James celebrated a decade of Arts Council England’s Creative People and Places (CPPs) at a Parliamentary Reception recently, as he met with Creative Black Country to learn about how National Lottery funding is supporting their campaigns.
CPPs were launched in 2012 to empower local people create and take part in the arts and culture on offer in their area, and Creative Black Country began in 2014 to explore and develop new projects across the region.
Since the launch of the CPPs, Arts Council England have invested over £108m of Lottery funding. The CPPs focus on areas where engagement with arts and culture is below the national average, and there are currently 39 CPP programmes taking place across 56 local authority areas.
“I was delighted to show my support for the Creative People & Places Programme, after ten successful years, and it was particularly great to hear how people in Dudley and Sandwell are able to benefit from Creative Black Country", said James.
“Areas such as the Black Country have historically had a below average uptake for engagement in arts and culture, so it’s encouraging that Lottery funding is being put to good use to change lives and benefit our communities.
