I was delighted to attend the launch of the Turner Prize 2023 this week at the Towner Gallery, an event which will put Eastbourne at the centre of the UK’s culture map for the next 6 months.
It is the culmination of Towners centenary year celebrations and alongside Airbourne and our world class tennis tournament, has truly affirmed Eastbourne as the place to be in 2023.
A huge congratulations to Joe, Clare and the Towner and Eastbourne Borough Council Teams who have worked so hard to set Turner for success in Eastbourne. As Joe said, it takes a town to pull off a venture like this and he particularly commended local sponsors and hoteliers, transport providers and education partners Sussex University.
Among the many guests, it was good to catch up with my good friend & colleague Lord Parkinson, Minister for Arts, and to be able to see the huge government investment that has gone into supporting the Towner in recent years, with millions of Levelling Up and Arts Council funds helping refurbish the gallery to welcome the over 100,000 additional visitors expected to come through Towners’ doors during its time in town.
Towner is also the lead on our ambitions for Black Robin farm too, the site of a multi-million pound government investment to create a world class visitor destination which also delivers on training and employment. It’s good to see this starting to come together now.
The inaugural ‘Digifest’ took place this last week, a showcase to put us on the digital map and showcase the digital & creative talent already in our town and signpost new synergies and opportunities. There is a brilliant ambition to create 10,000 new jobs for local people in this sector and I will do all within my power to see that become a reality. Huge well done to Switchplane and Chalk Eastbourne for putting on the event.
Congratulations also to award winning Maybugs in the town centre and new venture Dem Food Centre in Grove Road. These remain challenging times but there are successes out there and Eastbourne has a bright future to reach out for.
