Creative businesses and freelancers in the West Country are in line for major funding support to help them innovate, up-skill and attract private investment.
The West of England Combined Authority (Weca) is one of six Ƶ regions to secure £25m as part of the government’s Creative Places Growth Fund.
The cash will be used to grow the already booming creative industries of the region, including film, TV and music companies.
Lisa Nandy, culture secretary, said: “Creativity has no postcode - whether it’s a musician in Bristol, a filmmaker in Bath, or a video games developer in South Gloucestershire.
“We know that it is not one size fits all. That’s why we are committed to growing our creative industries in every corner of the nation as part of our Creative Industries Sector Plan, and hope that this devolved funding will be just what these regions need to make their creative industries the best that they can be.”
The landmark allocation comes just days after the West of England’s new Growth Strategy, published last week, named the sector as one of its five key growth areas for the next 10 years.
Since 2015, almost 18,500 jobs were created in the creative industries in the West – the most of any English region, including London.
Helen Godwin, mayor of the West of England, said: “Creativity is at the heart of the West’s identity and our economy, from Oscar-winning animators to our world-famous festivals and so much more. With this £25m investment from government, we can help businesses grow and create more opportunities for local people."
The fund was announced in the Creative Industries Sector Plan in June, as part of Industrial Strategy. Under the proposals, the government will invest £150m in the creative industries of six regions outside of London - Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, North East, West of England, West Midlands and West Yorkshire.
The fund will be split equally across the regions to drive growth, innovation and investment. The money will be awarded to the six mayoral areas over three years, starting in the 2026 financial year, with each region distributing according to local barriers and opportunities.
"This £25m is a major vote of confidence in our vision for a brighter future in this new chapter for the West of England," added Ms Godwin.
Elsewhere, the government is announcing that more than 100 micro, small, and medium-sized creative enterprises across 12 regions, including the Bristol and Bath region, Devon and Cornwall, will receive a share of £8m in grants through the Create Growth Programme.
The grants, ranging from £20,000 to £140,000, are aimed at helping these high-growth businesses commercialise their ideas and access resources, knowledge and private investment to scale up.
