Sustainable Community Strategy - Coventry Partnership

8. A creative, active and vibrant Coventry - Our Plans
8a Long-term outcomes
• Coventry will have a strong, positive image and will be seen as a more attractive, vibrant and creative
city where people want to visit, live, work, learn and do business
• Coventry will offer distinctive and high quality cultural activities and enjoy a reputation for this
• Local people will be proud of the cityʼs cultural activities
• The city will gain economic benefit from its cultural industry
• More Coventry people from all communities will be participating and enjoying cultural, leisure and
sporting activities
8b Short-term priorities
• Raise Coventryʼs profile with communities and visitors
• Develop local cultural and creative industries
• Make the city centre a vibrant cultural centre and connect the cityʼs culture to local neighbourhoods
• Increase participation and volunteering in cultural, sports and physical activities
• Improve equality of access to culture and leisure opportunities and contribute to community cohesion in
the city
• Develop a distinctive programme for the 2012 Cultural Olympiad linked to the 50th anniversary of the
Cathedral in which Coventry can build on its status as a Centre of Peace and Reconciliation
8c Indicators we could use to help us measure success:
Participation rates in sport for children and adults, use of public libraries; visits to museums or galleries;
engagement in the arts; number of new cultural and creative businesses, perception rates about the city
locally and nationally
8d Opportunities and challenges of growth
Improving the city centre and cultural offer will improve the profile of Coventry and enhance its ability to
attract businesses, visitors and shoppers. Growth of the city should enrich its cultural base, increase the
opportunities for cultural businesses and create employment and prosperity. As the city grows and changes,
its distinct heritage should be valued and reflected. We will need to develop existing and new cultural and
sporting facilities and access to them to meet the needs of the growing population and to plan for parks and
open spaces to encourage physical activities. These facilities will include local schools, community centres,
libraries and sports centres to provide good quality facilities for opportunities for learning and personal and
social development as well as health and fitness. Improvements to Coventryʼs cultural and leisure facilities
will help enhance the general health and wellbeing of local people and support community cohesion.
8e Equality of opportunity, community cohesion and neighbourhoods
We need to develop equality of access to cultural, leisure and sporting activities. By improving awareness
of the Passport to Leisure, more families and individuals could benefit from cheaper or free activities.
Increasing the participation of older people in cultural, leisure and sports activities promotes independence.
All children and families could benefit from greater involvement in sports to promote health and well-being,
particularly those children from black and ethnic minority communities and those children who are looked
after (as their current involvement is shown to be less that of other groups of children).
Good transport links are needed to help people access leisure and cultural facilities. The targeted provision
of cultural and sporting activities leads to better social engagement for disaffected young people and is an
important part of improving community safety and providing positive activities for young people.
Cultural and sporting activity along with events and festivals is one of the most important ways of bringing
people from different backgrounds together and developing shared understanding and common values -
especially amongst young people. Such activities can also help bridge the gap between older and young
generations of local people. Activities need to be planned to celebrate diversity and maximise the benefits
for community cohesion.
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