Coventry cultural consortium lands almost £100,000

A cultural consortium in Coventry has secured nearly £100,000 of funding to bring the River Sherbourne to life and revitalise the area through artistic activities to support the legacy of UK City of Culture.

Building on the regeneration of The Burges and Hales Street by Historic Coventry Trust, Coventry University is leading a new Coventry River Cultural Consortium to create a three-year cultural programme.

Funding from Historic England sees Coventry as one of over 60 High Street Heritage Action Zones (HSHAZ) which will receive substantial grants to create and deliver community-led cultural activities to support regeneration of their high streets over the next three years.

This is part of a four-year-long High Streets Heritage Action Zones’ Cultural Programme, led by Historic England, in partnership with Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

This project, which has received funding of up to £97,500, will see activities such as The Show Windows, an annual festival, ‘First Friday’ monthly gatherings and immersive experiences using Coventry University’s standalone 5G network.

The Coventry River Cultural Consortium, spearheaded by the University’s School of Art and Design, is a collaboration between Historic Coventry Trust, Coventry City Council, Coventry BID, Coventry City of Culture Trust, Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, Open Theatre, the Coventry Society and Coventry University. Together the Consortium will co-create the programme, using their extensive networks to build a new community around the river and support the legacy of UK City of Culture.

The project will also set out to increase foot traffic for businesses on Hales Street, Palmer Lane and The Burges as well as preparing the area for a period of sustained growth, development and improvement, with the ambition of securing further investment in the area moving forward.

Carol Pyrah, executive director of Historic Coventry Trust, said: “We are delighted to be collaborating with Coventry University and the Coventry River Cultural Consortium partners to bring a three-year programme of cultural activities to Palmer Lane, Hales Street and the Burges. This funding from Historic England builds on their previous support for the restoration. We really want this area to be thriving, exciting and a great place to be.”