Medway Cultural Strategy & Creative Medway

GJG Consultancy supported by evaluation and research specialists Ruth Melville Research (RMR) and The Audience Agency (TAA) worked with Medway Cultural Partnership and Medway Council to co-develop a new Cultural Strategy for Medway for 2020 – 2030. Medway’s new Cultural Strategy is ambitious and forward-thinking, setting the foundations for the next decade of their cultural development. The Strategy is aspirational – with a broad vision that reflects the highest hopes for Medway and its people. It puts artists, makers, storytellers and cultural influencers at its centre as the agents of change.  

This Strategy shows how important culture is to Medway’s future, and sets out to enable everyone to have the opportunity to take part in, as well as contribute to, its cultural life. In the short term, it will shape opinions and behaviours, and lead to social and economic benefits. Longer-term, it should look to transform Medway.

Consultation lay at the heart of the Strategy development. Consultation was the constant thread throughout its development and will continue throughout its delivery. This consultation began with the earliest involvement of GJG Consultancy in November 2019, through the development and trialling of Themes, the finalising of the Strategy itself, and then the development of action plans. Interim consolation summary reports were made available in Polish, Lithuanian and Yoruba to increase engagement for communities where English was not the first language, along with community-led workshops. Consultation and wide engagement will be carried forward in the review and evaluation of progress and outcomes on an annual basis.

The delivery of the Strategy will be led by Cultural Compact ‘Creative Medway’, a new and radical partnership that embodies the values of the Strategy, driving ambition and the overall performance delivery of the Strategy itself. Creative Medway will be a strong advocate for Medway’s culture, at a local, regional and national level, and provides everyone with the opportunity to support the delivery of its vision.