Renfrewshire Council

Culture matters and its intrinsic value is recognised and understood by place leaders and communities in Renfrewshire. Active participation in the visual and performing arts, music and dance is accepted by service providers as an effective way to help people live a longer, healthier and more fulfilled life; it can help maintain levels of independence and curiosity and it can bring great joy and happiness, and so improve the quality of life for those joining in.

In response to this, and building on the legacy of Paisley's bid to be UK City of Culture 2021, the Future Paisley programme launched in 2018 and 
confirmed five bold step changes, using culture as a lever for cultural, social, and economic change:

• Radically change Paisley's image and reputation in Scotland, nationally and internationally.
• Raise prosperity and increase wellbeing in Renfrewshire's communities.
• Paisley will be recognised for its cultural innovation.
• Transform Paisley into a vibrant town centre.
• Develop a sustainable and resilient creative economy in Renfrewshire.

The programme has since delivered more than 5,500 events, interventions, performances, and activities and has prioritised and driven the creation of local, affordable and free-to-access cultural experiences (87%), attracting national interest from policy makers and cultural leaders. During this time, employment in Renfrewshire's cultural and creative sectors has increased from 1,910 to 1,970 and employment in tourism has risen from 3,054 to 3,356.

The Future Paisley programme invested directly in Renfrewshire's cultural sector, by supporting artists to develop their practice, capacity-building and organisational development. This investment included cultural funding programmes with almost £2.7 million being awarded through cultural grants.

Read the full  Future Paisley evaluation report [5MB]  and  appendices [10MB] .