About this Event
CDF Network Cultural Development Gatherings provide a timely reminder of the value of culture to our towns, cities and communities and explore its role in supporting growth across all parts of the country. Gathering-26: Project Legacy is an opportunity to bring people together, to connect in a physical space and to help set the agenda for the next phase of culture-led growth and opportunity, with a focus on building a long-lasting legacy in place-based cultural projects.
Main Purpose
Following our previous successful, sold-out events in Worcester and Rochdale, this event is to celebrate the completion of the third round CDF projects across England, to share learning and to help inform future policy and funding.
Who is this event for?
Audience will be a combination of specifically invited guests and - if capacity allows - an open call across the creative and cultural sectors. This event may also be of particular interest to those developing bids for City/Town of Culture or for those considering options and opportunities around the £1.5bn Art Everywhere/Cultural Infrastructure funding recently announced by DCMS. Our previous events attracted audiences comprised of:
- National and local policymakers
- Senior representatives of funders and Arms-Length Bodies (ALBs), including Arts Council England, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic England, English Heritage etc.
- Senior figures from the across the cultural sector, including CEOs of leading cultural organisations and National Portfolio Organisations (NPOs)
- Academics and researchers
- Professionals, artists and practitioners from across the creative and cultural sectors
Need Accommodation?
The CDF Network has negotiated preferential rates of £130 (room, breakfast and parking) for attendees wishing to stay overnight before the event at the Hilton Garden Inn hotel in Stoke-on-Trent. Details and a booking link here - room cancellation deadline is before 11:59pm on 13th March 2026. Other accommodation options are available across the Stoke-on-Trent area. Details of specially-themed walking tours and VIP networking events for attendees and overnight visitors will be announced shortly. Complimentary coach transfers between the HIlton Garden Inn and the main event venues will be provided for attendees.
Key Policy Connections
Gathering-26: Project Legacy connects directly to the Government's Missions, specifically to Kickstart Economic Growth and Break Down Barriers to Opportunity. Key topics and themes discussed at the event will connect with current and emerging policy initiatives including:
- UK City and Town of Culture
- £1.5bn DCMS Cultural Infrastructure Funding
- Creative Places Growth Fund
- Create Growth Programme
- Culture and Heritage Capital
- Cultural Devolution
- Civil Society Covenant
- Sector Plan for the Creative Industries
- Arts Council England Independent Review (Hodge Review)
Key Themes
Full programme and speakers will be announced shortly, with key topics to include:
- Project Legacy - how do we look beyond the typical 3 year funded project cycle and deliver projects with sustainable and viable legacies that continue to deliver impact on investments in culture and cultural infrastructure long into the future?
- Leadership, Ownership and Operations - looking through the lens of the CDF3 projects, this event will explore the different models and approaches taken across a diverse portfolio of projects spread across the length and breadth of England.
- Test and Learn - how can cultural organisations, local authorities, funders and policymakers build from a strong strategic vision that still allows room to flex and develop during the project delivery cycle?
- Launching (not landing) - how do we approach the cliff-edge of the end of a funded period as an opportunity to fly, not fall? How do we build our projects as a hang-glider rather than as a bungee cord?
- Culture as Catalyst - exploring the wider impact of cultural infrastructure on place and place-based strategies. How do we leverage the impact of culture and and culture-led regeneration in place transformation?
About the Cultural Development Fund (CDF) Network
The Cultural Development Fund (CDF) Network is the national collective that shares best practice and generates knowledge to capture and celebrate the success of the DCMS CDF investment.
CDF round three projects are spread across the entire length and breadth of England, including Barnstaple, Bradford, Medway, Morecambe, Stoke-on-Trent and Walsall.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Stoke Town Hall, Glebe Street, Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom
GBP 0.00
