Participation in arts and culture makes communities feel safer and stronger, adds to health and wellbeing and reduces social isolation¹, but funding cuts are a significant threat to culture and leisure activities, particularly in the third sector.

Cultural and recreational activities can help people access the natural environment through healthy lifestyles. Sport is evidenced to result in significant savings to health costs and yet there are concerns that many of Dorset’s young people are physically inactive.

Health and wellbeing value

• Arts and cultural intervention can have a positive impact on specific health conditions such as dementia, Parkinson’s and depression¹. The BSO and arts in hospital partnership saw the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra performing live to patients living with dementia to increase their wellbeing. The project found that dementia patients benefitted through fewer falls, reduced medication, and reduced hospital stays⁷.
• Nearly half of older people (43%) say that accessibility is an important factor when they choose arts venues to attend.²
• Overall 76% of people aged 65+ say that arts & culture is important to making them feel happy. And nearly as many (69%) say that arts and culture is important in improving their overall quality of life²

Engagement & Economic Value

• Research has revealed that the economic impact of Dorset based arts organisation, Artreach adds to public funding by an estimated 93%, particularly through the ‘volunteer multiple’ which adds time, commitment and expertise to arts administration in Dorset.
• There are 11 competitive youth football leagues operating across Dorset. Six leagues for girls and five mixed leagues from Under 12 to under 16s. There are also hundreds of youngsters playing in non-competitive leagues from under 7 through to under 11 as well as a multitude of other organised sports.
• 'Back to Netball' and walking football have successfully encouraged older people to take up sport.
• The number of businesses in the Creative Industries in Dorset has been growing rapidly. Between 2017 and 2020 there has been a 24% increase, compared to 10% for all industries.⁶
• The Creative Economy has grown by 13% in the last 5 years⁵
• For every £1 invested in the Arts Development Company by the council there is a return of £4 secured in external investment into the area.⁷

Levelling Up

• ‘Levelling Up’ is a government programme to equally distribute opportunity and redress locality-based inequality
• Culture, heritage and sport have been recognised as one of the priorities within the government’s White Paper on ‘Levelling Up’.
• Leisure and Culture Consumption Expenditure Per Head was £2,300 for Dorset in 2018⁸.
• Tourism is important to Dorset’s economy as it supports many seasonal jobs. This can introduce precariousness based on weather and tourist numbers. Dorset saw a reduction of 52% in visitor spending during the pandemic. Therefore, increasing resilience is about diversifying the local economy, attracting different and new businesses into the area⁹.
• Despite its unique challenges, Dorset has not yet been allocated any of the Levelling Up funding
• While Dorset was allocated £4.2m from the Cultural Recovery Fund, it has been less successful in the majority of grant and bid applications compared to near neighbours¹⁰.

Headline Figures

£425m

The value of creative industries to the Dorset LEP area

76%

Of older people say that arts & culture is important to making them feel happy

66%

Of Dorset's adults are overweight³

41,000

People saw the iconic Dorset Moon installation

3,000

Young people play in the Dorset Youth Football League

77%

Of Dorset's adults are phsically active

£84 million

Value of the arts and entertainment sectors to the Dorset economy⁴

Headline Figures

£425m

The value of creative industries to the Dorset LEP area

76%

Of older people say that arts & culture is important to making them feel happy

66%

Of Dorset's adults are overweight³

41,000

People saw the iconic Dorset Moon installation

3,000

Young people play in the Dorset Youth Football League

77%

Of Dorset's adults are phsically active

£84 million

Value of the arts and entertainment sectors to the Dorset economy⁴

Sources

• ¹ Create, Arts Council England, December 2015
• ² http://www.comresglobal.com/polls/arts-council-england-older-people-poll/ [Accessed 03/07/18]
• ³ PHE Public Health Outcome (PHOF) Indicators, 2020 data
• ⁴ Regional gva (balanced) by industry in current prices, Office for National Statistics, 2021
• ⁵ LFS Employment (number of filled jobs, thousands) in the DCMS sectors, subsectors, SIC codes and creative and digital occupations by various demographic characteristics : July 2020 to September 2020
• ⁶ UK Businesses 2020, Local Units, ONS , 2020
• ⁷ The Arts Development Company
• ⁸Regional Household Final Consumption Expenditure (Experimental statistics), ONS, 2018
• ⁹Great South West Tourism Partnership, 2021
• ¹⁰ Levelling Up White Paper Briefing, Dorset Council, 2022