A -Z of Services

Arts & Culture in West Dunbartonshire - Cultural Strategy

To promote West Dunbartonshire's cultural identity locally, nationally and internationally.
To increase access and participation in cultural activity for all citizens.
To conserve, interpret and celebrate our culture and heritage.
To increase funding and investment in culture.
To raise the quality and range of cultural activity and achievement.
To recognise and promote the role of culture to cross-cutting agendas including Economic Development, Social Inclusion, Regeneration, Lifelong Learning and Health among others.
To support the local economy and the development of sustainable cultural industries and tourism.
To embed culture in the planning and work of the council and external agencies and organisations and value the contribution it makes to the quality of life and well-being.
To support people and organisations whose work includes cultural activity. To identify a role for culture in emerging fields such as Digital Inclusion, eGovernment, Regeneration and the Public Realm.

Culture supports economic development including agendas such as Smart Successful Scotland, Future Skills Scotland, EventScotland, the local Economic Development Strategy and the operating plans of the Local Economic Forum.
Culture embraces the aims of the National Priorities in Education and in Community Learning and Development, especially in the area of citizenship.
Culture, when embedded within cross cutting services and agencies helps agencies deliver their objectives e.g. WDC Corporate and Service objectives, Local Government Act 2003 with the power to advance well-being.
Culture supports the regeneration agenda and relates to initiatives currently operational within West Dunbartonshire.
Culture supports the Community Authority agenda including health promoting schools, heritage and sportscotland agendas.

WDC holds internationally important collections including Singer sewing machines, shipbuilding, Turkey Red and the bleaching and dyeing industry.
The authority recognises that culture promotes links between communities and organisations locally, nationally and internationally.
Sites of interest in the area include Roman remains, Argyll Car Works, Dumbarton Castle and the Denny Experimental Ship Tank, Balloch Castle and Clydebank Town Hall.
The first National Park in Scotland has been created on Loch Lomondside which attracts some 4.5 million visits per year. WDC is also home to a number of high quality municipal parks, including an eighteen hole golf course.
West Dunbartonshire has links to many famous people indigenous to this area including inventors, racing car drivers, writers and artists.

The cultural strategy will provide a framework to map and audit investment in the area on culture across the diverse agencies involved.
It will offer further opportunity for partnerships to build upon success already achieved in attracting business sponsorship in support of local events which may lead to more and larger joint bids for external funding.

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