Cheltenham Festivals launches new strategy

Published by

Nicky Godding

Cheltenham Festivals has launched a new four-year plan. The Festivals’ offer year-round programmes, culminating at the internationally-acclaimed Jazz, Science, Music and Literature Festivals. Stakeholders at the event included civic leaders, business leaders, head-teachers, arts organisations and Patrons of the Festivals.

Chair of Trustees Dominic Collier said “Cheltenham Festivals is a charity which produces innovative, world-class content across science and the arts. Our aim is to engage everyone in science and the arts and to achieve this we will work in collaboration with like-minded organisations in the town and the region.”

Education Director Ali Mawle explained Cheltenham Festivals’ charitable purpose: “The pledges we have developed demonstrate our commitment to inclusion and working in collaboration. We're excited about working with others to curate and create new art, conversations and experiences”

Alison Balsom, Cheltenham Music Festival’s Artistic Director spoke about the importance of music in schools. She interviewed teachers Victoria Marley and Nicky Copson from St Thomas More Primary School in Hesters Way, Cheltenham about the impact the Festival’s flagship music education programme, Musicate, has had on their school.

Amelia Shaw from national literacy charity Beanstalk said “We were all so inspired. The room was buzzing with enthusiasm and an overarching feeling of wanting to join Cheltenham Festivals with its exciting plans.”

Cheltenham Festivals has also made changes to its management team following an organisational restructure last year. The Board of Trustees, led byDominic Collier as Chair and Vice Chair Diane Savory, provides strategic governance. Day to day management of the charity rests with the Senior Management Board, made up of the Director of Festivals (Ian George), Director of Education (Ali Mawle), Director of Finance (Adrian Farnell), Director of Marketing and Partnerships (position vacant) and General Manager (Helena Bibby).

Dominic said: “What is evident from our strategic review is that we need stronger support for our work with children and young people, and Board-level oversight of our diversity and inclusion ambitions. Therefore we will be recruiting three new Trustees.”

Dominic will step down at the end of the year on completion of his current three-year term, handing over to Diane Savory as Interim Chair until a new Chair is recruited.

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.