"Creative Warwickshire" up and running to support the county's digital sector

A brand new opportunity for the development of Warwickshire’s creative sector burst into life at the official launch of “Creative Warwickshire” in Leamington Spa. 

With all available tickets sold out within a few days of the announcement of the early September launch, the event attracted a great number of local creative entrepreneurs, experts from the sector and influencers from the region, all eager to find out what Creative Warwickshire has in store for all future participants.

It is the latest initiative delivered through the partnership between Coventry and Warwickshire Reinvestment Trust (CWRT) and the Women’s Economy (WE). 

The programme is one of the projects under the Inclusive Enterprise Programme, part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and part of the Coventry and Warwickshire Business Support Programme, working with Warwickshire County Council.

The launch opened with a welcome from the programme’s delivery director Sally Arkley and consultant director Lara Ratnaraja. They detailed the importance of the project and its aim to contribute to the development of the Leamington Spa region, identified as one of the top 20 Creative Clusters in the UK according to ‘The Geography of Creativity’, NESTA/Creative England, 2016.

Lara, who is a trusted consultant for the cultural, creative and digital industries, observed that it is an “interesting time” for the creative businesses in Warwickshire - and the best possible time for the launch of Creative Warwickshire.

As the first programme of this kind in the UK, the project will contribute to the continuing development of the sub-region as a powerhouse of national activity.

“What our course is aiming to do is put creativity back in the heart of your business,” said Helga Henry, programme director at Creative Warwickshire and director of organisational development at Birmingham Hippodrome, in an inspirational speech addressing all attending business-owners who believe in the future of innovative enterprise.

“Creative Warwickshire is for the creative and digital freelancers and businesses based in the county who want to grow their business, get a grasp of new market opportunities and take their business skills to the next level. With a programme of training, personal mentoring, workshops, seminars, guest speakers and networking opportunities, this is a unique opportunity to contribute to the growth of Warwickshire digital and creative sector."

As part of the Inclusive Enterprise Programme, Creative Warwickshire will be particularly welcoming to applicants who are under-represented in the sector, such as women, business people from ethnic minorities, entrepreneurs with disabilities or older participants.

A complementary programme to Creative Warwickshire – Creative Springboard - will be launched in early 2017. This sub-programme will be aimed at start-up businesses, again from the digital creative sector.

“Together, these programmes form the first phase of our long-term goal, which is to develop a comprehensive education, business support, finance and advocacy programme for the creative sector in the county,” said Sally Arkley, emphasising the importance of the two programmes for the region.

More information about “Creative Springboard” will be released in the upcoming months.