Culture on Scilly announces headline achievements from the last 12 months
With Culture on Scilly on the brink of announcing its 2025 programme of events on the islands, the team has announced the headlines of what was achieved in the last 12 months for the fledging organisation.
Culture on Scilly is part of the new Town Hall plans for St Mary’s – redeveloping the former council building in Hugh Town to bring it back to life as a new home for the Isles of Scilly museum and a high-quality performing arts venue for the five islands.
The Isles of Scilly does not currently have a large-scale indoor performance space – and the work of Culture on Scilly is a vital testbed to see what kind of arts programming is viable on the islands.
With the support of Arts Council England, Culture on Scilly is presenting a range of activities to help inform the programme of the new Isles of Scilly Cultural Centre and Museum. Over the next year Culture on Scilly will be working with and handing over to Scilly Arts and Heritage, the newly formed charity which will operate the Town Hall.
Alongside its regular programme of events, Culture on Scilly runs and supports projects and commissions which enable people to experience high-quality arts and culture. They work with partners on Scilly and beyond to deliver work which focuses on community participation, building new audiences, and developing skills – especially for young people on Scilly.
The team is also working with several high-profile arts companies over the next year. They want to create new work inspired by the experiences of our communities and the unique qualities of the Isles of Scilly.
As the plans for the Town Hall take shape, this work will become integrated with the activities and programme of the new Cultural Centre and Museum.
Lydia Bassett, Director at Scilly Arts & Heritage, said: ““We’re really excited to be working with Culture on Scilly this year as we plan for the opening of the Town Hall next Spring. We are working together and coming up with some really great ideas for events all year round in the theatre, showcasing visiting companies as well as local talent and hopefully offering something for everyone to enjoy.
“We still plan to keep working across all five islands once the new Cultural Centre and Museum is open, bringing live performances to the brilliant spaces on Tresco, Bryher, St Agnes and St Martins. We’ll see you at the Culture on Scilly events this year - and can’t wait to welcome everyone to the Town Hall when it opens in 2026.”
Arts co-ordinators, Tammy Bedford and Jeremy Brown, are working behind the scenes to put together a programme of events and projects for 2025 - and will once again be working with a number of local venues on the five islands to bring shows and events to as many Scilly residents and visitors as possible.
Headlines for their work in the past 12 months have included:
Culture on Scilly brought 15 shows over to the Isles of Scilly
Culture on Scilly brought over shows from renowned theatre companies such as o-region, Miracle Theatre and Ha Hum Ah, to showcases of new music from Piers Lewin and hosting spoken word events from broadcasters such as Keith Wallis.
The programme included film screenings with renowned producers like Simon Harvey, and mixed media shows featuring artists like Jason Singh and Karen Wimhurst.
The work is reaching large numbers of the Scilly population
The work of Culture on Scilly so far has shown that there is a committed audience, and whilst the numbers are relatively small compared to the mainland, they are significant given the size of the population and the venue capacity.
An average audience of 70 on St Mary’s is 5% of the whole population of that Island. On Bryher, an audience of 7 represents 10% of that population. Using St Mary’s as an example, this would translate to 1,150 people for a typical Truro audience. 5% of Plymouth’s population is in excess of 10,000 people.
Metrics matter - and these comparisons provide a vivid reminder of what has been achieved.
The work is making a difference to young people on the islands, giving them access to arts opportunities and training that wasn’t available before
Young people have been at the heart of Culture on Scilly’s work, including a vital relationship with Five Islands Academy.
The Young Curators and The Young Promoters training opportunities run by Culture on Scilly are recognised as the first ‘rung’ on the training ladder and have been supported by Arts Award, a recognised qualification that focuses on young people’s leadership and creative talent development.
So far, 40 Arts Awards have been delivered across Explorer and Bronze levels, with a further 30 in progress.
Young people are being mentored by working alongside Jack Chandler at the Old Town Inn. This is an informal mentoring situation, but it helps to bridge the gap between enthusiasm and developing skills and provides useful support in setting up the events and getting to know what is involved in running shows.
The programming has helped to create some important relationships around the islands
A lot of the work of Culture on Scilly has been dependent on working in partnership with others. These partnerships have helped to show that working together brings together more resources than Culture on Scilly has alone – and this keeps pushing things forward for everyone.
Culture on Scilly are bringing the community into every aspect of their work
The team has worked to create multiple opportunities for community participation:
Five Islands Academy has been the centre of activity hosting visiting artists and productions. It has integrated the cultural programme into its curriculum and is working towards the Artsmark Silver award, reflecting its commitment to arts and cultural activity
Feedback from young people shows they found their involvement worthwhile and expressed a strong desire to continue taking part. They feel it has impacted on their future education, cultural experiences and skills, and personal development
A Five Islands Academy OFSTED inspection rated the school's personal development work in the school as Outstanding, highlighting the cultural programme’s significant contribution
Go See opportunities have broadened young people’s horizons, enriching their cultural and artistic perspective through visits to cities and venues within and beyond Cornwall
People from our community got involved through audience development activities, volunteering, workshop participation, and attendance at events.
Culture on Scilly is making progress in developing new audiences
Culture on Scilly curates the events programme with care and considers the changing audience throughout the year and as a result, is starting to see trust in the quality of the programme from local people.
Successful collaborations with schools, such as workshops, have helped to build younger audiences by tying these activities in with the programming.
Culture on Scilly is starting to see evidence that the audience is diversifying, with people who would not have previously considered live arts now engaging with it.
Scilly’s unique character is attracting artists who want to perform on the islands due to their special nature, rather than simply to engage with a historically underserved community.
Find out more about the work of Culture on Scilly – and the wider Town Hall project and plans:
Source: Arts Council England Evaluation Report 2024, Culture on Scilly Phase 2
About Culture on Scilly
Culture on Scilly is part of the new Town Hall plans for St Mary’s – redeveloping the former council building in Hugh Town to bring it back to life as a new home for the Isles of Scilly museum and a high-quality performing arts venue for the five islands.
The Isles of Scilly does not currently have a large-scale indoor performance space – and the work of Culture on Scilly is a vital testbed to see what kind of arts programming is viable on the islands.
With the support of Arts Council England, Culture on Scilly is presenting a range of activities to help inform the programme of the new Isles of Scilly Cultural Centre and Museum.
Alongside their regular programme of events, they run and support projects and commissions which enable people to experience high-quality arts and culture. They work with partners on Scilly and beyond to deliver work which focuses on community participation, building new audiences, and developing skills – especially for young people on Scilly.
The team is also working with several high-profile arts companies over the next year. They want to create new work inspired by the experiences of our communities and the unique qualities of the Isles of Scilly.
As the plans for the Town Hall take shape, this work will become integrated with the activities and programme of the new Cultural Centre and Museum.
About the Isles of Scilly Cultural Centre and Museum
The much-loved Grade II-listed Town Hall in Hugh Town on St Mary’s has always been a place for the community to gather and to welcome visitors. Now – led by the Council of the Isles of Scilly and Scilly Arts & Heritage with the Isles of Scilly Museum Association – the plans to rejuvenate that legacy are underway.
We will create a warm and welcoming venue in the heart of St Mary’s, a place for local people and holidaymakers alike to come together. The space will:
become a new home for our museum, celebrating the culture and stories of Scilly and shining a light on our rich heritage.
provide a performance and exhibition space for local artists and performers, as well as touring companies – creating a much-needed indoor venue for cinema, theatre and live music performances.
act as an Island Hall for our local community, providing a space for people to gather – whether for a craft fair or community group, a dance or a family celebration.
The building will be a celebration of the beautiful natural landscape and distinctive architecture of the Isles of Scilly and will meet the highest standards of environmental sustainability.