Action Groups - Tourism, Culture & Heritage

The Tourism, Culture and Heritage Group is made up of a cross section of people representing many diverse elements of social activity. Joint working across localities creates many challenging opportunities. Our guiding principle is to facilitate integration within, across and between the Action Groups. There is a strong desire to see empathetic developmental change across and within the five towns, whilst valuing the unique significance creative and cultural activities bring to the Renaissance of the Upper Calder Valley.

Effective communication is essential. It is clear that time and enthusiasm, freely given, is best served by the open and transparent transmission of ideas into policy and practice at all levels.

Social ownership will best be achieved through feedback on the progress of the Action Groups and the sharing of lessons learned.

Strategy
To promote an integrated strategy for creative and cultural activities, tourism and heritage for the Upper Calder Valley.

To promote an identity for the Upper Calder Valley which will best express its unique qualities in the arts, physical landscape and cultural heritage, which grows out of the historic and contemporary life of the people living and working in the Valley. To work towards celebrating 'The Cultural Valley' by including all the human and physical elements found there such as: people of varying cultural and ethnic backgrounds, professional and amateur artists from all fields; music, visual arts, performance arts, creative writing, sculpture, crafts including ceramics, glassmakers and many more.

To create a place of recreation where visitors and residents may choose from a range of outdoor activities to suit their needs and special interests including: sporting activities for individuals and groups across the full age range; boating and canal barges; horse-riding; mountain biking; walking; workshops in visual arts, stone carving and the industrial landscape.

Actions
1. Set up a Creative Industries Network to develop opportunities for collaboration within and between creative businesses in the Upper Calder Valley, to increase awareness, foster joint activities and offer support to local initiatives.

2. Create an exciting, unified identity for the five towns for marketing strategies in order to develop and encourage active participation.

3. Create the 'Five Town Festival of Ideas'
Promoting a cross-cultural identity for the Upper Calder Valley and facilitating funding opportunities.

4. Branding
Create and promote a brand name for the Upper Calder Valley.

5. Marketing Strategy
Develop a marketing strategy which covers all types of tourism, cultural and recreational opportunities and promote the Valley as:

• a place that is green, sustainable and self sufficient with clean air, clean water and safe food: 'The Valley of Wellbeing'
• a place of recreation where visitors can choose their own speed - slow walking, fast mountain biking: "The Fast and Slow Valley"
• a place for celebrating a wide range of foods, therapies, local history, arts and crafts and the celebrated literary connections with the Arvon Foundation, Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath: 'The Valley of Culture'.

6.Cultural and Tourism Audit
Carry out an audit of current cultural and tourism assets and planned activities; identify what cultural provision is available, where, when and how it is delivered; identify what forms of culture are available in terms of participation for artists, young people, craft makers, visitors and the community as a whole and create a database of accommodation, places to eat, farms, hotels and registered private providers.

7. Tourism Development Officer
Encourage the local authority to recognise the importance of tourism and reinstate a Tourism Development Officer.

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