Cultural and Leisure Services
20 Trongate
Glasgow
G1 5ES
Tel: 0141 287 4350
Fax: 0141 287 5199
E-mail: [email protected]
www.glasgow.gov.uk
Published March 2006
Glasgow’s Cultural Strategy
Glasgow: The Place, The People, The Potential
BE PART OF IT
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This is the first comprehensive
Cultural Strategy published by
Glasgow City Council in recent years
encompassing dance, music, visual
arts, theatre, community recreation,
museums, heritage, libraries,
information and learning, sport,
parks and open spaces, events and
festivals, and creative industries.
Foreword
Glasgow is in the process of a great
renaissance. In the past few years, new
homes, schools, leisure facilities and
businesses have sprung up, and there are
now more jobs in the city than ever before.
There is certainly a growing self-belief
and ambition in Glasgow. Whether this is
shown in our desire to attract the world’s
leading sporting and cultural events or
the confidence other people have shown
by investing in the area, it’s a great time
to be part of the city. We must continue
this good work and ensure that those
people who don’t currently benefit from
this are given the opportunity to do so.
We want to create a city of opportunities
where everyone, regardless of their
background, has the chances and
self-assurance to reach their full
potential. Culture and sport can play
a major part in achieving this – it can
help people strive for excellence and
achievement in all parts of their life.
We need more people to share in the
experiences of culture and sport. We
want all communities to do better and to
inspire each other. We want them to take
up an instrument, use their voice, draw,
perform, dance, run, do gymnastics, excel
at team sports, visit libraries, museums
and heritage sites, and just have fun.
We want people to read, reflect and
understand the world around them,
to get a glimpse of the past and images
of the future. We want to use the
resources at our disposal, and those
of our partners, to involve, challenge
and stimulate the people of Glasgow.
All of this will help continue the
transformation of Glasgow. It’s about
helping people do better at school,
making it easier to find employment
or take part in additional training
or education, and improving the
health of the whole population.
Of course achieving this will be a very
great task. It will mean the City Council
working with public, private, voluntary and
community groups across all of Glasgow,
along with national agencies too. But
there is an immense prize to be won if we
do this, and one that we must all strive for.
Since being European City of Culture in
1990, Glasgow has changed significantly
and for the better. We can now use
culture and sport to continue this good
work, and ensure that everyone in the
city has the best opportunities to succeed
in life. Our Cultural Strategy will play
a major part in making this happen.
Councillor Steven Purcell
Leader of Glasgow City Council
Although the publication is in itself
significant, demonstrating the Council’s
belief that culture is central to improving
the quality of life for Glaswegians and
visitors alike, it is not the words, but what
is actually being delivered through the
strategy which matters. And although
I could be accused of bias, what the
strategy delivers is – and will be – simply
stunning. For example, investment
in physical infrastructure, the like of
which has not been seen since Victorian
days - £200m of capital investment in
cultural facilities in the next 5 years,
with 2006 alone seeing: the opening
of the City Halls and Fruitmarket, new
home to the BBC Scottish Symphony
Orchestra; The Bridge in Easterhouse,
an Arts Centre, designed by top Scottish
architect Gareth Hoskins, and base for
the National Theatre of Scotland; and of
course the long awaited refurbishment
of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
In addition, there is a new policy
pledge to all Glasgow’s schoolchildren,
guaranteeing opportunities to visit, enjoy
and participate in programmes at the
city’s museums and galleries, libraries,
theatres, and arts venues, which will
foster a life-long engagement with the
arts, heritage, sport, and learning.
In developing the strategy, the Council has
acknowledged the link between cultural
participation, economic regeneration, and
the provision of enhanced opportunity for
our citizens. In recent years, Glasgow has
experienced record levels of private
investment, and the city’s economy
continues to out-perform the rest of
Scotland. But with investment and
economic growth comes the need
for a skilled workforce, and we know
that culture and sport have a key
role to play in equipping people with
the necessary skills to play an active
role in Glasgow’s future success.
We wish to sustain Glasgow’s regeneration
and develop its metropolitan role within
an adaptable yet robust framework
for cultural investment. As part of the
National and Regional Sports Facilities
Strategy, for example, Glasgow is already
committed to building a new National
Indoor Sports Arena in the east end of
the city and a regional sporting complex
at Toryglen. Such continued investment
will not only enable us to widen access
to world class facilities for local
communities, but also provides us with
the confidence and competitive foundation
to drive Glasgow 2014 – Scotland’s bid
for the Commonwealth Games. Glasgow
has long reaped the economic benefits
of culture and sport and has a proven
track record of successfully hosting
top-class cultural and sporting events,
including the annual World Pipe Band
Championships, Celtic Connections, the
Champions League Final in 2002 and,
more recently, the Special Olympics
Great Britain National Games.
The strategy celebrates that provision for
culture and sport is based on a vibrant
mixed economy. This comprises a strong
private leisure, entertainment and fitness
sector, a contemporary and dynamic
commercial music sector with an
international reputation, alongside the
cultural and creative industries – one
of the key growth sectors in the city
– which are now second only to London.
Competing in a global economy, where
cultural tourism is estimated to account
for 37% of all tourism, our commitment
to enhancing the city’s cultural
infrastructure and events programme
will help Glasgow to achieve a strong and
unique position in the global market.
The strategy recognises the city’s key
cultural and sporting achievements
and sets out a vision for delivering the
Council’s social and economic aims
and objectives through culture and
sport. It will continue to evolve as we
engage with partners and the city’s
citizens, promoting a broader, more
inclusive view of culture. This view of
culture combines equality and access,
and strives for excellence and quality.
It strengthens local identity and places
a high value on personal development.
We want Glasgow to be an economically
competitive, vibrant and creative city that
prospers, but we also want to ensure
that all its citizens share in its success.
Bridget McConnell
Executive Director, Culture and Sport
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Introduction
Living in Glasgow today
Glasgow is Scotland’s largest city and
local authority. It has a population of
585,090, of whom 22.3% are aged 18
years or under, 15% are aged 65 or
over, and 5.5% are from black and
minority ethnic (BME) communities.
The city has undergone a major
transformation over the last 30 years
and the regeneration continues.
This transformation has seen the
resurgence of the local economy
and the renewal of Glasgow’s
physical infrastructure and
significant improvements in its image
– nationally and internationally.
Glasgow is a vibrant, culturally well
developed and cosmopolitan city with
a strong cultural infrastructure. Yet
the city remains one of stark contrasts.
Many citizens are not benefiting
directly from the city’s growth and
opportunities, both socially and
economically, with more than 1 in 4
Glaswegians of working age claiming
benefits, almost half (46%) of families
with dependent children headed by
a lone parent, and almost half (47%)
of Glasgow’s citizens living in the
10% most deprived areas in Scotland.
Glasgow’s health remains poor
compared to the rest of the UK and
Europe, with 26% of the population
identified as having a limiting long
term illness. We must conclude
therefore that, despite Glasgow’s
successful and continuing
transformation, the energy and
vitality of this vibrant, metropolitan
city, with a significant cultural
infrastructure, does not impact on
the health and wellbeing of a large
proportion of the city’s population.
This is why we need to develop a
clear strategy, linked to key actions
that will focus on how all Glasgow’s
citizens and visitors can benefit
from the city’s cultural wealth, and
involve a range of key partners from
the public, voluntary and business
sectors in its implementation.
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The City Chambers, George Square
Meet Your Neighbour Workshop
at St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art
River Clyde
“Radiance, Glasgow’s
Festival of Light, was
excellent and an
extremely impressive
advert for Glasgow’s
approach to culture.”
Customer Comment
The wider context
The wider context is the First Minister’s
St Andrew’s Day address in 2003,
where he set out the government’s
vision “to make the development of our
creative drive, our imagination, the next
major enterprise for our society. Arts
for all can be a reality, a democratic
right, and an achievement of the 21st
century”. This acknowledges that
each citizen of Scotland should have
equal access to cultural activity. The
First Minister also heralded the cross
cutting agenda. This embeds cultural
thinking across all departmental
concerns and requires an integrated
response from local authorities
embracing all council services.
The Cultural Commission established
by the Minister for Culture,
Tourism, and Sport in April 2004
comprehensively reviewed the cultural
situation in Scotland in all its facets
and reported in June 20051, setting out
the major challenges facing Scotland’s
culture. It considered the governance of
the cultural sector; the establishment
of four cultural rights along with
supporting cultural entitlements, the
development of national standards
to raise the quality of cultural
provision, the development of local
cultural strategies and local Cultural
Planning Partnerships, and making
culture a key strategic theme within
the Community Planning system.
In Glasgow, Community Planning is
being established at the city-region
level, city-wide and locally. At the
city-wide level, the Glasgow
Community Planning Partnership
established in February 2004, has
written Glasgow’s Community Plan.
It has five overarching themes which
this cultural strategy seeks to support:
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A Working Glasgow
A Healthy Glasgow
A Learning Glasgow
A Safe Glasgow
A Vibrant Glasgow
The Social and Economic Impact
of Culture and Sport
There is significant evidence that
culture and sport make a positive
contribution to social renewal
and economic regeneration and
address broader social policy issues
related to community development,
social justice, health, learning
and educational attainment.
The 1997 ‘Social Impact of the Arts’
study by Matarasso2 concluded that
participation in the arts resulted
in benefits to individuals and
communities, such as an increase in
confidence, creativity and transferable
skills; building confidence in minority
communities; promoting social
networks and contributing to social
cohesion. Other research carried
out in 2003 for the Department for
Culture, Media and Sport3 showed that
participation in cultural and sporting
activities can also improve informal
and formal learning; enhance quality
of life; and improve personal and local
identity and a sense of well-being.
There is also clear evidence as
identified by Coalter (2001)4 and
University of Glasgow (2002)5 that
cultural and sporting activity can
lead to improved physical and mental
health, and that people with active
lifestyles have lower risks of coronary,
cardiovascular and respiratory disease
than those who have inactive lifestyles.
Research carried out by NFO System
Three in 20026 on the level and extent
of participation in culture and arts
activity has shown that the most
disadvantaged in the community are
least likely to participate, in particular
lower socio-economic groups, young
people with low education attainment,
disabled people, and black and minority
ethnic communities. A key priority for
the Cultural Strategy is to increase
participation in activities and access
to facilities, in particular focusing
on the most disadvantaged and
excluded communities.
Research carried out in 2002 for the
National Endowment for Science
Technology and the Arts (NESTA)7
concluded that there is a link between
cultural participation and increased
literacy, and an association between
cultural possessions and culture in
family background and educational
performance. Research and evaluation
of the New Opportunities Fund
supported Splash Extra Programme
(2002)8 also demonstrated a link
between participation in arts, culture
and sport activities and a reduction
in offending behaviour.
Various economic appraisals and
evaluations of cultural facilities,
activities and events (e.g. Dundee
Contemporary Arts Centre, the Arts
in the Highlands and Islands, and
the MTV Europe Music Awards in
Edinburgh 2003) have demonstrated
both direct and indirect economic
impacts on local areas and beyond.
Evaluations have shown that additional
expenditure and employment both
locally and nationally have often been
the result of the establishment of
cultural facilities or major events.
They also highlight the importance
of cultural tourism to the economy.
Economic evaluations of sporting
events have demonstrated a range of
economic impacts including additional
employment and the potential for long
term economic gains, particularly
when a major sporting event has
been the catalyst for the regeneration
of an area. There is also evidence
that culture and sport contributes to
environmental (physical) regeneration
through the refurbishment or re-use of
existing buildings, the establishment
of cultural and creative quarters
and the use of art in public places.
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The Lighthouse,
Glasgow’s Centre for Architecture and Design
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Tramway,
performance and visual arts venue
Hampden,
Scotland’s National Stadium
How culture in Glasgow
has evolved
Glasgow’s Cultural
Renaissance Post 1980
Glasgow’s rise as the second city of
the empire and workshop of the world,
its long term decline and more recent
renewal is well documented. It has
left a rich cultural legacy. Glasgow
still derives much of its personality
and defining characteristics from
its Victorian heyday: energetic,
enterprising, confident, outward
looking, resilient and combative in the
face of hardship but at the same time
‘community-minded’, determined to
make something of itself and to be
treated the equal of anywhere in the
world. The cultural legacies of the
19th century city – theatres, concert
halls, public libraries, parks,
architectural heritage and above all
museums and museum collections
– provide a significant proportion of
Scotland’s tangible cultural assets.
In the face of major economic obstacles,
poor housing and high levels of
unemployment, Glasgow City Council
took a bold, strategic decision to use
the city’s cultural infrastructure as a
catalyst for regeneration. It invested in
the Burrell Collection which opened in
1983, followed in 1986 by the Scottish
Exhibition and Conference Centre
and the Kelvin Hall International
Sports Arena in 1987, the staging of
the International Garden Festival in
1988, and Glasgow’s designation as
European Capital of Culture in 1990.
The Council saw the latter as part of
a strategic investment programme,
which would ensure the long-term
future of the cultural sector and
contribute to the economic and
social regeneration of the city.
The ‘Year of Culture’ included
performance events, exhibitions,
commissioned works, community
and international productions, and
the creation of new venues, often
from redundant spaces and buildings
including: The Arches, Tramway, and
the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.
There were an estimated 7 million
attendees at over 8,000 events, which
unlocked the potential for new cultural
industries in areas such as music,
design, film and creative technologies.
a business support programme for
Glasgow design companies; and
facilitating major themed developments
such as the digital media campus
and city science campus.
Since 1990, momentum has continued
through the city’s tourism strategy and
through an investment programme
in cultural and sporting venues.
This includes St Mungo Museum of
Religious Life and Art opened in 1993,
the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) in
1996, Glasgow’s first international
50 metre swimming pool at Tollcross in
1995, the Clyde Auditorium Conference
Centre in 1997, the National Centre
for Architecture (The Lighthouse) in
1999, the refurbishment of Tramway
in 2000, and the Glasgow Science
Centre in 2001.
In their totality these projects and events
have contributed to the image of the
city as a lively, cosmopolitan place to
visit and work. This has resulted in
a significant growth in tourism since
1997, with Glasgow’s share of the
Scottish tourism market increasing
from 16% in 1997 to 19% in 2003. The
Council’s strategy of proactively bidding
for major world events, such as the
UEFA Champions League Final in 2002,
has contributed both to this growth
and to the positive image of the city.
The creative industries sector in
Glasgow has developed significantly
post 1990 with the support of the
Council and Scottish Enterprise
Glasgow. Tailored business
development support includes
the Glasgow Film Fund and Film
Office, designed to make Glasgow a
production city for film and cinema;
financial support for organisations
such as Wasps, to provide studio and
workshop accommodation for artists;
The city now attracts more than 3.2
million tourists each year, generating
around £700million annually for
the local economy. In parallel with
the growth in destination tourism,
Glasgow has seen conference sales
increase by 200% since 1997. Leisure
and tourism account for 28,000 jobs
in the city and almost 56,000 jobs
across the Greater Glasgow and
Clyde Valley region, significantly
higher than jobs in shipbuilding in
the region when it was at its peak.
Over the last five years the city’s
economy has outperformed every
other part of Scotland and within
this growth the creative industries
are playing a significant role, with
Glasgow increasingly seen as the UK’s
second centre for creative business.
It has strong clusters in film, media
and education. In 2001, nearly 27,000
people were employed in the sector,
equating to 7% of all city employment,
and the sector was growing faster in
Glasgow than the rest of the economy.
Both Glasgow City Council and
Scottish Enterprise Glasgow recognise
the importance of the sector to the
city economy and invest heavily in
it. Glasgow’s Creative and Cultural
Industries Strategy and Action Plan
is being developed to ensure the city
maintains its position as number
two in the UK, and it is a Council
priority to agree and implement
the Strategy’s recommendations.
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Kelvingrove
Art Gallery and Museum
Physical Regeneration
in Glasgow
The evolution of Glasgow has been
underpinned by significant physical
redevelopment and regeneration,
and a sustained programme of
investment in new office, hotel, and
retail developments over the last
ten years. Substantial investment in
housing, in both traditional inner city
tenements and peripheral estates, has
occurred from Greater Easterhouse to
Castlemilk. Private housing investment
is transforming previously blighted
areas particularly on the waterfront, to
the east of the city centre, and in the
inner east end, and the recent transfer
of the city’s housing stock to the GHA
signifies a continued commitment to
this regeneration strategy.
Glasgow City Council recognises
the importance of culture and sport
to the regeneration of the city and
our commitment is evidenced in the
ongoing and future planned investment
in new cultural and sporting venues
totalling some £170 million. This
includes: a £30 million refurbishment
of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum;
the relocation of the city’s Museum
of Transport to a purpose built iconic
building on a prominent site on the
River Clyde; a £44 million investment in
national and regional sports facilities,
including the National Indoor Sports
Arena as part of the Clyde Gateway
Project; and supporting Scotland’s
Commonwealth Games bid - Glasgow
2014. The redevelopment of King Street
and the Briggait as a visual arts quarter
and the refurbishment of the City Halls
and the Fruitmarket forms a key part of
the city’s plans for the regeneration of
the Merchant City as an economically
vibrant cultural quarter.
Parks regeneration continues, aimed
at restoring Glasgow’s parks heritage
at Glasgow Green,Tollcross Park, the
Kibble Palace in the Botanic Gardens
and at Govanhill Park, forming part
of a wider area regeneration strategy.
At a local level investment has taken
place in community facilities and
libraries across the city, recognising
their key role as accessible, locally
based facilities as well as their
impact on the regeneration and
renewal of local neighbourhoods.
Funding partners currently
include: national government; the
National Lottery; the European
Commission; and the private sector.
Older people using an
Open Museum handling kit
Kibble Palace
in the Botanic Gardens
A Cultural Balancing Act
parks, including its famous Victorian
parks (e.g. Kelvingrove Park, Queens
Park, Tollcross Park), as well as other
notable city parks and opens spaces
(e.g. Pollok Country Park, Glasgow
Green and the Necropolis). It supports
the creative and cultural industries
and heritage development, as well
as the main tourist initiatives and the
Glasgow City Marketing Bureau with its
role in supporting the development of
the city’s Events Strategy. In addition,
it delivers museums, libraries, arts
and sport services through a range of
city centre and locally based facilities
alongside a range of community
focused delivery networks.
Glasgow City Council has to operate
a fine balancing act in distributing
its resources, between a focus on
the city centre and the wider city,
between the range of traditional
high culture modes and community
owned culture, and also between the
very many other interest groups and
organisations. Our task is to address
these varying demands in a way that
sustains creative organisations in an
often dynamic and rapidly changing
environment, in addition to taking
a long term view of priorities in the
deployment of staff, revenue and
capital. It also means accepting that
cultural activity impacts on the whole
range of human life and therefore
needs to service multiple agendas.
Glasgow City Council has a key role
in the delivery of Glasgow’s Cultural
Strategy. It supports culture and sport
through the art, P.E., drama, music
and dance curriculum in its 29 New
Learning Communities; via the Dance
School of Scotland, the School of Sport,
and the Gaelic School; and through the
provision of individual instrumental
tuition. It is the custodian of the 74 city
Shifts in policy direction have aligned
the Council’s involvement in culture
more closely with its central concerns
for economic regeneration and social
renewal, equality and inclusion, health,
community safety, and community
learning and development.
Consequently we have redirected
resources towards initiatives, projects
and programmes designed to remove
barriers to access, build capacity and
provide pathways to participation.
The Council is committed to building
pathways which support people from
the first spark of interest (e.g. an event
in a local community centre, library
or museum to a first visit to a city
centre theatre, opera house or sports
centre) in order to become a confident
user of all the city’s services. This
involves creating pathways for people
who may have a potential interest but
have no contact with specific cultural
forms within their social network. To
this end we have created networks
of staff throughout the city to ensure
that support is provided to embark
on these pathways. For example, the
introduction of Parks Development
Officers to bring people back into
our parks, state of the art Real
Learning Centres bringing learning
into our popular public libraries, and
the establishment of a Youth Music
Initiative in all our primary schools.
The area based Community Action
Teams support and develop arts,
play and sport within communities,
and the modernisation of the
Museums Service has seen the
establishment of the largest outreach
and education service in the UK.
The period from 1998 until now has
shown a growing confidence in the
city’s plans for cultural development
from an array of funders. The Best
Value Review process also led us
to explore alternative methods of
service delivery. The Kings Theatre, for
instance, is now successfully managed
by the Ambassador Theatre Group, and
the establishment of the Kelvingrove
Refurbishment Appeal (KRA) Trust
has provided an effective and unique
fundraising vehicle, involving some
of the leading private entrepreneurs
and business leaders in Scotland.
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Aqua Aerobics
Assistive technology within a REAL Learning Centre
Festival of Light at the Hidden Gardens
Case Study
Developing links between education and wider cultural activity:
Anti-Sectarianism and Education and Citizenship Programmes
School children in Glasgow have participated in workshops developed by the Education and Access
Team at St Mungo’s Museum, to develop their understanding and appreciation of other cultures.
Young people explored themes such as racism, sectarianism, migration of communities and divisions
within society, and learned how Glasgow’s multi-faith communities contribute to, and enrich the city.
These programmes reflect our commitment to the development of services and initiatives to promote
equality and challenge discrimination, and ensure that children and young people can experience the
city’s cultural assets.
Strategic Priorities
Glasgow’s Cultural Strategy
provides the direction for delivering
cultural services in the city over
the next three to five years.
The intention is to develop a set
of cultural entitlements based
on the following broad ambitions
through which we will deliver
cultural services in the city:
The right to explore, express
and extend cultural identity
Every citizen in Glasgow should have
the right to experience the diversity
of the city’s cultures and those of
other cultures. For example, through
accessing the city’s geneology and
local history archives or attending
the UK Festival of Muslim Cultures.
The right to develop cultural
talents and interests
Every citizen in Glasgow should
have the right to fulfil their creative
potential through participation, and
the development of their talent.
For example, this could be through
the Community Action Teams, Arts
Development Officers and the posts
within Education Services dedicated
to making cultural links.
The right to literacies
Every citizen in Glasgow should have
the right to education, ensuring
essential reading, writing, numerical
and IT skills. For example, through
the introduction of Every Child a
Member campaign and raising the
awareness of the impact of library
use on educational attainment.
The right to health and well-being
Every citizen in Glasgow should have
the right to a general sense of health
and wellbeing through participation
in cultural, recreational and social
activities. For example, through the
provision of free access to swimming
pools for all young people and adults
over 60, and the Encourage project
developing participation opportunities
in the arts for older people.
The right to a pleasant and
high quality environment
Every citizen in Glasgow should have
the right to an environment offering
local distinctiveness, variety and beauty
which protects local cultural heritage
and public spaces. This can be realised
through the development of free and
safe access to events, activities, walks
and cycle routes in the city parks.
The right to help shape and design
cultural policy and provisions
Every citizen in Glasgow should have
the opportunity of helping to determine
local cultural policies and provision.
For example, through the development
of local cultural strategies, and the
development of an engagement
strategy for young people that
encourages comment and feedback
on council services using Dialogue
Youth networks and the Glasgow Young
Scot Card and Glasgow Kidz Card.
An essential part of our strategy is to
open a dialogue with the arts, sports
and cultural sectors as well as other
partners, to articulate and develop an
identifiable set of cultural entitlements
for Glasgow’s citizens to engage with.
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Encourage cultural and
sporting participation
We seek to enable as many people
as possible (especially the young)
to participate and realise their full
potential by improving access to
cultural and sporting activity as a
means of enriching the quality of life
of citizens of Glasgow and visitors
to the city. Cultural rights and
entitlements will play a central role
in this. A cornerstone of Glasgow’s
policy is the right of all citizens to
culture, and to promote the expression
of their cultural identity as a basic
dimension of human dignity and
social inclusion.
One of the main mechanisms for
widening access and increasing
participation is through the many
partnerships both between Council
Services and with other city agencies,
city organisations and the private
sector. A key action from this strategy
will be the establishment of a Cultural
Planning Partnership for Glasgow,
which will oversee the implementation
of the Cultural Strategy and develop
cultural planning for the city. Using the
Community Learning and Development
Partnership model, the policies and
priorities from this Cultural Strategy
will feed into the city’s Community
Planning structures and processes,
facilitating the development of
local cultural strategies.
Health is central to educational
attainment, the ability to find work,
and well being. With key partners
in the health sector Glasgow City
Council are committed to a shared
vision of promoting sport and active
recreation as one means of improving
health and well being of citizens,
particularly the most inactive.
Case Study – Promoting Physical Activity: Community Clubs
Part of Glasgow City Council’s commitment to improving the health and well-being of the
city’s population, community clubs were established in response to reports that obesity
levels among young children in Scotland were rising, due to high levels of inactivity and poor
diet. Key objectives of the community club initiative are to encourage children to participate
in physical activities on a regular basis from a young age, and to offer access to affordable
and sustainable activities within a local setting. Based within ten of the city’s secondary
schools, community clubs deliver a comprehensive programme of activities in the evenings,
weekends, and holiday periods, attracting in excess of 2000 attendances per week. The
Council’s Cultural and Leisure Services run community clubs jointly with voluntary groups,
with other key partners including Education Services, Strathclyde Police, Strathclyde Fire
Brigade, Glasgow Council for Voluntary Services, and the Sports Council for Glasgow.
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Gallery of Modern Art
Volleyball coaching session
Kelvin Cycleway through Kelvingrove Park
Case Study
Raising Awareness of Social Justice Issues:
Contemporary Art and Human Rights Exhibitions
The Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) has proactively sought to develop and improve its artistic
and programming policies to support key Glasgow City Council objectives relating to social
justice and equality. Sanctuary, elbowroom, and Rule of Thumb were part of a pioneering
programme of events developed by GoMA, in conjunction with key partners such as Amnesty
International, as part of its biennial Contemporary Art and Human Rights programme.
Supported by a programme of workshops and events, the exhibitions aim to explore, address and
raise awareness of social justice issues (e.g. forced migration, violence against women), while
ensuring sensitivity, integrity and dignity. The events encapsulate how controversial and often
‘uncomfortable’ topics can be considered in a sensitive way and how public awareness of social
justice issues can be raised effectively. All three events culminated in an exhibition, which displayed
the creative works of the participants, many of whom had direct experience of the issues being
explored. All works were shaped by the participants’ personal thoughts and experiences, and many
felt that the powerful self-expression was not only aesthetic, but also therapeutic and empowering.
We will do this through the Active Schools
Programme, which promotes physical
activity amongst children, working
with the New Learning Communities
and establishing links to the city’s
sports clubs and community clubs,
and working with the Arts in Health
Coordinators, currently funded by
Greater Glasgow NHS Board. The
Council will provide young people with
the opportunity to learn to swim by
Primary 6 and ensure that pathways
are developed into advanced swimming
programmes within our swimming
pools. In addition, in line with the
recommendations of the Physical
Education Review Group, two hours
of physical activity per week will be
provided within the school curriculum.
150,000 attendances each year and
provides over 1,000 coach education
opportunities for Glasgow citizens.
The expansion of the programme in
a more structured and localised basis
will increase participation levels by
40% by March 2009, deliver coach
education more widely throughout
the city, and develop a new league
structure for adults.
The Council will also support city wide
programmes for walking, cycling and
jogging, especially amongst older
adults and the most disadvantaged
and excluded communities. Critical
to the success of these initiatives are
area-based sports development teams
working with local communities to
create tailored activity programmes.
For 15 years the Open Museum outreach
service has played an integral role in
increasing access to, and participation
in museums collections, by taking
them beyond the museum walls and
into the community so that citizens can
create their own exhibitions, thereby
developing new skills and interests.
A review of the Open Museum will be
undertaken to assess how to expand
its work.
The Council will increase the number
of young people participating in football
activity, with particular emphasis
on the city’s most disadvantaged
areas. The existing football
development programme, delivered in
partnership with the Scottish Football
Association, achieves in excess of
The city-wide free transport scheme
Class Connections, aims to improve
access to cultural and leisure
opportunities for schools, especially
those in socially excluded areas. The
Council will seek to secure permanent
funding to ensure it becomes a
mainstream service.
The Council are challenging
discrimination and raising awareness
of social justice issues through the
Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA), which
hosts the biennial Contemporary
Art and Human Rights exhibition,
workshops and seminars. Sanctuary,
the first in a series of exhibitions held
in 2003, explored themes of identity
and forced migration, and visitor
numbers exceeded 210,000. In 2005,
violence against women was explored
through Rule of Thumb, and 2007 will
focus on sectarianism and divided
communities. The Artists in Exile
project supports refugees and asylum
seekers and is now in its third year.
The city’s first literature festival Aye
Write!, where 15,000 people took part,
encourages reading and writing and
is a vehicle to develop literacy and
promote greater awareness of literary
heritage and contemporary writing in
Glasgow and Scotland. The second
event will take place in February 2007.
“One of the strongest
thought challenging
exhibitions – there feels
like there was a real
coming together of the
artists and participants.
Thanks for being able
to see this.”
GoMA Social Justice Exhibitions
Comment from visitors book from elbowroom
– part of Rule of Thumb exhibition
The 21st Century is seeing the
information revolution and libraries
have a central role to play in ensuring
that everyone has access to the
resources, information and knowledge
they need.
We are committed to libraries being
the hub of a city-wide integrated
information service providing free
access to many resources. They
attract people from all walks of life,
including the hard to reach, and
provide safe, neutral environments
which stimulate creativity and support
formal and informal learning.
In order to improve the quality,
integration and range of resources
available, the Council will work with
public and commercial partners to
implement key initiatives such as:
the development of a citywide home
library service and the launch of a
range of Books to Go services involving
workplaces, community libraries
and community centres. Remote
access to the cultural collections
will be facilitated through the
implementation of a publicly accessible
collections navigation database,
and the production of accessible
electronic and print publications.
Most parts of the city have some kind
of facility provision, (e.g. a library,
sporting facility or community centre)
and we will ensure this spread is
maintained where opportunities arise.
The Council’s Pre-12 Strategy provides
some opportunities for the co-location
of leisure, cultural, health and learning
services, with primary schools as
the hub.
Opportunities to enhance community
provision will also be progressed
through a corporate approach to the
delivery of area based services and
the strategic allocation of funds,
building on existing good practice at
Springburn Leisure Centre and Library
and Haghill Park Primary School.
New developments will include the
Pollok Civic Realm project which will
see the integration of Pollok Health
Centre, Leisure Centre, Greater Pollok
Development Company, Citizen’s
Advice Bureau, childcare facilities,
Pollok Library and Learning Centre
and Pollok Kist in a community hub.
People need to feel there are ladders
of opportunity and progression and
the Community Action Teams are
important enablers. For example, they
link possibilities within communities,
getting youth groups to work with art
form or sports specialists and enabling
them to benefit from the coaches,
trainers, courses and other resources
that are available and are key in
signposting groups and individuals to
pathways to participation.
Play is often not recognised for its
ability to build knowledge and capacity.
However, these life skills start with
play as it opens out opportunities,
ambition, creativity and imagination,
and teaches children a range of social
skills. Play experiences are vital
to the growth and development of
children, young people, families and
communities. To date, Play Services
have targeted children aged 5-12 years
and it is proposed to widen the remit to
pre-5s in order to develop experience
of the arts, libraries, museums and
sports. By age 8 all children in Glasgow
should have had the opportunity to
take part in an organised play session.
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Celtic Connections Festival
Performance during the
Festival of Light at the Hidden Gardens
“Few organisations
are willing to take
people on with little
experience - this is
one of the few places
that will not only give
you experience but
encourage you to do
what you want to do.”
Museums volunteer who has gone
on to gain employment as a trainee
residential social care worker
The Council will continue to recognise
and develop the role of Community
Facilities as a key entry point to
engaging the city’s network of
cultural and sporting activity. We
will ensure that they continue their
role in developing pathways and
signposting other Council Services.
The city organises many events,
some internationally oriented and
others community focused, and the
intention is to reduce barriers to
visiting these, whether this requires
a free shuttle service as with the
Glasgow River Festival, or ensuring
access for disabled people is provided.
Equally our programming and
marketing will ensure events reflect
the diversity of Glasgow’s population.
The Council recognises the importance
of young people’s participation and
engagement with council services.
Education Services support a network
of pupil councils across the city. In
addition, Cultural and Leisure Services
is responsible for supporting the multi
agency Strategic Youth Partnership,
which will be responsible for ensuring
that there is a consistent approach
to engaging, communicating and
consulting with young people. Youth
Services are currently modernising
and central to this is building a sense
of trust from young people that their
contribution will have benefits and an
impact on how services are developed
and delivered. Through the pupil
councils, Dialogue Youth and the
Glasgow Kidz and Young Scot Cards, we
will establish an ongoing dialogue with
young people to inform and develop
the growing range of cultural and
sporting services and facilities in the
city. This will lead to the development
of a Youth Council for the city.
We also recognise that looked after
and accommodated young people in
the city may experience difficulties
in accessing cultural and sporting
activities. The Council has started to
address the needs of this vulnerable
group of young people through
informal learning programmes. We will
continue to develop this based on the
needs of the young people across the
full range of Council Services.
The importance of creativity and
culture in education is paramount and
recognised in the National Priorities
for Education. Encouraging creativity
in children leads to a life-long process
of learning and fosters imagination,
ambition, self-reliance, initiative,
and an ability to work collaboratively.
This requires a less cluttered, more
holistic approach to the curriculum,
using culture and the arts to engage
in creativity, to support personal
development and citizenship, and to
develop different forms of learning.It
also means cultural entitlements must
thread through the formal and informal
curriculum and out of school learning.
In supporting the development of
creative young people in the city, it is
essential that we build cultural links
in and beyond schools. These links are
not currently sufficiently developed to
deliver a creative curriculum. However,
this can be achieved through improved
linkages between Community Action
Teams, Arts Development Officers
and the Cultural Co-ordinator and
Cultural Links posts. For these to be
effective and to truly develop a culture
of participation, there needs to be a
broad definition and interpretation of
culture; a creativity agenda in schools
which is recognised as adding value;
and the development of key bridges
between education and wider cultural
activity, such as interactive visits
to the city’s museums or a theatre,
dance or music performance.
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Gorbals Library and REAL Learning Centre
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Britannic Asset Management
Women’s 10k
Key Actions
For Glasgow’s children and young
people, this will see the following:
• Ensuring every child has the
opportunity to learn to swim by
the time they reach Primary 6.
• Continuing to offer free swimming
in Council leisure facilities for
every child and young person.
Case Study
Promoting Personal Development and Strengthening Communities:
Gorbals Library and REAL Learning Centre
Gorbals Library and REAL Learning Centre was built with the aim of encouraging participation and
breaking down barriers to social inclusion by enhancing community involvement in the learning
process. By providing access to digital technology, learning and training opportunities, as well as
a route to employment and better-paid jobs, the Centre is assisting in improving quality of life for
members of the local community.
Staff in the library’s Digital Inclusion Team have developed close relationships with local projects
representing a range of target groups including: people with mental health issues, ex-offenders,
young people at risk, homeless / resettlement communities, recovering addicts and their families,
lone parents and the unemployed.
The Gorbals Library and REAL Learning Centre is an example of how Glasgow City Council is
working in partnership with key agencies (e.g. Greater Glasgow National Health Service (GGNHS)
and local colleges) to make a positive local contribution.
• Ensuring every primary school child
has one visit to the city’s world class
museums or art galleries, and one
experience of a theatre, dance or
music performance every year. This
will mean that all primary school
children, no matter where they live,
experience the city’s cultural assets.
• Providing after school clubs, and
community clubs offering a range
of cultural and sporting activities in
primary and secondary schools in
every learning community in the city.
• Providing opportunities through the
Council’s play service for pre-5’s
to experience culture and sport.
• For pre-5 groups and schools,
ensuring transport is not a barrier
to accessing the city’s cultural
and sporting facilities, and by
extending the Class Connections
transport scheme city-wide.
Papermaking and bookmaking workshops,
Hidden Gardens
• Through Education Services’ pupil
councils, Dialogue Youth and the
Glasgow Kidz and Young Scot
Card, an ongoing dialogue with
young people will be established
to inform and develop a growing
range of cultural and sporting
services, and facilities in the City.
This will lead to the development
of a Youth Council for the city.
• Developing opportunities,
particularly through the city’s plans
for new and refurbished primary
schools, to co-locate different
community services together in
order to widen access to community,
cultural and sporting activities.
For Glasgow’s older people this will see:
• Work with partners to improve
access and involvement in the
arts for older adults through the
Encourage Project, targeting
up to 2100 participants in 3
seasonal programmes.
• Work with Glasgow Housing
Association tenants aged 60+
to provide structured activity
and pathways to accessing
mainstream physical activity.
• Continuing to offer free swimming
in Council leisure facilities for
all adults over 60 in the city.
In recognition of the potential for
culture and sport to help build
community cohesion and achieve
social inclusion, this will see:
• Development of a more strategic
approach to the provision of
culture and sport for underrepresented groups, including
disabled people and black and
minority ethnic communities.
• Improved partnership working
with local communities to
increase participation in culture
and sport amongst the most
disadvantaged communities.
• Development of services and
initiatives to promote equality
and challenge discrimination,
particularly through high profile
exhibitions and events such as the
biennial Contemporary Arts and
Human Rights Exhibition at the
Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA).
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22
Encourage learning, training,
volunteering and pathways to
work through culture and sport
The strategy will provide an enhanced
programme of learning and training
opportunities to encourage cultural
participation and ensure staff develop
the skills to deliver appropriate and
relevant cultural services to Glasgow’s
diverse communities. It will also
develop confidence and skills to enable
more people in Glasgow to enter
employment, and will seek to enhance
the capacity, confidence and skills
base of the voluntary and community
sectors as a resource in fostering the
intrinsic value of culture in Glasgow.
The importance of education in
culture is not restricted to schools
and young people. The role of culture
in community-based adult learning
and Further and Higher Education
requires to be developed. This Cultural
Strategy will link with Glasgow’s
Community Learning and Development
Strategy as well as with the major
cultural learning establishments
such as: RSAMD, Glasgow School
of Art and Glasgow University, and
support the Learning City theme
within Glasgow’s Community Plan.
In fostering education and learning
to support participation, Glasgow
City Council will develop relevant
community-based adult learning
activities that promote personal
development and strengthen
communities. Glasgow’s Community
Learning and Development Strategy
and Adult Literacy and Numeracy
Action Plan will play a central role.
These set out a long-term vision
for a city of “dynamic, successful
and connected communities,
where all forms of learning are
recognised and valued as a vital
element in the growth of individuals,
groups and communities.”
Case Study
Provision of Training and Development Opportunities:
Glasgow’s Vocational Training Programme
Glasgow’s Vocational Training Programme provides an additional choice for Glasgow pupils from third
to sixth year, by allowing them to study for a vocational qualification together with their other Standard
or Higher Grades. Pupils can choose from nine vocational options (e.g. hospitality, horticulture, sport
and leisure), in order to gain skills which will help them enter the workplace in the future. Courses last
for one or two years and are delivered during the school week. In addition to developing knowledge
relevant to the individual options, the programme equips participants with transferable skills (e.g.
problem solving and customer service), and provides an opportunity to gain experience within a live
work setting. There are currently over 900 pupils taking part in the programme.
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24
Meet Your Neighbour at St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art
Football Development: Soccer Training Camps
Case Study
Case Study
Widening Access to the Arts:
Encourage Project
Developing Community Capacity:
Coaching Development
The Encourage project aims to help people
over 50 years old have a greater involvement
in the arts in Glasgow. The programme offers
The delivery of a diverse and extensive
coach education, training and development
programme in Glasgow underpins the wide
range of sport and recreational activities
provided within the city. It also helps ensure
affordable access to a wide range of high
quality performances, exhibitions and related
workshops, including contemporary visual
art exhibitions, ballets, and music concerts.
that local communities are supported to
develop their capacity, confidence and skill
base. Glasgow City Council provides ongoing
accessible education and training opportunities
The programme also offers participants the
opportunity to meet artists, performers and
arts professionals, and continues to attract
new audiences, with approximately 1,500
in conjunction with key partners, including
sportscotland, national governing bodies of
sport, local community groups and voluntary
sports clubs, achieving over 2500 attendances
people participating annually. Encourage is a
partnership project supported by Strathclyde
University Senior Studies Institute, Glasgow
City Council and various arts organisations.
Library services and activities provide
opportunities and support to learn,
to achieve, to build confidence, and
to take pleasure in the cultural life
of the city. We propose to develop an
integrated public and educational
library service that can more effectively
meet the learning and leisure
reading needs of young people.
The creation of a single city-wide
collection and catalogue will bring
the immense benefits of accessing
the entire resources of the city from a
single access point. The public library
service already provides services
to the Pre-5 sector in the city. The
integration of services would deliver
an equitable provision across the
city based on an entitlement model.
Opportunities also exist to expand
the formal and informal learning
provided through REAL centres
to school learning suites through
after school clubs, reading groups,
workshops and holiday programmes.
The campaign Every Child A Member
will raise awareness of the positive
impact of library use on children’s
educational attainment. We will seek
resources to expand the Homework
Club initiative, complementing what
schools offer, and providing selfdevelopment and learning on children’s
on an annual basis through a combination of
citywide and area coach education programmes.
own terms. REAL Learning Centres
focus on improving access to ICT and
the opportunity to enjoy learning at a
time, place and pace that suits people.
Simultaneously, it helps ensure the
technology gap between social groups
is narrowed. In order to widen disabled
people’s, or those with English as a
second language, access to learning
opportunities and the increasing array
of digital information, the Council
will continue to develop the range of
user friendly technologies within its
REAL Learning Centres in libraries.
As previously stated, the Council
is committed to partnerships and
networks that support cultural
institutions. With the Scottish Arts
Council we will continue to jointly
support and monitor Glasgow Grows
Audiences and the Cultural Enterprise
Office in their role to increase the
arts sector’s capacity to achieve
sustainable audience development
and business models via information,
training and professional development.
Quality coaching is essential for
people to reach their full potential.
The Council will establish education
and training programmes for its
sports coaching staff, including
training its sports coaches and
development officers to work with
disabled people. Our support for a
club accreditation scheme seeks to
improve and expand the ability of
sports clubs to deliver safe, inclusive,
and sustainable services to their
members and local communities.
Our commitment to supporting
communities in developing their
capacity, confidence and skill base
is expressed by creating training
and employment opportunities for
local people in sports leadership and
coaching. We will also extend our
pre-vocational training in sport and
leisure to provide clearer pathways
into employment at the end of Year
4, and enhanced qualifications for
pupils wishing to stay on to Year 5.
The integrated delivery of play services
requires a recognised career path with
trained, informed and well-supported
playworkers. We will create links
with the city’s FE Colleges to develop
clear career paths and opportunities.
The voluntary play sector and
families play a vital role, which the
Council will support through training,
information, and support services.
The voluntary sector is a source of
experience, energy and talent, and
voluntary groups are well placed and
motivated to help ensure the broadest
possible access to cultural and
sporting activity in Glasgow. Through
a number of grant schemes and area
development budgets, Glasgow City
Council provides support to voluntary
sector organisations to deliver services
in areas such as sport, community
facilities, and youth work. These
funds are crucial in sustaining the
voluntary and community sector but
also provide the leverage to generate
additional funding for the city. We will
continue to develop links made with
agencies such as: Glasgow Council
for the Voluntary Sector (GCVS),
Voluntary Arts Scotland, Enable
Scotland, and Scottish Employment
Opportunities in supporting groups
that have not traditionally volunteered.
Key Actions
We recognise the critical role of
volunteers and the need for better
co-ordination, support, training and
investment in the volunteer network.
A priority is to develop and deliver
a framework for volunteering in the
city and to maximise volunteers’
roles in supporting cultural activity in
Glasgow, including major events such
as the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
• Providing coach education
programmes for 2,600 people
per year to support the
Council’s extensive sports
development programme.
For Glasgow citizens this will
see the following take place:
• 10,000 new learners in adult
literacy and numeracy by March
2006 and a focus on youth and
workplace literacy for 2006-2008.
• As part of the city’s Vocational
Training Strategy, the further
development of pre-vocational
sport and cultural training at
secondary schools for S3 and
S4 pupils through horticulture,
hospitality, and sport and leisure,
providing up to 300 places per year.
• From 2006 onwards, guaranteeing
up to 20 jobs per year in Council
operated cultural and sporting
services for young people
trained through the Council’s
vocational training programme.
• Introducing Every Child A Member
campaign to further develop the role
of library services in supporting the
targets for educational attainment in
the city.
• The development of a strategic
volunteer framework to maximise
their role in supporting cultural and
sporting activity in the city including:
- Co-ordinating opportunities
and support for 16-18 year
olds within Glasgow schools
to volunteer in the city’s cultural
and sporting infrastructure.
- Increasing the number of older
people volunteering in Glasgow’s
museums and art galleries.
• Developing an integrated public
and educational library service
that can more effectively meet
the learning and leisure reading
needs of young people.
• Ensuring training programmes
are in line with service quality
and equality priorities.
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Enhancing Glasgow’s cultural
infrastructure and events programme
to support the city in competing in the
global economy
The strategy will seek to maximise
the contribution of culture and sport
to Glasgow’s economic regeneration,
and to enhance and promote its
national and international profile as
a creative, cosmopolitan city which
appeals to tourists and businesses.
The importance of this sector and its
vibrant mixed economy is reflected in
the employment statistics where it is
estimated that this sector, including
tourism, employs more people in
Glasgow and the surrounding region
than shipbuilding when it was at its
peak. The ability to retain Scottish
creative talent and attract talented
workers to this sector from overseas
is crucial to the future of the city.
Glasgow makes a major contribution
to Scottish culture and plays an
important role as a cultural pivot in
the West of Scotland and beyond,
with four of the National Arts
companies based here and many
of Glasgow’s arts organisations
having significance beyond the city.
Recognition of Glasgow’s metropolitan
status is primarily based on the
quality, breadth and importance
of its cultural and sporting assets,
and its role in promoting Scotland
through its culture. For example, the
Mitchell Library is unique in Scotland;
its collections are unequalled in
any public library in the country.
Equally Glasgow is playing a more
important role in the development
and management of regional, national,
and international sporting facilities
and the staging of national and
international sporting events. The
same is true of Glasgow’s museums.
A National Audit of Collections
confirmed that 61% of Glasgow’s
Collections were of national and
international importance. Conserving,
promoting, and making the collections
more accessible both nationally and
internationally involves substantial
investment, and a priority is to continue
to make the case for revenue funding
from the Scottish Executive.
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The Riverside Museum
A key priority for the next two years will
be developing Glasgow’s and Scotland’s
bid for the 2014 Commonwealth
Games and if successful, preparing
for the event in 2014. An independent
assessment of the economic, social
and sporting benefits of staging
the 2014 Commonwealth Games in
Glasgow and its financial viability
and winability concluded there was a
strong case for supporting Glasgow’s
bid. In August 2005, the First Minister
announced the Scottish Executive’s
support for the bid and the outcome
of the bidding process will be
determined by the Commonwealth
Games Federation in Autumn 2007.
The bid proposals are being designed
to ensure that a Commonwealth
Games in Glasgow would play a central
part in the city’s long-term process
of social renewal and economic
development with a lasting legacy that
would contribute to a wide range of
economic, health, tourism, community
and volunteering objectives.
The Glasgow city region has a vision
to be one of the most dynamic,
economically competitive and socially
cohesive metropolitan areas in
Europe. Major events have played an
important role in supporting this vision,
as have the range of festivals and
events that celebrate and showcase
the increasing diversity of Glasgow’s
population. The city’s events strategy,
jointly led by Glasgow City Council and
the Glasgow City Marketing Bureau
aims to build an integrated city-wide
approach to procuring and organising
programmes of major events and
festivals. Central to this will be the bid
for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Another important element will be the
development of a programme of major
exhibitions targeted to attract new
local audiences, as well as enhancing
Glasgow’s appeal to visitors. An
example is Glasgow’s International
Visual Arts Festival, the aim of which
is to build on Glasgow’s reputation as
a major international centre for visual
arts and to promote the work of local
and international artists to a local,
national, and international audience.
Since the 1980s, Glasgow City Council
has developed the city’s cultural
infrastructure as a catalyst for its
regeneration. This resulted in an
investment programme and the
opening of major new cultural, leisure
and conference venues. This process
is ongoing. The current refurbishment
of the Kelvingrove Art Galley and
Museum will be crucial to the success
Hidden Gardens, Tramway
of Glasgow’s Tourism Strategy, as will
the planned relocation of the Museum
of Transport to the River Clyde and
the development of the National
Indoor Sports Arena and Velodrome.
A new Cultural Campus in Greater
Easterhouse will open in 2006,
integrating John Wheatley College,
Easterhouse Swimming Pool and
Library, and a new Arts Centre.
The current refurbishment of the City
Halls and Fruitmarket will provide
an integrated centre for music and
education for Glasgow as part of
the city’s plan for the regeneration
of the Merchant City, as will the
redevelopment of King Street and the
Briggait as a visual arts quarter. A key
priority for Glasgow is to develop the
Mitchell Library as a major cultural
resource and tourist attraction.
Tramway currently presents an
extensive programme of international
and Scottish performance and visual
arts as well as a participatory arts
programme. From 2008, Scottish
Ballet will be based at Tramway.
We will ensure that the acquisition of
Scottish material is given priority in
the stock selection process for our
Public Library Service. A specification
is currently being developed for
Scottish material as part of the new
proposals for a supplier selection
framework. Scottish material added
will enhance existing collections
and support cultural development,
local history, and geneology.
A Council priority is to agree and
take forward the recommendations
in Glasgow’s Creative and Cultural
Industries Strategy which is being
developed in conjunction with Scottish
Enterprise Glasgow to ensure the
city’s long-term competitiveness. The
creative industries are central to the
economic well being of the city, and
developing, supporting and retaining
talent is key if the sector is to flourish.
Glasgow’s creative industries
infrastructure needs enhancing and
the overarching priorities are: the
Film City Glasgow project in Govan
Town Hall; the Pacific Quay Digital
Media Park; and investigating the
feasibility of a Creative Industries
Hub in the Merchant City to provide
a mixed-use facility targeted at more
commercial tenants from design, and
related industries. Ongoing business
development support across the
cluster in Glasgow is required and
the Glasgow Film Office will continue
its industry support in TV production
and film. The new Music Industry
Association will help define industry
needs. In conjunction with Scottish
Enterprise Glasgow, the Council
will continue to support the Cultural
Enterprise Office in Glasgow.
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The Mitchell Library
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Musuem
Key Actions
• To continue to make the case
for the recognition of Glasgow’s
metropolitan status. This is based on
the quality, breadth and importance
of its cultural and sporting assets,
its role in promoting Scotland
through culture, and to continue
to lobby for increased funding to
support these significant national
and regional roles, in particular
the city’s museums collections.
The following key developments and
events will be realised over the next
5 years:
In 2006
• The opening of the restored
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum,
further enhancing Glasgow’s status
as a world class cultural tourism
destination. It will combine world
class collections of art, history
and natural history with leading
edge interpretation and thousands
of objects never seen before. An
entire new floor will be opened to
include a new temporary exhibition
gallery and education rooms.
• The opening of the refurbished
and remodelled City Halls and
Fruitmarket as a centre of
excellence and education for music
and as the headquarters for the
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.
• The completion of the first phase
of developing the Mitchell Library
and Theatre as a major cultural
resource and visitor attraction.
• The completion of the refurbishment
of the Kibble Palace, enhancing the
Botanic Gardens’ visitor attraction
status.
In 2007
• The decision will be made on
Glasgow and Scotland’s bid for the
2014 Commonwealth Games.
• The staging of the 2007 World
Team Badminton Championships in
Glasgow.
In 2008
• The completion of Phase 2 of the
world class Glasgow Museums
Resource Centre at South Nitshill.
• The completion of the
redevelopment of King Street and
the Briggait (Merchant City) as a
visual arts quarter for the city.
‘Lypsinka’, Glasgay
• The redevelopment of Scotstoun
Stadium as a regional, national,
and international venue for
athletics and rugby union.
• The opening of the Film City
Project in Govan Town Hall, a key
element of Glasgow’s Creative
and Cultural Industries Strategy.
• The further development of Tramway
to incorporate the home of Scottish
Ballet.
In 2009
• The opening of the new Riverside
Transport Museum, an iconic
building designed by the
internationally-acclaimed architect,
Zaha Hadid, and a key feature of
the city’s plans for the regeneration
of the Clyde and a celebration of
Glasgow’s history and identity.
In 2010
• The opening of the new National
Indoor Sports Arena and Velodrome,
central to Glasgow’s and Scotland’s
international sports events
strategy and its bid for staging the
2014 Commonwealth Games.
In addition to the above
developments, the following
activities are key priorities:
• The continued support of Glasgow
City Council and Scottish Enterprise
Glasgow for the city’s cultural and
creative industries through the
Glasgow Film Office, the Cultural
Enterprise Office, and ongoing
business development support.
• The continued promotion of
Glasgow’s worldwide reputation
as an attractive conference,
event, and tourism destination,
with the Glasgow City Marketing
Bureau playing a pivotal role.
• The staging throughout this period of
a year round programme of cultural
and sporting festivals, major events
and exhibitions, including those
that promote mutual understanding
and respect amongst the city’s
diverse communities (e.g. Black
History Month; Glasgow Mela; and
Glasgay!), as well as more recently
established festivals (e.g. the River
Festival; Glasgow International - the
city’s contemporary art festival; and
Aye Write! - Glasgow’s book festival).
• Ensuring that Scottish literature
is given priority in the stock
selection process for Glasgow’s
public library service.
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Developing a vibrant and distinctive
city which is attractive to citizens
and visitors alike
This theme looks to conserving
the wonderful architecture and
landscapes that Glasgow has inherited,
but without stifling its ability to
change or to include new features
which enhance or transform its
appearance. It is about increasing the
attractiveness and safety of Glasgow’s
environment so that it provides an
inspiring backdrop for the life of the
city for citizens and visitors alike.
The City Plan is a vital element of the
City’s response to the challenges and
opportunities that will emerge over
the coming years. Within this plan,
our role is to push for increasing
quality and aesthetics in the way the
city develops. Good design raises
expectations, gives confidence, and
generates civic pride. The Council will
develop and implement strategies for
Lighting the City and Public Art as
successfully integrated into the design
of buildings and public spaces, they
can express civic pride and social,
cultural, and economic confidence.
The River Clyde was the foundation on
which the city’s industrial prosperity
was built. Recently the river’s potential
has been rediscovered and can play
a role in securing the city’s future
prosperity. The regeneration of the
river focuses on making it accessible
for everyone and enhancing the
area’s economic activity. A community
regeneration programme, linear park,
public realm work, new walkways,
a new pedestrian bridge linking
Anderston and Springfield Quay, and
more recreational use of the river for
boat moorings, river festivals, and
rowing will re-establish the Clyde’s
role as a unifying force within the city.
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Charles Rennie Mackintosh clock
The scale and diversity of arts and
cultural activities within Glasgow, and
especially the city centre, is a major
asset and the foundation for urban and
cultural tourism. Implementing the
Merchant City Arts Property Strategy,
including the City Halls/Fruitmarket
and King Street/Briggait developments,
are key to supporting this.
Maintaining Glasgow’s historic
built environment, reinforcing
this with new developments that
demonstrate the highest standards
of design, and linking these urban
elements to a high quality natural
environment is challenging. The
Council aims to improve the quality
of its townscapes; provide better
access to the city’s Greenspaces
Network and implement Glasgow’s
Access (Paths for All) Strategy. This
will give significant opportunities for
recreation, especially walking, jogging
and cycling, as will the sports pitch
strategy due to report in April 2006.
Glasgow has a long history and a
rich cultural heritage which dates
back to Roman times. In recognition
of this, the city is developing a bid
for World Heritage Site status for
the Antonine Wall. In respect of
Glasgow’s built heritage, there
is recognition of the importance
Merchant City
of Charles Rennie Mackintosh
and the city is also developing a
Mackintosh World Heritage bid.
Local history is of crucial importance
in developing local pride and a
constructive sense of identity for
individuals and the city as a whole.
Historic cities are major tourist
attractions in their own right. Although
Glasgow has a long history and
rich cultural heritage, it is often not
perceived as a historic city. Glasgow
City Council is committed to the
development of a Local History and
Archaeology Strategy that will provide
a co-ordinated approach to the
management and display of the city’s
archaeological and historical assets.
This will increase opportunities for
involvement by local communities,
interest groups and schools.
Glasgow has a rich heritage of parks
and open spaces, many of which have
been in existence for over 100 years.
They are hubs of local communities,
help promote social renewal and
equality, and play a significant role
in the environmental, ecological
and education agendas, as well as
being the location for major events,
acting as tourism attractors, and
fostering regeneration in general.
A strategic review of Parks and
Open Spaces conducted in 2004
established that, unfortunately,
many people are discouraged from
visiting parks because of concerns
about personal safety and security.
Through the implementation of the
review’s recommendations, including
extending the use of CCTV cameras
in parks and increasing the number
and range of events and activities
provided in parks, the Council will
encourage greater use of parks by
citizens and visitors to the city. The
provision of an adequate supply of
good quality play areas in parks and
local open spaces across the city is
an essential requirement for creating
attractive residential environments.
There is a need to replace and
upgrade outdoor play areas, as well
as provide more challenging and
suitable facilities for young people.
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum refurbishment
Jordanhill Nature Trail
Key Actions
• The development of a Local
History and Archaeology
Strategy for the city.
• The continued regeneration of the
River Clyde to include a linear park,
public realm work, new walkways,
and a new pedestrian bridge.
• To seek World Heritage Site Status
for the Antonine Wall and Charles
Rennie Mackintosh buildings.
• The rejuvenation of the city’s
parks with activities, community
events, quality play areas, and
walkways and cycle paths.
• To improve facilities for children
and young people in the city’s
parks, including the number
and quality of play areas.
• Develop the Merchant City as
a focus for visual arts and the
creative and cultural industries.
• Develop a city-wide Lighting
and Public Art Strategy.
Open Museum handling kit
“I have been walking with the Whitehill Group
since April 2005 and have thoroughly enjoyed it.
It has been really important to my health, as I
have progressed in my fitness, despite arthritis!”
Customer comment
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‘Ruth & Kat’, Scottish Youth Theatre
Great Scottish Run
“Encourage has opened my eyes and mind to
the beauty and history of our wonderful city.
I have enjoyed the visit to theatres, city tours,
museums etc. I have also been introduced to
many new friends and I appreciate each one.”
Customer Comment from Encourage (arts project for people aged 50+) participant
Implementation Through
Partnership Working
Effective partnership working
at a local community, city-wide,
regional, national, and international
level will underpin the successful
implementation of the strategy.
At a local level, the local community
planning framework of ten area-based
partnerships will be the key forums
for taking the strategy forward.
At a city-wide level, the establishment
of a Cultural Planning Partnership
for Glasgow, which will include
Scottish Enterprise (Glasgow),
Glasgow Housing Association, major
cultural learning establishments
such as University of Glasgow,
RSAMD, University of Strathclyde
and organisations representing the
arts and cultural sector, will oversee
the implementation of the Cultural
Strategy and develop cultural planning
for the city. It will also feed into the
local, city-wide and Clyde Valley
Community Planning frameworks.
Other key strategic partnerships at
a city-wide level for taking forward
aspects of the strategy will be the
recently-established City Sports
Partnership and Glasgow’s Community
Learning Strategy Partnership,
Strategic Youth Partnership, and
the developing Youth Council.
At a national and international level,
Glasgow City Council is currently
working with the Scottish Executive
and the Commonwealth Games Council
for Scotland to develop Glasgow and
Scotland’s Commonwealth Games Bid
for 2014. The Council will continue to
work closely with key agencies such
as the Scottish Arts Council, Scottish
Museums Council, Scottish Libraries
Information Council, sportscotland,
EventScotland, and national companies
to develop programmes, activities and
events in support of the strategy.
Continuing the Dialogue
Glasgow City Council’s Cultural
Strategy outlines our intentions and
the roles we wish to adopt in the
cultural and sporting sectors of
the city. We regard this document
as a continuation of our ongoing
programme of consultation and
evaluation established through the
Best Value reviews that have positively
reshaped the city’s cultural and sports
sectors over the past five years.
The establishment of a Cultural
Planning Partnership lead by Glasgow
City Council will both review the
implementation of the Cultural
Strategy through the accompanying
Action Plan and ensure that culture
and sport are embedded in the
Community Planning processes.
We see Glasgow’s Cultural Strategy
as an evolving document that others
will comment on and help monitor
and mark the achievements of the
action plan. The strategy will evolve
over the next five years, reflecting
new ideas and changes at local,
city-wide and national level. We look
forward to continuing the dialogue.
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Tollcross Fitness Suite
Glasgow Libraries
References
1 Cultural Commission (2005) Our Next Major
Enterprise...: Final Report of the Cultural
Commission. Edinburgh: Scottish Executive.
2 Matarasso, F. (1997) Use or Ornament?
The Social Impact of Participation in the Arts
(unpublished manuscript). Scotland: Scottish
Arts Council.
3 Collins, M. et al. (1999) Sport and Social
Inclusion: A Report to the Department of
Culture, Media and Sport. Loughborough:
Institute of Sport and Leisure Policy.
4 Coalter, F. (2001) Realising the Value
of Cultural Services: The Case for Sport.
London: LGA.
5 Goodlad, R., Hamilton, C., & Taylor, P.D.
(2002) Not Just a Treat: Arts and Social
Inclusion. Glasgow: University of Glasgow
Centre for Cultural Policy Research and
Department of Urban Studies.
6 NFO System Three (2002) Attendance at,
participation in and attitudes towards the
arts in Scotland 2001/02. Scotland: NFO
System Three.
7 ICM Research (2002). Barriers to the
realisation of creative ideas. London: NESTA.
8 Woolland, K. (2002) New Opportunities Fund
Intensive Evaluation of Splash Extra 2002.
London: Cap Gemini Ernst & Young UK.
Glossary
City Plan
Every Child a Member campaign
Glasgow’s Community Plan
The City Plan is a Council produced report which
aims to set the context within which development
can deliver the employment, housing and
educational environment that will sustain
Glasgow as a competitive city. Available online
at: www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Business/City+Plan/
Every Child a Member is a campaign which will
be launched citywide during 2006. The aim of
the campaign is to actively promote, to children
and families, every child’s entitlement to access
library services, thus supporting existing literacy
initiatives and helping to support the targets
for educational attainment in the city. Various
innovative approaches and partnerships will be
employed to target every child in the city.
The plan sets out the Glasgow Community
Planning Partnership’s vision for the city and
identifies five key themes: a Healthy Glasgow;
a Learning Glasgow; a Safe Glasgow; a Vibrant
Glasgow; and a Working Glasgow. Available
online at www.glasgowcommunityplanningpartn
ership.org.uk
Cultural Enterprise Office
Scotland’s specialist Business Development
Service for creative and cultural practitioners
and small businesses in Scotland.
Dialogue Youth
An initiative to allow young people to access
information and influence the public services
provided for them more easily.
Enable Scotland
Charitable organisation campaigning for
children, young people and adults with learning
disabilities, and supporting them and their
families to participate, work and live in their local
communities.
Film City Project in Govan Town Hall
The former Govan Town Hall on Govan Road is
to be refurbished to create a base for facility
and production companies in the film and media
industry. This grade ‘B’ listed building will be
converted into a business centre to meet the
growing demand, from film companies, for good
quality, low cost accommodation.
Glasgow City Marketing Bureau
Council funded, not for profit body dedicated to
promoting the city of Glasgow as a venue for
tourism, events and business investment.
Encourage Project
Glasgow’s Community Learning and
Development Strategy (2004-07)
A partnership between Glasgow City Council,
the University of Strathclyde, Senior Studies
Institute, and arts organisations in Glasgow. The
Encourage project aims to help older adults in
Glasgow, aged 50+, to have greater access and
involvement in the arts, by providing stimulating
and affordable activities in a wide range of arts
areas, including: dance and ballet; music, opera;
theatre; film; and visual arts.
This document sets out the vision and strategic
direction agreed by Glasgow’s Community
Learning Strategy Partnership to take forward
community learning and development in
the city and develop services around issues
that are important to local people. The three
national priorities for community learning and
development are:
• Achievement through learning for adults
• Achievement through learning for
young people
• Achievement through building community
capacity
Glasgow Community Planning Partnership
(GCPP)
An initiative which brings public, private,
community and voluntary representatives
together with the aim of delivering better public
services in Glasgow. Planning is carried out with
the active participation of the end users.
Glasgow Council for the Voluntary Sector (GCVS)
GCVS is the main support and development
organisation for the voluntary sector in Glasgow.
Glasgow’s Creative and Cultural
Industries Strategy and Action Plan
A development strategy for Glasgow’s creative
and cultural sectors, including: architecture;
arts and cultural industries; design; film; music;
new media, publishing; radio and television. Key
areas for action include developing skills and
talent; developing an international reputation and
exploiting international opportunities; creating an
infrastructure which helps the creative industries
to flourish, and developing and exploiting new
technology.
Glasgow’s Events Strategy
Glasgow’s Events Strategy introduces a vision
for events in Glasgow. Its main objectives are
to achieve status in the international events
marketplace, through recognition as the most
professionally organised events-friendly city in
Europe, and to develop a balanced portfolio of
festivals and events in Glasgow, thereby deriving
maximum benefit to the city.
Glasgow Grows Audiences (GGA)
GGA is an arts marketing and audience
development agency, whose aim is to improve
accessibility to arts and cultural events in the
West of Scotland.
Glasgow Sports Pitch Strategy
Glasgow City Council’s Sport Pitch Strategy
has been developed to address the adequacy
of sports pitch provision to meet the long term
needs of pitch sports in the city. It will address
improvements in the provision of pitches and
ancillary accommodation, fostering participation
and skill development. This may involve changes
to existing stock and the role that that school sites
can play in meeting community demand.
Glasgow’s Vocational Training Strategy
Glasgow’s Vocational Programme is a partnership
initiative, bringing various Council services
together with major city employers and colleges
of further education. Its main aim is to provide an
additional choice for Glasgow pupils entering third
year, by allowing them to study for a vocational or
national certificated qualification, together with
their other standard grades. These alternative
awards will enable young people to gain skills
which will help them enter the workplace in the
future. Currently under development, Glasgow’s
Vocational Training Strategy will shape the future
and enhance the effectiveness of the vocational
programme.
Greenspace Network
Glasgow’s Greenspace Network consists of
parkland, amenity open space, countryside or
’green belt’, local nature reserves and other
wildlife sites. The network makes an important
contribution to the physical development of the
city (e.g. by providing an attractive landscape
setting for, and contrast to, the built environment
and offering opportunities for a wide range of
leisure and recreational activities).
Paths for All Initiative
An initiative set up by Scottish Natural Heritage to
create local path networks throughout Scotland
for the enjoyment of local people and visitors.
Lighting the City and Public Art Strategies
The City Council, in association with relevant
agencies and organisations, will prepare
strategies for public art, lighting and dressing
the city.
Physical Education Review Group
A Scottish initiative set up to consider the
improvements needed to provide quality physical
education which meets the needs and talents of
all pupils.
Local History and Archaeology Strategy
A cross-sector initiative, of which Glasgow City
Council is a lead partner. Involving heritage
organisations, community groups and the
academic sector, the strategy addresses local
history in terms of a combined approach to
archaeology, the built environment, archives,
museums collections, library collections and
evidence for landscape history.
Strategic Youth Partnership
A city-wide partnership, between the statutory
and voluntary sectors, to strengthen and develop
the strategic and operational delivery standards
of services to young people. Glasgow’s Strategic
Youth Partnership will assist in the ongoing
planning and delivery of consistent, relevant,
responsive, and modern Youth Services.
Mackintosh World Heritage Bid
Voluntary Arts Scotland
A Council-backed bid to gain World Heritage
status for Charles Rennie Mackintosh buildings, in
the hope of preserving his important architecture
for the future.
This organisation promotes involvement in arts
and crafts in Scotland, and provides voluntary
cultural organisations with information, advice,
and training.
New Learning Communities
WASPS
The New Learning Communities promote
continuity between the stages of every child’s
education encompassing learning, health, safety
and general well being, and to assist them to
maximise their future life chances. There are 29
New Learning Communities in Glasgow and the
central aims are:
WASPS are a Scottish charity which provide
affordable studio space to support the careers
of artists working in Scotland today.
• raising attainment
• improving social inclusion
• integrated working