University of Cumbria’s dedicated Institute of the Arts campus was turned red last night (Wednesday, 30 September) as part of a global initiative shining a light on the continuing crisis in the live events sector.
The #LightItInRed campaign is to recognise the struggles theatres, venues and live events are faced with during the coronavirus pandemic period, and to call on the government to offer the sector a lifeline.
The dedicated arts campus at Brampton Road, Carlisle has been providing creative and cultural course programmes for several decades and has a strong alumni community.
Graduates have gone on to a wide range of careers in the arts and creative industries from Digital and Screen media to West End shows.
The #LightItInRed campaign is intended to raise awareness and drive change for the sector as the future of events rely on countless suppliers, manufacturers and freelancers working together.
Dr Colette Conroy, Director of the Institute of the Arts at University of Cumbria said: “We are supporting #WeMakeEvents and #LightItInRed to showcase the challenges faced by the Performing Arts during this time.
“We prepare our students for careers in the Creative and Cultural Industries and support them throughout their careers. Our students and graduates create the arts and culture that can brighten and reflect these difficult times. We are lighting up our campus as a beacon for the artists and creatives of our community across the UK and all artists affected by COVID-19.”
The creative industries are worth £84.82m to the Cumbrian economy (£1.1billion nationally) and supports 11,000 FTE jobs in the region (100 million across the United Kingdom) including cultural, creative and digital businesses.
