{"id":106395,"date":"2024-12-19T13:27:53","date_gmt":"2024-12-19T13:27:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visionrcl.org.uk\/?p=106395"},"modified":"2024-12-19T13:27:58","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T13:27:58","slug":"libraries-heritage-and-culture-looking-back-2024-vision-highlights-and-achievements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/isca00.bigwaveserver.co.uk\/~visionrc\/libraries-heritage-and-culture-looking-back-2024-vision-highlights-and-achievements\/","title":{"rendered":"Libraries, Heritage and Culture: Looking back 2024 Vision Highlights and Achievements"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Culture & Library Development Team has had another exceptional year, delivering impactful projects across the borough. By focusing on strategic priorities such as Health & Wellbeing<\/strong>, Reading & Literacy<\/strong>, Diversity & Inclusion<\/strong>, and Digital & Access<\/strong>, the team has connected with residents of all ages. Collaborating with libraries, community groups, council services, local charities, schools, and more, the team delivered an impressive 566 sessions<\/strong>, reaching over 58,600 participants, visitors, and audience members<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Children & Young People Highlights<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Fabula Festival<\/strong> was a standout success. The team partnered with 9 local schools and engaged 452 children through visits from award-winning authors Dean Atta and Trish Cook. The festival’s Families Takeover Day<\/strong> at Redbridge Central Library welcomed 1,070 visitors<\/strong> in July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The annual Festival of the Dead<\/strong> grew significantly in 2024 thanks to nearly \u00a330,000 in Arts Council England funding<\/strong>. Held at Wanstead and Redbridge Central Libraries, with outdoor spectacles and family-friendly activities, the festival attracted over 7,000 outdoor attendees<\/strong> and 2,500 indoor participants<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Culture Development Achievements<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Culture Development Team secured \u00a338,190 in external funding<\/strong> from Arts Council England and Without Walls NPO to support the Redbridge Outdoor Arts Programme and Community Engagement Projects. This funding enabled:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • 8 outdoor arts events<\/strong> across Barkingside and Ilford, attracting an estimated audience of 5,865 people<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 34 participatory sessions<\/strong> involving 1,150 participants, and 5 Spectrum Studio sessions<\/strong> for local SEND families with 86 attendees.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Completion of 18 Discover in a Day Arts Awards<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Schools Library Service Successes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The Schools Library Service had another busy year, with 35 schools subscribing across East London, including 15 in Redbridge. The service celebrated the 20th anniversary<\/strong> of the Redbridge Children\u2019s Book Award (RCBA) in June. The event involved 19 schools<\/strong> and over 300 children<\/strong> who voted for their favorite books and participated in writing competitions, which received 51 poetry entries<\/strong> and 55 short stories<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Awards & Recognition<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The Culture and Library Development Team<\/strong> is ending 2024 on a high as winners of the Ilford Business Awards for the \u2018Redbridge Art & Culture\u2019 category and as partners in the \u2018Redbridge Social Value Award\u2019 for their contribution to Redbridge Central Library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Redbridge Museum\u2019s Transformation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Redbridge Museum unveiled its stunning new permanent exhibition, created with input from local residents, schools, and community groups. This transformation was made possible through funding from Vision Redbridge Culture & Leisure, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and other partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Fullwell Cross Library Refurbishment<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The iconic Fullwell Cross Library<\/strong> underwent a \u00a3400,000 refurbishment, transforming it into a vibrant creative, social, and educational hub. Improvements include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • A digital makerspace<\/strong> for exploring new technologies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Flexible layouts for diverse community uses.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Renovated library halls to generate income.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Specialist SEN equipment for children and adults with special needs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      Colours of Redbridge<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      As the lead consortium member of Colours of Redbridge<\/strong>, funded by Arts Council England\u2019s Creative People and Places programme, Vision launched nine diverse summer projects. These included South Asian truck art, kite-making, a cultural food festival, and a fashion runway, drawing over 10,000 attendees<\/strong>. Three projects will expand in 2025. Additionally, Colours of Redbridge trained Community Producers<\/strong>, many of whom have gone on to secure employment or educational opportunities, fostering a more engaged and creative borough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Looking Ahead<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      As the year concludes, the Culture & Library Development Team reflects on a year of innovation, collaboration, and community impact, driving Redbridge toward a happier, healthier, and better-connected future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      The Culture & Library Development Team has had another exceptional year, delivering impactful projects across the borough. By focusing on strategic priorities such as Health & Wellbeing, Reading & Literacy, Diversity & Inclusion, and Digital & Access, the team has connected with residents of all ages. Collaborating with libraries, community groups, council services, local charities,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":106397,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-106395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/isca00.bigwaveserver.co.uk\/~visionrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106395","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/isca00.bigwaveserver.co.uk\/~visionrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/isca00.bigwaveserver.co.uk\/~visionrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/isca00.bigwaveserver.co.uk\/~visionrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/isca00.bigwaveserver.co.uk\/~visionrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106395"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/isca00.bigwaveserver.co.uk\/~visionrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106395\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":106400,"href":"https:\/\/isca00.bigwaveserver.co.uk\/~visionrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106395\/revisions\/106400"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/isca00.bigwaveserver.co.uk\/~visionrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/106397"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/isca00.bigwaveserver.co.uk\/~visionrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/isca00.bigwaveserver.co.uk\/~visionrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/isca00.bigwaveserver.co.uk\/~visionrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}