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In February, the LG Challenge 2024 cohort headed to West Yorkshire to tackle their second challenge, hosted by Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council.
You can also view an audio described version of the Challenge 2 video on our YouTube channel.
Every challenge has a different topic in Calderdale, the council set the second challenge of the series on culture. 2024 is Calderdale’s 50th Anniversary, and to recognise that, have organised a Year of Culture 2024 (CultureDale). The council are “on a mission to unleash the creative spirit of our borough and put culture at the forefront of everything we do.”
The challenge was based in Halifax, the largest town in Calderdale and one that continues to grow its visitor offer. The Piece Hall and Shibden Hall have both benefitted from significant interest in recent years due to the major capital investment at the Piece Hall and for Shibden Hall, the Anne Lister story, made famous by the popular Sally Wainwright TV series ‘Gentleman Jack’.
Halifax has no shortage of cultural and heritage attractions, both in the town centre and on the outskirts, however these are not typically seen as part of the overall visitor offer and consequently don’t always get the recognition they deserve.
Despite being just a 10-15-minute walk and 5-minute drive from Halifax town centre, Dean Clough Mills lacks the same level of connection to the town and is keen to realise its full potential as a visitor attraction.
How we can enhance the links among the three key cultural attractions, boosting visitor numbers, attracting inward investment, and positioning Dean Clough as a prominent cultural destination during and beyond our designated year of culture?
- Demonstrate a coherent relationship that connects the three facilities to the Town and to the borough’s tourism offer.
- Propose ideas for building new audiences at Dean Clough that reflect the heritage and cultural significance of the site.
Team Victorious acknowledged that Calderdale has fantastic cultural assets but felt that visitors to Halifax aren’t always aware that these assets exist. The team proposed ‘Calderdale Calling’; a three-pronged strategy to connect the area with better transport links, attract inward investment and enhance coordination with local partners. This included improved wayfinding, introducing a shuttle bus between Dean Clough and Shibden Hall, and a new light sculpture winter attraction.
“I think, what I’ve learnt is just how important and how powerful identity can be to local businesses.” Adam, Team Victorious Captain
Team Dynamic’s proposal was to create a coherent marketing campaign, by focussing on the unique selling points of each site (Dean Clough Mills, the Piece Hall and Shibden Hall) to increase visitor numbers. They proposed the ‘CultureDale Card (a membership card for local residents to encourage them to visit cultural attractions across Halifax and the wider area) a series of seasonal events that cater for the whole of the borough’s communities and that link the three sites together, as well as plans for how their interventions could be measured, reviewed and evaluated.
“Learning about the local area has been really nice- people who are from here are very passionate about the area so it's been really nice to hear from them.” Hannah, Team Dynamic Captain
It was another intense deliberation, with praise for both teams from the judges for their marketing plans and presentations however the judges decided that Team Dynamic’s exciting presentation that included a film about how to spend the day in Halifax, should win them the challenge. Congratulations to Team Dynamic!
“Both of [the teams] had quite rigorous marketing plans they wanted to put to us, which we are certainly going to take a look at."
Cllr Jenny Lynn, Cabinet Member for Public Services, Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council
Judges
- Claire Holloway, Head of Corporate Services, Local Government Association
- Robin Tuddenham, Chief Executive, Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council
- Cllr Jenny Lynn, Cabinet Member for Public Services, Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council
- Laurie Sansom, Artistic Director/Joint CEO, Northern Broadside Theatre Company