CDF (Round One) Symposium: Re-Imagining Place
The Cultural Development Fund (CDF) Symposium, Re-Imagining Place: Sustainable and Inclusive Growth Through Culture, took place at the Guildhall Worcester in March 2023, marking the culmination of the five first round Cultural Development Fund (CDF) projects and offering opportunities to celebrate, share learning, connect and be inspired by those projects in Grimsby, Plymouth, Thames Estuary, Wakefield and Worcester.
The event brought together policymakers in national and local government, academics, researchers, the creative sector and leading cultural organisations to explore the theme of sustainable and inclusive growth through culture, including a welcome address by Minster for Arts and Heritage, Lord Parkinson.
Attendees included funders, policymakers, peers and practitioners from organisations including:
Arts Council England, Creative PEC, DCMS, Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, Emergency Exit Arts, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Steer-ED, several leading universities and 18 local authorities across the length and breadth of England.
Watch the Sessions
Full recordings of all the sessions are available below, including options to jump to key highlights through links provided with the videos:
- DCMS Introduction to CDF
- Panel 1: Capital Projects
- Panel 2: Activating Spaces
- Panel 3: Developing People, Businesses and Communities
- Panel 4: Legacy and Sustainability
CDF (Round Two) Symposium: Coming Early 2025
We will shortly be announcing location, venue and details for the second CDF Network Symposium, due to take place in early Spring 2025. This will again be held in a physical location and physical attendance is greatly encouraged, with a pre-event networking event scheduled for the evening before the main symposium.
CDF Networking Event
For those staying in Worcester prior to the Reimagining Place symposium, there was an opportunity to join the Cultural Development Fund (CDF) Network and partners to celebrate the completion of the first round CDF projects at The Arches, Worcester, just a short walk from Worcester’s Foregate Street station and High Street, on Wednesday 8th March, 6pm-8pm.
This informal early evening event was timed to coincide with the Re-Imagining Place symposium, which was held at Worcester’s Guildhall on the following day.
Activities and networking opportunities at the evening event included:
- Meet the five first round CDF project teams from Creative Estuary, Grimsby, Plymouth, Wakefield and Worcester at Arch 27
- A special exhibition celebrating the Arches Worcester Festivals at Artery Gallery, Arch 28
- Network with other symposium speakers and attendees, including funders, project partners and the 7 second round CDF projects from across England
