Arts and creativity took centre place at a county event.
Performers, local organisations and creative professionals from throughout Monmouthshire gathered for a Cultural Celebration and Networking occasion at the Borough Theatre in Abergavenny on March 25.
The gathering highlighted numerous cultural pursuits across the region and featured conversations about how artistic expression supports local communities and economic growth.
Guests were treated to an energetic opening featuring performers on stilts and an artificial intelligence-themed dance routine delivered by young artists from DanceBlast.
One highlight was the unveiling of Monmouthshire’s ten-year Cultural Strategy covering 2025 to 2035, which outlines a vision positioning culture as fundamental to wellbeing, economic prosperity and community strength.
According to Tracey Thomas, Monmouthshire County Council’s director of culture, community learning and events, introducing the strategy represents a significant milestone for the area. She noted that it acknowledges the remarkable creative talent present throughout local communities and demonstrates a collective commitment to ensuring culture shapes the county’s direction by reinforcing neighbourhoods, boosting the regional economy and motivating coming generations. She added that witnessing substantial youth involvement proved particularly encouraging and hearing directly from artists about both prospects and obstacles they encounter was invaluable. Such occasions, she explained, enable stronger relationships to form, allow expertise to be exchanged and guarantee assistance reaches all corners of the creative field.
The gathering also saw the introduction of the National Year of Reading initiative, with award-winning author Bethany Handley presenting a passage from her upcoming work titled My Body is a Meadow.
Sessions explored various artistic ventures spanning fine arts to drama, with particular emphasis on engaging young people through schemes including Creative Futures and Improv Stars Academy.
A question-and-answer session led by Anita Holford examined funding possibilities with input from Arts Council Wales, Social Business Wales and Abergavenny Town Council.