Information about the cultural and heritage strategy for King's Lynn
Culture & Heritage Strategy for King’s Lynn
We are working in partnership with Arts Council England to prepare a new ten-year Culture & Heritage Strategy for King’s Lynn. The creation of a Culture & Heritage Strategy is needed to bring together our array of creative partners, residents and businesses on the priorities to support the development of Creative Industries in the town.
A Culture & Heritage Strategy is key to align and bring together currently disparate activity to create a sector leading strategy which will enable the leverage of further investment to enable the cultural sector to grow and flourish further. The Strategy’s aim is to strengthen joint approaches, attract investment and bring the most exciting opportunities to King’s Lynn to develop culture for all.
Engagement to date
We have conducted consultations with local people and cultural sector workers alike, through workshops, interviews and surveys. Each have shared their valuable and unique insight into King’s Lynn, it’s strengths and weaknesses for culture and heritage, and their hopes for its future.
- Initial 1-2-1 interviews were undertaken with a cross section of stakeholders at the beginning of the study.
- We held initial workshops in July 2024 to gather your feedback, views and ideas on the cultural and heritage opportunities for King’s Lynn.
- A survey and extensive engagement was undertaken by the Town Board in July 2024 to further understand local people’s aspirations for King’s Lynn which will form a new set of priorities for future investment in the town.
- Follow up workshops were held in September 2024 to reflect on the feedback we have received so far on heritage, culture and creativity in King’s Lynn.
Reflections on the towns strength and challenges with Culture & Heritage
Strengths:
- King's Lynn has a rich cultural heritage with historic buildings and assets. Communities are engaged with conversations about town development, and an appetite for a wider cultural offer is evident.
- Cultural offerings like Festival Too and other local, business-led initiatives are popular with locals and demonstrate active support and contribution from businesses in the town.
- Consultation with local people has shown the huge potential King’s Lynn has to offer as a place to live, work and visit.
- There is set to be significant investment in cultural infrastructure over the next 3 to 4 years, creating opportunities for business growth and job creation in the creative industries.
- Various Council initiatives take advantage of the town’s strengths by supporting year-round events, night-time economies and commissioning art and events in public spaces.
- The town's rapid population growth over the next 15 to 20 years presents an opportunity to increase cultural capacity.
- The draft West Norfolk Economic Strategy recognises the potential opportunity to grow the cultural industries in West Norfolk
Challenges:
- A lack of coordination among cultural organisations means opportunities may be missed.
- Threats to cultural engagement include the health inequalities and deprivation in certain areas, as well as the possible perception amongst the resident population that cultural organisations are run by elites and not for them, leading to a lack of relatability to arts leadership.
- There is also an uncertainty around future funding like UK Shared Prosperity Fund which has supported a number of local cultural and heritage projects during 2022-25.
- There has been a lack of coordination among cultural partners, and no strategy with a common shared vision to bring them together and develop joined up initiatives.
- Working groups and structures need a refresh to be more productive, open and collaborative.
- There is a high level of outward migration among young people, often looking to Cambridge or London for better career prospects, posing a challenge to retain talent in the town. This could be linked to the limited access to funding and creative spaces for young people.
Key themes emerging
Workshops held in July and September explored and co-created a vision and key actions for four priority themes that emerged:
- Young People as Makers, Creators and Producers - the vision is to create an environment where young people in King’s Lynn are inspired and empowered to explore their creative potential, equipped with the skills and opportunities to become makers, creators and producers.
- Animating King’s Lynn heritage – the vision is to transform King’s Lynn into a dynamic, innovative and interactive heritage centre. By animating our rich history through modern storytelling methods, interactive experiences and year-round programming, we aim to make heritage accessible, engaging and relevant to all, especially young people.
- Inclusivity and diverse voice embedded in King’s Lynn Heritage and Culture - the vision is a vibrant, inclusive cultural scene in King’s Lynn that amplifies diverse voices and celebrates the rich cultural contributions of all local communities. We want every resident and visitor to feel represented, valued and inspired to participate in and contribute to King’s Lynn’s heritage and culture.
- Collaborative working for resilience - the vision is that there is a resilient and thriving cultural sector in King’s Lynn because of collaboration amongst a range of people and organisations operating in the heritage and culture sector. Under a shared vision and mission, organisations will be better at demonstrating their impact, have more financial stability and be creating a vibrant cultural landscape that benefits all.
Ideas for the delivering the strategy
Art Reach proposed that a Culture Steering Group be formed to oversee the driving of the Culture & Heritage Strategy delivery, and to set up Task Groups which bring together organisations and individuals to deliver specific projects. Part of this could be for Task Groups to secure funding for projects.
An idea discussed in workshops was for the King’s Lynn Culture Steering Group to have a maximum of 10 people recruited from the local community and cultural sector. Criteria for the range of people needed on the Steering Group will be decided, and 10 people recruited to fill these positions. The group is supported by but not necessarily led by the Borough Council.
Your views
We are interested to hear from residents, businesses, stakeholders and interested people with a short questionnaire to invite your comments and help us further develop a Culture and Heritage Strategy which is right for the people and place of King’s Lynn.
The Survey will close on 25 November 2024.
Next steps
Your views will help us shape the final Culture and Heritage Strategy for King’s Lynn to be completed by the end of 2024.