Bath Spa University and Bath Festivals have been selected as one of the top three partnerships within the Arts & Business (A&B) Long-term Partnership Award category.
Bath Spa is the only university in the UK to have been shortlisted across all the Awards categories.
The A&B Awards in partnership with Jaguar Land Rover are held annually. The Long-term Partnership Award recognises businesses and organisations’ on-going collaboration and their ability to continue to set high standards for arts and business partnerships.
Bath Spa University has been working in partnership with Bath Festivals for many years, enhancing each other’s profiles and helping to develop a thriving creative and cultural life for this vibrant city.
Attracting audiences from across the UK, Bath International Music Festival, The Independent Bath Literature Festival, The Telegraph Bath Children’s Literature Festival and their year round Learning & Participation programmes provide exciting and valuable opportunities for students, from delivering performances, workshops and education work to stewarding and placements within the arts administration team.
Bath Festivals benefit from creative, financial and in-kind support from the University. This ranges from contributions to the development of its artistic and outreach programmes, use of university facilities and resources, delivery of events as well as access to a range of staff and student expertise, for example in supporting the Festivals’ social media strategy.
The partnership was formally confirmed in January this year with the University named as Bath Festivals’ ‘Creative Partner’. The relationship has had a positive impact on students, local school children, rural communities, teachers, arts professionals, performers and the diverse festival audiences.
Commenting on the shortlisting, Professor Christina Slade, Vice-Chancellor of Bath Spa University said: “We are delighted and proud to have been shortlisted for such a prestigious award. Our partnership with Bath Festivals is a celebration of the marriage of the creativity and skill sets of our students with the thriving arts and creative businesses throughout the city of Bath.”
Bath Festivals’ Chief Executive, Belinda Kidd, added: “It is wonderful that our long-established work with the staff and students of Bath Spa University has been recognised in this way. Our links with the University are immensely rewarding, and I am delighted that these have now been further strengthened with the formal establishment of our role as Creative Partner.”
The A&B Awards celebrate the finest partnerships between the commercial and cultural sectors. This year, over 100 partnerships entered across the seven award categories.
Philip Spedding, Director of Arts & Business, said: “Our independent panel of judges were incredibly impressed by the quality and breadth of all of the entries and it is heartening to see the commercial sector continue to support the cultural sector in such well executed and creative ways. Success, as ever, is achieved through commitment, cooperation and collaboration.”
The ceremony for the A&B Awards will take place on Tuesday 14th May at the London Symphony Orchestra, St Luke’s, London.
