Announcing the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group (EDIAG)
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Championing, connecting, supporting over 600 businesses, and investing £3.5M+ in the UK’s Creative Industries with a focus on people, place, and the planet.
November 2022: Creative UK has just published its latest annual report demonstrating the impact of the organisation’s work helping to empower the creative sector through their core organisational pillars for 2021/22, prioritising PEOPLE, PLACE and the PLANET. Through these three principles, Creative UK builds industry insight, and advocates for the contribution the cultural and creative practitioners and businesses make to the UK economy and civic society. And provides practical support and investment to help creative people and businesses to grow and thrive.
“We know the Creative Industries are far-reaching and are growing at four times the rate of the wider economy but there is still work to be done for both the public and the Government to recognise the value and impact of creativity across the UK”, says Caroline Norbury OBE, Chief Executive, Creative UK. “In this report, you’ll see that as well as championing and advocating for the creative industries we have also provided direct, tangible support – from advice, guidance and business support to creative entrepreneurs, talent development schemes and directly investing £3.5m into small, high growth creative companies.”
Other notable highlights this year include advocating for the freelance community, to challenge and push for change where it really matters and launching a development fund with Netflix to unlock new feature film talent, and working on the development of an Independent Standards Authority to help prevent bullying and harassment in the creative industries – part of their prioritising PEOPLE strand.
This year also saw Creative UK engage with over 600 businesses from all over the UK to help them access finance and grow, 45% of which were female-led and 21% led by underrepresented groups. It supported freelancers and businesses in North Tyneside, Northumberland, and Newcastle with a new programme funded by the North of Tyne Combined Authority. Allocating over £300k of New Ideas funding supported by the BFI to screen businesses developing new models, technology, and innovation, and allocated over £120k of planning grants to help businesses refine, review and adapt their strategies with support from experts, Creative UK prioritised PLACE, further realised in its Creative Coalition Festival, which attracted an online audience of over 4,500 with an additional mix of live events broadcast from all over the country.
And finally, Creative UK prioritised the PLANET by implementing a hybrid model of remote and office working to significantly reduce travel and that of Creative UK’s supply chains, and by encouraging a digital-first mindset among our staff and stakeholders and convened some of our country’s leading creative practitioners at the Eden Project to showcase how arts practitioners are making work to support climate change action.
Caroline Norbury OBE, Chief Executive, Creative UK says; “As the independent network for the UK’s Creative Industries, we envision a world in which everyone can thrive creatively, every place can flourish as a hub of cultural activity, and every part of our nation’s creative community can respond to the biggest global challenges we face today. This annual report demonstrates that we are true to and dedicated to this mission.”
