Cheltenham Festivals launches new five-year strategy
Summary
Cheltenham Festivals has launched The Next Chapter, a five-year strategy running from 2026 to 2030 which puts wider access, young people and community partnership at the centre of the charity’s work.
The arts charity says it wants to make more of its festival activity free, reach more schools and young people, broaden the voices represented on its stages and increase engagement with residents from Cheltenham’s most economically deprived areas.
What the strategy sets out
By 2030, Cheltenham Festivals says it aims to provide 50% of its festival activity for free and engage every Gloucestershire school with high levels of disadvantage, as well as SEND schools and alternative education providers.
The strategy also includes a target for 450,000 children and young people to experience culture through its programmes, alongside growth in 18–30 audiences and a commitment that more than 20% of speakers and artists on its stages are representative of the global majority.
Cheltenham Festivals also plans to raise £37 million to reinvest in the cultural economy and double its engagement with residents from the town’s most economically deprived areas.
Focus on access and young people
The charity set out the strategy at Cheltenham Science Festival on 4 June, saying it will deepen its work with young people, expand activity with underserved communities and build the partnerships needed to use culture as a driver for connection and change.
Its current work includes VOICEBOX for emerging audiences aged 18–30, expansion plans for Reading Teachers = Reading Pupils, and FameLab International, the long-running science communication competition and training programme.
Supporters quoted by the charity include Dame Judi Dench, Cerys Matthews and Corinne Bailey Rae, who highlighted the role of the festivals in opening doors for young people and encouraging discovery through the arts.
Report source: Visit Cheltenham Blog