Tuesday, May 28, 2019

News: Bid to establish Rotherham as the world's first Children's Capital of Culture

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Rotherham is planning to brand itself as the world's first Children's Capital of Culture in 2025.

The move is part of a new cultural strategy which aims to "get more people active, creative and outdoors, more often."

The strategy is overseen by Rotherham's Cultural Partnership which aims to develop talent in creative, digital, cultural, leisure and tourism sectors, build stronger communities and pride in the borough, increase participation and improve health and wellbeing.

Rothbiz outlined some of the aims of the strategy when it went out for consultation last year.

It comes after a Government intervention package in the borough which saw commissioners appointed in 2015 to provide leadership, taking over the roles of the Council's cabinet that was deemed "wholly dysfunctional" following a Government review on the back of a 2014 report into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham that described how vulnerable children had been repeatedly failed by the Council.

One of the priorities in the Improvement Plan for Rotherham Council was for Rotherham to become a "Child-Centred Borough."

The cultural strategy is now going through a sign off procedure at Rotherham Council and the final draft includes seven "game changers" which include work around the town centre, Wentworth and Rother Valley.

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Alongside various high profile events like the Rotherham Show and the Women's European Football Tournament in 2021, the strategy sets out how the partners would like to see Rotherham be the world's first Children's Capital of Culture by 2025.

The action is described as highlighting Rotherham as "a place people want to visit, where everyone can enjoy Rotherham through the eyes, ears and actions of children and young people."

Support is set to be given to young people in their ambition to create a programme of events and activities for everyone to "make all of Rotherham's cultural destinations, libraries, leisure centres and green spaces child-focused, family-friendly and safe for everyone, young and old."

Ultimately this means the initiative will be a way of increasing the quality and range of things to do and places to go for children and young people.

The European Capital of Culture initiative has been a powerful tool to enable unfancied regions to reinvent themselves as cultural destinations and acts as a catalyst for economic regeneration. A UK City of Culture was launched to build on the success of Liverpool's year as European Capital of Culture in 2008.

The name, Children's Capital of Culture, has already been trademarked and recruitment is underway for a creative producer for the project on behalf of the Rotherham Local Cultural Education Partnership.

The job advert reads: "This ground-breaking programme will create an astonishing, world-class, year-long festival to take place in Rotherham in 2025.

"The programme will also support major new infrastructure developments to transform the experience of children and young people as both visitors to, and residents of, the borough: these include major new capital projects, such as the transformation of cultural and leisure facilities in Rotherham town centre, the development of the £130m masterplan for Wentworth Woodhouse, the launch of a new family-friendly theme park, Gulliver's Valley Resort and the redevelopment of other facilities such as the Clifton Park Museum, Rother Valley Country Park and Magna.

"We need to plan, now, for our children's future. Our legacy will ensure that Rotherham is known world-wide as the best place to be a child, the best place to raise children and the place which enables the voice of the child and young people's imaginations to influence everything it does."

The idea is to launch the project at this year's Rotherham Show in September.

Images: RMBC / WE Great Place

15 comments:

Mr me May 28, 2019 at 9:26 AM  

Another idea to make Rotherham look a laughing stock. Do they really believe that people will forget about the abuse so easy, we will never forget, and no matter how bigger brush they use to hide stuff for there PC ideology, it won't work! 👎

Unknown May 28, 2019 at 2:01 PM  

This has to be joke of the century.
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Anonymous,  May 28, 2019 at 9:31 PM  
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Unknown May 29, 2019 at 7:53 AM  

Another cover up like they did with all them children been abused,who ever had this idea, get your head out of your a**e and look what's really happening

Unknown May 29, 2019 at 11:48 AM  

Rotherham is a great place for kids. Stop being so negative. The horrible people will be punished. We need to take collective responsibility for our kids welfare.

Anonymous,  May 29, 2019 at 11:50 AM  

Move to Sheffield and take the negatively there.Move on.

Anonymous,  May 29, 2019 at 12:01 PM  

The last paragraph has to be the most beautiful thing ever written in the English language in the history of fiction.

Anonymous,  May 29, 2019 at 12:11 PM  

Hiding the truth ,A big cover up by the council to hide the truth of the past

Unknown May 29, 2019 at 12:36 PM  

Must be a joke, right? Rotherham council needs to listen to the people. We don't want a labour council. You are unfit for purpose.

Unknown May 29, 2019 at 12:44 PM  

Rotherham is going downhill It's like a slum suburb of Budapest.

Unknown May 29, 2019 at 12:45 PM  

You don't like the truth.

Anonymous,  May 29, 2019 at 3:35 PM  

I thought I’d seen & heard it all until now! What a crock of s**t The Rotherham name has well and truly tainted! People have still got to be held accountable for there actions or inactions! No stone should be left unturned. Until then,forget any such fantasy idea like this!

Anonymous,  May 29, 2019 at 4:43 PM  

Rotherham is, and always has been a dump. The only way to improve this town is to knock it down and start again. Rebranding is not an option.

Anonymous,  May 29, 2019 at 8:14 PM  

The name Dyson is synonymous with a vacuum cleaner as Rotherham is with child abuse. We have all had the embarrassment when meeting people and the dreaded question of "where are you from" comes up Rotherham is tainted with this and will be for a long time and no amount of hyperbole statements will change that. The incompetence of the people we trust to govern us has not gone away.

Anonymous,  May 30, 2019 at 11:53 AM  

Biggest joke of the century! Failed vulnerable children in the past and still are. Nothing has changed and the child grooming/exploitation is still ongoing. Failure and joke of a council.

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