28 Waltham Forest’s Bid Submission for London Borough of Culture 2019
With over 13,000 pledges of support, we have created a new network representative of our diverse residents and visitors.
■■ Fashion Exchange: Over 70% of Waltham Forest’s Pakistani population can trace their roots back to the textile city of Mirpur, which is twinned with the borough. Working with the fashion trade, older members of the Pakistan community will tell their stories of migration, and the heritage of makers in the textile trade. The younger Pakistan community will be involved through contemporary fashion, working in partnership with the London College of Fashion, and the V&A, creating a legacy of fashion in Waltham Forest and links to the emerging culture and education district of the Olympic Park. ■■ Bollywood Panto: Soho Theatre’s Bollywood all-singing all-dancing all-ages panto will be the biggest show in London during Christmas 2019 and have the local community at its heart. Working with acclaimed Bollywood writer Anuvab Pal, this show will engage audiences, showing off Waltham Forest’s unique creativity and culture. The UK’s biggest stars of theatre and comedy will share the stage with Indian actors, local dancers and musicians to create an unforgettable experience.
■■ Fellowship Funding: A £500k grant pot will be created to invest in locally delivered community activities to strengthen hyper-local cultural activity, delivering culture on every corner. Activities, including neighbourhood artists in residence, will address specific ward issues, to link to our step change of deepening cultural engagement, fellowship and increasing capacity in our local creative sector. ■■ Radical Manifesto for Culture: Working with renowned artist Bob and Roberta Smith, our communities and the rest of London will create a radical manifesto for culture. A roadshow will travel to culturally renowned spaces in London from Brixton Market to Green Street to understand what makes London’s cultural life thrive. A series of manifesto pledges will be created to embed culture as a key driver for positive change across the capital. We will deliver a cultural summit at the end of the year to share our learning and help shape the future.
OUR PLEDGE With over 13,000 pledges of support, we have created a new network representative of our diverse residents, creative community and businesses. They are at the centre of the year as co-creators and decision makers as well as audiences and participants. Working with partners such as The London Theatre Consortium and The Princes Trust, we will develop pathways for our young people and entrepreneurs, leaving a lasting legacy of skills and capacity. We will show how culture can help to bridge the gap between communities and deliver a shared bond. The cultural governance and involvement which was developed for this bid will also have an ongoing benefit, enabled by a culture-ready Council.