.00 noon on Friday 3 July 2015 to: [email protected]

Contract management

The contract will be issued by TDA. The day-to-day contact for the study will be Sue Kay ([email protected] 07778 322899) operating on behalf of TDA, Torbay Culture Board and partners.

Study brief

1. Overview and purpose

This study assumes the following definition of volunteering (Volunteering England, cited by Cook, 2014) as:

...any activity that involves spending time, unpaid, doing something that aims to benefit the environment or someone (individuals or groups) other than, or in addition to, close relatives. Central to this definition is the fact that volunteering must be a choice freely made by each individual. This can include formal activity undertaken through public, private and voluntary organisations as well as informal community participation.

Volunteering is a great way of getting involved in culture (which we take in the broadest sense to include the visual and performing arts, built and natural environment, heritage, libraries, media, museums, play, sport, tourism and informal leisure pursuits), hence the notion of ‘cultural volunteering’.

Cultural volunteers give their time, energy, enthusiasm and expertise in a huge variety of ways: as board members, events stewards, tour guides, archivists and front-of-house team members. They help run cultural organisations, festivals and

3 projects, often acting as the best advocates for what is going on. They get involved in everything from curatorial support, maintenance/construction and marketing and audience development research to ICT/social media, education and learning activities and projects engaging with children and families. Cultural volunteers can be young people wanting to explore a particular passion or try out a potential career path; adults wishing to take their social life or spare time in a new direction or prepare for a move into/ return to paid work; and older people keen to give something back or to use their skills and expertise in a completely different environment. All are united in getting a buzz from this special and frequently under- valued way of engaging with cultural activity, practitioners and organisations.

Torbay offers a range of cultural volunteering opportunities, and provision is particularly well-developed within the Bay’s libraries and museums and more generally through the work of the Volunteer Centre at Torbay CDT. As outlined in 6- 8, the advent of the cultural strategy (which makes specific reference to the recruitment of ‘culture ambassadors’ with particular pride in their area); a number of projects and initiatives with strong potential links to cultural volunteering (e.g. Eventful Torbay, cultural commissioning, arts on prescription, Ageing Well Festival); and the major volunteering and ambassadorial potential of the forthcoming 7th UNESCO International conference on Global Geoparks in Torbay, September 2016, offer an invaluable, strategic opportunity to ‘do more, different and better’ for cultural volunteering in the Bay – without re-inventing the wheel.

For all partners, the time is now right to commission an independent piece of work that will bring these (and other) elements together to:

 recognise the diversity of existing cultural volunteering provision, perspectives and passions; the needs and desires of Torbay's communities; and the aspirations of cultural sector as a whole  scope out a number of options for recruitment, selection, training and support of cultural volunteers (within the context of existing support for volunteering as a whole in the Bay)  provide a clear purpose, broad-based buy-in and partnership plan for building and resourcing a joined-up and sustainable cultural volunteering ‘offer’ in the Bay.

2. Outputs and outcomes

Specifically, a consultant is sought to:

 lead an initial consultation meeting with project partners

 map and analyse the current profile of and support for cultural volunteering in Torbay (using the broad definition highlighted above) through primary and secondary sources  assess the perceived value, contribution, needs and potential of cultural volunteering across the Bay (both qualitative and quantitative) in consultation with volunteers, host and support organisations, community representatives, interested cultural sector bodies, and through existing research

4  identify factors which influence the type of cultural volunteering undertaken and the kinds of ‘rewards’ sought  identify issues and needs in terms of signposting and exit strategies (where relevant), infrastructure, and capacity to provide a quality experience for both volunteers and staff  explore Torbay cultural volunteering strategy options, particularly in relation to existing provision in volunteer recruitment, selection, training and support  propose and detail a strategy, partnership framework and (costed) action plan for further sustainable development of cultural volunteering in the Bay  make suggestions for fundraising options (as appropriate)  share findings and recommendations with project partners to ensure ownership and buy-in  incorporate all the above in a final report

 present the findings and recommendations of the study at a concluding/ dissemination event for all those who took part in the study, plus invited guests (venue and hospitality costs covered separately)