The Chamberlain News

Region to record 24 Hours in its cultural life

In the week Birmingham City Council leader Sir Albert Bore asked for a conversation with the people of Birmingham about the importance of arts and culture in the next budget, a major survey takes place from noon today to discover how people experience arts and culture in their everyday lives.

Respondents will be asked what cultural activities they have taken part in during the 24 hour period that follows, until noon on Saturday 25th October.

Residents across the region, from cities to rural areas, are encouraged to fill in the short questionnaire at .

Local actress Meera Syall, who is backing the imitative, commented “The West Midlands is full of great culture, from Wolves to Warwick, bhangra to The Bard himself, and some of Britain’s funniest, most creative and talented people.

“If you plan to read a book, play an instrument, take a dance class, watch a film, laugh at something on Youtube or take your kids to the theatre over the course of the day, just tell the survey.  It’ll help us all shout about the value of the arts.”

The 24 Hour Culture Survey has been commissioned by 22 West Midlands’ arts organisations including the Royal Shakespeare Company, Birmingham Hippodrome, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Compton Verney, mac birmingham, the Belgrade Theatre Coventry, DanceXchange, Ironbridge Gorge Museums and Wolverhampton Grand Theatre.

It is hoped that the findings will be used to inform arts policy in forthcoming years, both by the organisations themselves but also by local authorities and government.

Joanna Reid, Director, Belgrade Theatre Coventry explained: “We want to encourage people to realise what arts and culture means to them in their normal everyday life. They may not think that they take part in arts and culture but my hunch is that most people do some kind of cultural activity as part of their weekly routine – from being part of a book club to playing a musical instrument for pleasure, to take part in a dance class. It all counts.”

She continued, “We have an amazing diversity of cultural life here in the West Midlands. Our hope is that the 24 Hour Culture Survey will help people to value the part that arts and culture already plays in their life, rather like how the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch Survey has made many people appreciate the bird life in their gardens. We hope that by valuing arts and culture, they will want to protect it and participate more in it.”

Findings from the 24 Hour Culture Survey will be analysed by the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Audience Insight team and will be released before the end of 2014.