There are times when Gloucester, I think unfairly, has been accused of being something of a cultural desert. It’s true that perhaps we don’t have the cultural facilities of our neighbours the other side of the Golden Valley, like the Everyman Theatre. Nor is our festival programme quite as well-developed.

However, we do have the Guildhall for live music, comedy, film and more, plus the Olympus and King’s Theatres for drama. Our portfolio of events has also blossomed in recent years to include the Tall Ships Festival, the Blues Festival, the Cajun Festival, which add to established events such as the Three Choirs Festival.

In 2007, we adopted a 10-year cultural strategy for the city, which sought to build on our strengths – heritage, sport and diversity. In recent months it seems to have been coming together nicely! The “Jolt” and “Strike-A-Light” festivals have brought new and different performances to Gloucester. The “Paint Jam” street art festival certainly brought some colour (and a sprinkling of controversy) to the city centre, along with a legacy of some striking pieces of art on buildings such as ‘Fab & Faded’, ‘H2O’ and ‘The Brunswick’. It was surprising just how widely its appeal was felt across the ages.

Find our cultural niche
During September and October, we have seen the Crucible 2 contemporary sculpture exhibition at Gloucester Cathedral, building on the success of the first such event four years ago. This time even more people visited the exhibition, providing a boost for traders in Westgate Street and beyond.

The Arts Council are keen to support culture in Gloucester and have been generously funding some of the events I mentioned above – I believe we should take advantage of their enthusiasm.

There could even be scope for a cultural element to the Rugby World Cup. The Cultural Strategy urged the City to undertake a “transformational project” but didn’t go as far as suggesting what it should be. I think we need to find our cultural niche and come up with something unique for Gloucester. What do you think it should be?