Always, Everywhere: Manchester’s Cultural Ambition 2024 – 2034 has been shaped following conversations with local people living and working in the city, as well as input from cultural organisations, creatives, and others directly involved in culture and the arts.

To celebrate its launch, members of the public are being invited to get out over the coming weeks and months and try some of the city’s amazing cultural offer – much of it free – for themselves.

The new cultural ambition set out in the strategy for the city is based on three different themes – everyone, everything, everywhere – aimed at giving everyone across Manchester the opportunity to enjoy and participate in culture and the arts.

Widening access to culture for all, recognising the people that make culture happen, and creating a ‘cultural welcome’ to the city are at the heart of the ‘everyone’ theme.

Alongside this, the ‘everything’ strand encourages the city to rethink the scope of what culture is, to take in much more of everyday Mancunian cultural and creative life.  Making sure culture really does connect with the issues that matter.

Also underpinning the strategy is the idea that culture happens everywhere and the importance of creating more spaces and places in the city where culture happens.

Just as important to the city’s cultural ambition for the next ten years is how Manchester is viewed on the world’s stage.  Sending out creative work made in Manchester to the rest of the world, as well as attracting visitors into the city to sample the city’s arts and cultural scene for themselves.

Councillor Garry Bridges, Deputy Leader Manchester City Council said: “Modern-day Manchester is a place underpinned by diversity, vibrancy and creativity.  Take away our culture and there would be no city. Culture and creativity bring happiness into everyday life and attract visitors from all over the world.

“As part of our renewed cultural ambition for Manchester over the next decade we want to make a difference both locally and internationally to how people see and enjoy arts and culture, both in the city and from the city.

“Widening access to culture for everyone in Manchester is at the core of our ten-year plan, along with a cultural offer that reflects the city’s many and diverse communities.

“Sitting alongside this is our ambition to strengthen even further the city’s cultural offer to ensure it equals that of the most dynamic and culturally rich cities across the globe.”

A key part in helping shape the new cultural ambition for the city was consultation with local people as well as cultural organisations, creatives, and others.

Over 240,000 residents were reached out to during the consultation period by social media, nearly 59,000 through newsletters and bulletins, in addition to meetings with over 50 different groups representing 800 community voices. Over 1300 detailed survey responses were also submitted as part of the consultation and direct conversations took place with hundreds of people in local communities across the city.

Dave Moutrey OBE, Director of Culture and Creative Industries for Manchester, said: “Culture is already very much at the heart of our city. It shapes our communities and broadcasts a Manchester story right across the world.

“Everyone living in our brilliantly diverse city is part of this story and we want them to help us write the next chapter, shining a spotlight on all the incredible talent, innovation and creativity that we know makes Manchester the fantastic place that it is.”

The new strategy was launched at an event in Manchester Central Library attended by representatives from cultural organisations from Manchester and the wider city region, artists, and local residents who had taken part in the consultation.

Speakers at the launch included independent cultural engagement consultant and producer Samina Ali; Karen Shannon, Chief Executive of Manchester Histories; and Magdalen Bartlett, Chief Executive of arts charity Afrocats.

Samina Ali, cultural engagement consultant and producer, spoke about the importance of the ‘Everyone’ strand that is a central part of Manchester’s new cultural ambition.  She said: “Our commitment to the ‘Everyone’ pillar is about fostering a vibrant, inclusive, and accessible cultural landscape in Manchester.  By focusing on these objectives, we aim to create a cultural environment where everyone can engage, contribute, and thrive.”

Karen Shannon, Chief Executive, Manchester Histories, spoke about the ‘Everything’ theme that is embedded in the new strategy.  She said: “As we rethink the role of culture in Manchester, we must ensure that it’s deeply connected to the lives of everyday Mancunians. Culture has the power to connect us, inspire us, and help us navigate the challenges we face. This pillar of Everything will help ensure that culture remains relevant, inclusive, and reflective of the people and issues that matter.”