“Our goal is to make Gloucester a better place to live, work and play.”

That’s the message from Hollie Smith-Charles, whose work with the Gloucester Culture Trust is proving vital to widening the arts scene in the city. “We want to increase the profile of the city and make Gloucester a place that is known for its festivals and thriving arts scene,” said Hollie. She continued: “We’ve been set up to drive forward a long-term cultural strategy for the city. That includes everything from making the most of the amazing heritage buildings that we’ve got, to developing and inspiring young talent.

They may have only been formed two years ago but the Gloucester Culture Trust have made a significant impact on Gloucester’s artistic landscape already. Hollie continued: “Our partnership with The Roundhouse – the London venue and charity renowned for transforming young lives through creativity – has helped us develop talent and provide a platform for young musicians. We’re also setting up a creative entrepreneurship hub, working alongside the council to help provide space in the city for people to create work.

“We want to increase the profile of the city and make Gloucester a place that is known for its thriving arts scene and festivals. One of our key projects is our festival programme. Gloucestershire is recognised for its festivals and we want Gloucester to play a greater role in that. We’re doing a lot of work with the Gloucester History Festival and we really want to help build that into a festival that’s recognised all over the country.

“What’s really exciting is we get to harness the skills and advice from several partners to implement a long-term strategy for success. Our board includes representatives from the University of Gloucestershire, Gloucester Cathedral, the Town Council, and various local enterprise partnerships. We’ve got three board members under the age of 30 which really reinforces our desire to focus on creating events for Gloucestershire’s children and young adults to enjoy.

“We’re very ambitious, we have an aspiration to help in Gloucester’s bid the European City of Culture in 2025 which, if successful, would be incredible for the city. Our work is funded through a variety of sources. We work alongside Gloucester City Council, Arts Council England, Heritage Lottery and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation."