The North West covers the five areas of Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire, Cumbria and Lancashire and has a population of 6.7 million, making it larger than several EU countries.
80 per cent of the region is rural, but most people live in the urban areas with 60 per cent of people in the two core conurbations of Greater Manchester and Merseyside.
The region generates 11 per cent of the UK's Gross Domestic Product, despite a decline in traditional manufacturing and engineering industries. Creative Industries are an area of growth for the region with 29% growth between 1995 and 2002 and a further 18% growth is projected by 2013.
Areas such as Cheshire, Liverpool and Manchester city centres continue to grow, but there is also a continued presence of North West neighbourhoods high in the Indices of Deprivation.
- There are approximately 290 museums and galleries in the Region receiving 8 million visits a year
- The region has 22 public library services which receive approximately 40 million visits each year. In addition to public libraries the region has 15 universities and higher education colleges with libraries, 64 further education colleges with libraries and over 50 health libraries
- The North West has the highest percentage of the population using archives of any of the English regions. The region has 200 archive holding organisations with 45 main archive offices.
MLA in the North West has a history of working strategically in partnership with local authorities, cultural agencies, Government Office North West and the North West Development Agency. Since the findings of the Hodge Review this commitment to partnership working has been formalised with a renewed emphasis on joint delivery of a core set of priorities across the culture and sport agenda.
Living Places Pennine Lancashire
MLA North West chairs the Living Places Pennine Lancashire– one of only five ‘Priority Places’ in the country. The programme is focussing the regional cultural agencies on working together to develop links between culture and sustaining communities through housing led regeneration. For more information visit: Living Places
Addressing the problems of access to meet the Disability Discrimination Act, at this Lancashire museum, also led to fresh look at
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The outcomes of a review of museum, library and archive activity with children and young people.
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In a meeting with councillors and council officers from Merseyside regional manager Nathan Lee explains more about the work of the
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The National Fairground Archive has been instrumental in an ongoing scheme to promote tourism in Blackpool.
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Getting the local community involved has transformed a council estate and provided a model for further community libraries in the
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A programme run by Chester's Grosvenor Museum to engage 'hard-to-reach' groups has been commended as a success by all involved....
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Getting local teenagers involved in transforming an area in the new Halewood library see young peoples' library use soar
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Image and Identity encouraged the sharing of collections, collaborative working and the exchange of best practice between...
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Constrained by Government spending limits, Wigan Council decided the only way to improve its libraries was to set up a charitable
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A film-making project for homeless men in Manchester has successfully taught film-making skills and enhanced self-esteem,...
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