Twickenham wins funding for two-year arts initiative

A consortium of Richmond, Wandsworth, Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Croydon, Kingston, and Havering Borough Councils has secured a £600,000 grant from Arts Council England’s Strategic Touring Fund to a range of public performance opportunities for music and other art forms.

The money will be used to create ‘The Streets’: a touring street music and art festival, which is set to visit Twickenham High Street this summer. Its aim is to work in collaboration with creative producers Serious to boost the economy and profile of Outer London’s high streets.

Richmond Council’s cabinet member for art and culture, Meena Bond, said: “Richmond has such an amazingly rich seam of arts and culture. I am delighted that this funding will go a long way to ensuring that our festivals really showcase to residents and visitors alike that we really know how to celebrate our arts."

In addition to this, the council is planning to trial a new Music and Drama Festival. The event is being designed to showcase Twickenham on an international stage, as it has been timed to coincide with the upcoming Rugby World Cup as part of a wider programme of events put on by the council. A large amount of interest has already been registered, and there are over 50 local performing arts organisations, artists, schools and venues set to take part.

The funding from Arts Council England means that performers taking part in ‘The Streets’ will also be able to participate in the Music and Drama Festival, bringing professionals of national and international standing to the event.
This “trial-run” festival will take place between September 28th and October 18th, and the main event will launch in March 2016 and continue throughout the summer. It also run across a range of locations, including Twickenham High Street, Church Street, and Twickenham Riverside.

Published 16th March, 2015

© 2015 Estates IT Limited