Nick Stewart, Collabor8 Officer for Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority said the report confirms the success of the three day event held at the end of May positioning the Crickhowell Art Trail as an important fixture in the events calendar of the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park.
The Crickhowell Art Trail ‘Open Studios and Galleries’ ran during the Spring Bank Holiday Weekend in May showcasing artists at 31 different venues throughout Crickhowell. It celebrated the exceptional quality and craftsmanship in the local area showcasing everything from art to sculpture to pottery to jewellery making, offering visitors the opportunity to talk to and buy straight from artists and craft workers who in turn benefit from selling direct to the public. Of more than 50 eclectic artists and crafts people involved in the project, 73% responded to the survey, and of those, nearly 50% received between 100-500 visitors over the course of the event. More than 70% of artists made sales and commissions between £50 -£3000 but with the largest proportion of those artists making between £500-£1000. The comprehensive survey also reported that over 80% of artists thought the event was a worthwhile experience and are very interested in taking part in 2012.
The survey was funded by Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority’s Collabor8 Project, which is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, Interreg 4B programme. This project aims to work with local businesses on initiatives that promote what’s local, distinctive and special about our National Park and help visitors discover the best of the local area. Collabor8 also funded the Crickhowell Art Trail event programmes, photography and a short film to promote the event on YouTube and other social media networks for future years.
Nick Stewart went on to say: “This survey reflects the importance of the visitor spend to the local economy and confirms that the Crickhowell Art Trail is not just a great visitor experience but it’s also good for the livelihoods of the artists taking part. Raising the profile of these artists has great benefits to the community and these figures provide the evidence that these types of projects are real success stories for Collabor8. Ultimately, the majority of artists felt that they had generated enough business to justify them taking part in the event and that is very important to us. There’s always room for improvements to any event, and this research will help us make a bigger and better event for all involved next year.”
For more information about Collabor8 contact Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority’s Collabor8 Officer Nick Stewart on 01874 620490 or nick.stewart@breconbeacons.org
-ENDS-
Pictures: Copyright of Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority
NOTES TO EDITORS
The COLLABOR8 Project is 50% funded by the ERDF Interreg 4B North West Europe Programme. This partnership project involves nine different partners from Ireland, Wales, England, Netherlands and Belgium. It aims to actively involve clusters of small businesses in developing quality, sustainability and services that promote local ‘sense of place’. In this way each tourism cluster will be able to capitalise on the uniqueness of their regions to compete better in the EU and global markets.
The partners involved in the COLLABOR8 project are: South Kerry Development Partnership Ltd. (IE) -(Lead Partner); DLG Government Service for Land and Water Management: Office of the National Project New Dutch Waterline Department (NL); Stichting Studio VMK (NL); Flemish Land Agency (BE); Tourism East Flanders (BE), Westcountry Rivers Trust (UK); South Downs National Park Authority (UK); Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority (UK); and Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council (UK).
If you are a journalist writing a feature and would like to visit Bannau Brycheiniog National Park or to obtain more press information and images, please contact Samantha Games, PR and Events Officer for Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority on 01874 620 420 or email samantha.games@breconbeacons.org