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CC(3) AC 12 Communities and Culture Committee Inquiry into the „accessibility of arts and cultural activities in Wales Submission from Communities First in Rhondda Fach. Chris Jobber – Communities First Central Support Team (RCTCBC) Wendy Rees – Ynyshir and Wattstown Communities First Coordinator Steve Smith – Cymmer Communities First Coordinator Accessibility of arts and culture is integral to local community regeneration which has been evidenced across Communities First Partnerships in Rhondda Cynon Taf in particular in the Rhondda Fach. In the Rhondda Fach Ynyshir and Wattstown Communities First and Cymmer Communities First have worked in partnership, in particular with Porth Chamber of Trade and South Wales Inter Cultural Arts (SWICA) and have been fortunate to secure Arts Council funding for a number of arts and cultural projects, which have enabled local community residents to access arts and culture at a local level. It should not be underestimated how difficult it can be to engage community members from deprived areas to engage in activities, if arts and culture were only available in Cardiff this would be a great injustice to the Valley communities, often they are reluctant to travel out of their ‘comfort zones’ and this can be due to financial reasons but also due to lack of self esteem and self confidence also the poverty of aspiration should not be underestimated. The support of the Arts Council has enabled us locally to deliver workshops across the communities in costume design and creation, dance, drumming and lantern making. Workshops were in preparation for events including Porth Carnival and Porth Lantern parades, because we have been successful for a number of years we have seen the project develop from an embryonic idea into successful arts and cultural events, one in the Summer – Porth Carnival with the workshops being pivatol the event, without the workshops there would be no parade and really no carnival. We also have undertaken Lantern workshops which have led to Lantern Parades, again without the workshops there would be no lantern parade. So we would like to say a massive thank you to the Arts Council and their continued support over the last few years. Omnibus Survey Younger adults are much more likely than older adults to attend an arts event – this has not been evidenced by us, indeed we have found that the workshops we were able to put on and the events draw in people of all ages and we see the project as being inter generational. Although the workshops have been the lynch pin for the events to take place, they have also encouraged other cultural activities to participate, for instance in conjunction with the parade for Porth Carnival we have also held an Art Exhibition, the majority of people displaying work are generally older people (over 50’S) Participants in workshops have ranged from 6 months to 70+ and included some people with disabilities. Females are more likely than males to attend an arts event - this has not been evidenced by us, for the workshops it could be true that there are more women than men, particularly for dance, however the events that are the culmination of the workshops see an even spread of age and gender. Porth Carnival regularly attracts over 5,000, while the Lantern Parade 2008 attracts in excess of 7000 people and saw over 250 lanterns made by local community members in the parade. The Partnership approach with SWICA should also not be underestimated 31% of Welsh Adults take a direct part in artistic activities once a year or more, but Welsh Speakers are more likely than non-Welsh speakers to directly participate in such events - This has not been evidenced by us and overwhelmingly the participants have been English speakers, however one of the key elements for the success of our project has been engagement with local Schools which include English and Welsh speakers. Again we believe that the local level of accessibility has enabled us to engage with our communities and now we frequently have Schools contacting the Partnerships asking when their young people can become involved. Background Porth Carnival was an imaginative and creative idea which continues to develop today, through a partnership of organisations and individuals, including Porth Chamber of Trade representatives, RCTCBC Town Centres, Communities First Area Coordinator, Police, local elected members, and local CF Partnerships. At its outset there were numerous objectives that the Carnival was set up to tackle: including promoting Porth Town Centre as a shopping and cultural centre for the Rhondda Valleys, increasing the footfall within the town centre both on the day and in future, providing a focus for the development of participative arts in the valleys, being a focal point for surrounding communities to celebrate their own culture and learn about others and finally as way for groups, organisations and communities to come together to interrelate and have fun. From this, has mushroomed other artistic and cultural events which have increased community participation in the arts As an example, In 2007 additional activities were undertaken which included a 3 day Art Exhibition at Porth Plaza celebrating the success of local communities art groups. The first two carnivals were achieved in the main due to the enthusiasm, spirit and drive of the partnership which they passed on to a variety of groups and shopkeepers who decorated their premises and importantly for its development the young people of Porth and the surrounding communities. Working in youth clubs, Parent and Toddler groups, schools, churches, scout groups, etc. and with individual artists and volunteers the early carnivals were fun and frivolous but had people from across the valleys coming out to support. Realising the need to become more professional in organisation and delivery the partnership through an Arts Council of Wales grant brought in South Wales Inter Cultural Association (SWICA) to further progress the carnival. At the same time more groups, businesses and people wished to become involved and the carnival continued to grow. This growth meant that the costumes artistically improved and the procession developed with samba bands and dancers. In addition the carnival became a wider cultural event with a local art group exhibiting their work alongside the local model club, the church had flower exhibitions and there was a choir to formally open the event on the Thursday before the Saturday. With SWICA’s involvement and the introduction of Ben & Jude as costume designers and there ability to work with the community and appreciate the culture and heritage of the Rhondda the whole direction of the carnival shifted to become more inclusive through a professional approach. This led to the carnival continuing to grow over the years with additional attractions like vintage car shows, rugby tournaments and farmers markets and venues increasing including The Rhondda Heritage Park Museum and Porth Rugby Club. This led to the introduction of a free shuttle bus between sites. We had a vision for the carnival procession and this was more than fulfilled on the day with the synergy of the costume making, dance and percussion with Samba Galez providing a real carnival atmosphere. Recognising the communities’ appreciation and willingness to engage with large scale art projects in 2008 the partnership with SWICA support and Arts Council of Wales funding produced the first and to date only Porth Lantern Spectacular. With 2 weeks of workshops attended by all local schools and youth groups 10 large structures and over 160 individual lanterns were made. This led to a parade of over 200 people through Porth High Street to the new Cenataph, where a community concert was held. The procession then continued on its way up into the local park where the crowd of over 7,000 enjoyed dancers, various stalls and entertainment including a fire show and finally a firework display. However, although the event was such a great success by the community, some partners became nervous and anxious, so much so that they felt they could not support such a large event again (Police and RCT CBC Events Team) Communities First Partnerships did not want to loose the enthusiasm their communities have developed for such participative events and decided to organise their own more local Lantern Parades. Cymmer Communities First In Cymmer following consultation with schools, youth clubs and our local police it was decided to have 3 parades for the different schools and communities to become involved in across the ward. All 3 parades were a great success with over 350 participating in the parades, Each parade was then followed by a Christmas concert in local venues, where local School Children performed and sang Christmas songs in both English and Welsh and were supported by our own local brass band. These concerts r proved to be a great social networking event for the community to come together. In addition 1 of the parades stopped at the local OAP complex to sing carols – this was much appreciated by the local residents). The Cymmer community and schools are at present really looking forward to both Porth Carnival 2010 and the local Lantern Parades due in November / December 2010. Ynyshir and Wattstown Communities First In Ynyshir and Wattstown it was decided by the community and schools that we would hold our own lantern workshops and have one parade from Aberllechau Primary School and another from Ynyshir Primary School joining together in the local church for a carol service. Local workshops were organised and held in the communities with parents and teachers getting involved. The event was organised with other partners including the police and local priest. Over 130 lanterns were made, the schools prepared the children involving them in singing and bell ringing practices to enable them to perform on the evening of the lantern parade.

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