Three of arts...

NOMINATED . . . the Old Town Hall opening in Oldham

2 More Image(s) In Gallery

OLDHAM Council has proved it has art in its heart as it celebrates being nominated for three national awards recognising the local authorities who support arts and culture.

Organised by the National Campaign for the Arts and What Next?, the inaugural Hearts for the Arts awards are nominated by the public and are designed to show "love and support for those who try to make life more interesting through art and culture".

Samuel West, National Campaign for the Arts chairman, said: "It's a tough time for local authority spending, and we know councils are feeling the pressure of central government cuts.

"But there are some places where elected representatives stand up for the arts, and fight to protect the tiny amount of investment that goes into arts and culture."

In the Best Local Authority Arts Initiative, Oldham has been nominated for the Limehurst Arts Society, a project aiming to integrate art into the community through a sustained programme of activities.

Since April last year, 1,079 residents have engaged with initiatives, with additional audiences of about 19,000 people at the organised events including street artists and theatre in the community.

The project, led by the council's arts development team in partnership with social landlord Regenda and residents, has been praised by award judge AL Kennedy as " a good example of public and private involvement with genuine efforts at community integration".

The Earthed project, which saw Oldham Theatre Workshop explore community frictions in the Clarksfield area with performances and workshops, has been nominated for the best Local Authority Arts Project Encouraging Community Cohesion award.

The week-long project centred around a story of two aliens and their baby visiting to gain knowledge and experience of people in the area, with schools, community groups and the public engaging with the project.

Deborah Bull, former Royal Ballet Principal Dancer and judge, said about the project: "An inspiring approach to the potential of creativity in helping us to see the world through other people's eyes, which is so important in the many-cultured societies we jointly inhabit.

"The embedded research project will help to ensure the findings from this project inform future thinking."

Finally, Oldham Council arts development officer Rachel Wood has been nominated for the Best Local Authority Arts Champion (Officer) award.

Rachel, who has worked for the council for more than 20 years, faced her biggest challenge when tasked with developing and delivering the opening spectacle for Oldham's new cinema in the restored Old Town Hall building last October.

The "On the Shoulders of Giants" performance involved Rachel working across the whole council, with senior leadership, Odeon cinemas senior management and local partners including Oldham Theatre Workshop, to deliver the spectacle. Her nomination states how she worked "tirelessly, cheerfully and with an unerring professionalism".

The winners will be announced in the days leading up to Valentine's Day.