South West 'A Hotbed Of Creativity', Report Shows

Two of the UK's major hotspots for creative activity are in the South West, a report published last week has shown.
Bristol and Bath are listed in the creative top ten by the NESTA report, Creative Clusters And Innovation, which provides a detailed look at the geographical distribution of creative activities across the regions and also zooms in to so-called 'micro-geographies' to determine the hotspots. Bristol and Bath emerge has having between them particular strength in film & video, music & the performing arts, publishing, software and radio & TV.
The report, which includes the first ever online map of British creativity, describes how creative firms tend to cluster close together in each region and says that their presence in a city "impacts directly on the innovative potential of the places where they are located," suggesting Bath and Bristol are also two of Britain's most innovative cities.
The news comes after the Government announced on Monday changes to the support structure for the creative industries. The regional screen agency network, which includes South West Screen based in Bristol, is currently responsible for delivering sector support to the creative industries at a local level. Under new plans, the regional screen agencies will be reshaped into three new regions, Creative North, Creative Central and Creative South under the umbrella of Creative England.
Bristol has been suggested as the possible location for the Creative South hub, with Manchester and Birmingham suggested as potential centres for the north and Central regions respectively, although further analysis is to be undertaken via an industry consultation before the final decisions are made.
Manchester is also one of the top ten creative hotspots, according to the NESTA report. The full list of hotspots is as follows: London, Bath, Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Guildford, Edinburgh, Manchester, Oxford and Wycombe-Slough.
Caroline Norbury, Chief Executive of South West Screen, said: "This report gives a timely confirmation of the South West's success as a UK creative centre and provides an excellent illustration of our reputation as a leading creative hub outside of London. Here at South West Screen we've been working hard with the other screen agencies to develop the new Creative England model announced by Government this week, and we will now continue to ensure that the South West is best served by Creative South as we restructure."
Bristol is known for its thriving film, television and animation industry, being home to a critical mass of production companies including Endemol West, Icon Films, Tigress, Quickfire Media, Testimony Films and RDF Television West, in addition to the internationally renowned BBC Natural History Unit and Aardman Animation.
Meanwhile, Bath can claim Future Publishing, one of Britain's largest media companies, as one of its biggest employers, and both cities feature a growing digital sector.
(KMcA)