Medway: Five Years of Cultural Transformation

Blog

2025 marked the midpoint of the Creative Medway Cultural Strategy, and five years since the foundation of Creative Medway.  We asked Medway Council’s Head of Culture, Heritage & Libraries Paul Cowell to reflect on this milestone and what the future holds.

Looking Back, A Journey of Change
By Paul Cowell, Head of Culture, Heritage & Libraries at Medway Council

Five years ago, Medway stood at the edge of a cultural transformation. Today, we stand in the midst of it.  2025 marked the midpoint in the Medway Cultural Strategy, and as we look forward to 2026 and the next five years, I wanted to reflect on the remarkable progress we’ve made together, and what comes next.

On 18 January 2020, I’d been at the Council for just five months. I stood in The Queen’s Hall at Rochester Corn Exchange, hoping a handful of people would turn up to talk about Medway’s cultural future. And over 100 of you came. What followed was inspiring, authentic and, hand on heart, one of the biggest challenges of my life.

Paul Cowell, Head of Culture, Heritage & Libraries at Medway Council

Over the last five years we’ve seen a surge in creative confidence and energy across Medway. Our festivals have flourished, our artists have thrived, and our communities have come together in ways that are both joyful and profound.

Let me share just a few highlights:

• A groundbreaking cultural strategy that continues to attract national attention.
• Formation of the Creative Medway Compact, uniting people passionate about culture and place.
• Recognition as an Arts Council England Priority Place and National Lottery Heritage Fund Heritage Place, unlocking new funding and partnerships.
• A record number of National Portfolio Organisations including Icon Theatre, Lyrici Arts and Ideas Test bringing £1m+ investment annually into Medway and delivering powerful, inclusive work that reaches deep into our communities.
• £250,000 from Spirit of 2012 for the Medway Change Makers cultural volunteering programme.
• Arts Council project grants grew from £850k in 2020/21 to nearly £3m in 2024/25.
• Launch of the Creative Health Place Partnership with £400k funding, pioneering new ways to connect creativity and wellbeing.
• Over £40m invested in creative infrastructure, including the Brook Theatre restoration, The Docking Station, and accessibility upgrades at Sun Pier House.
• Strengthened education pipeline through MidKent College, Medway School of Arts, University of Kent’s Institute of Cultural and Creative Industries, and the Medway Cultural Education Partnership.
• Festivals like Medway Culture Club Carnival, Rochester Sweeps, Medway Pride, Chinese New Year, Festival of Chatham Reach, and Love Gillingham Big Day Out have drawn thousands and celebrated heritage and diversity, including our LGBTQ+ and Gurkha Nepalese communities.

These achievements reflect confidence, collaboration, vision and a shared belief in the power of culture to transform lives.

Looking Ahead: Our Vision
As we look ahead, Medway Council is committed to embedding creativity into every aspect of civic life. This is built around three core pillars:

1. Local Economy

• Supporting sustainable commercial creative business growth.
• Boosting the visitor economy, positioning Medway as a cultural destination.
• Creative skills and employment pathways.

2. Health & Wellbeing

• Championing ill-health prevention through arts-based interventions.
• Building creative health partnerships, connecting artists with healthcare providers.

3. Place-Shaping & Local Government Reorganisation

• Aligning national strategies like the UK Industrial Strategy with local strategies  including our river strategy, Local Plan, heritage strategy and other regeneration and economic development frameworks to put culture at the heart of Medway’s future.
• Championing culture and heritage-led regeneration, designing places that reflect and celebrate our identity.
• Working with local organisations, trusts, and developers to embed creativity into planning and placemaking.
• Continuing partnerships with Arts Council England, Heritage Fund, Historic England, English Heritage, Natural England and others to ensure Medway remains a key player in national cultural policy.

Building Forward Together

As a Council, we remain deeply committed to supporting and championing Creative Medway. Over the past five years, we’ve seen the transformative power of culture, and we’re proud to have played a part in that journey.

Looking ahead, we’ll work closely with Creative Medway on a comprehensive report to reflect the achievements of the last 5 years, and shape a robust evaluation framework for the next five years. This isn’t just about looking back, it’s about building forward, together.

Creative Medway is more than a network, it’s a movement. As we enter this next phase, I invite you – artists, educators, venues, health professionals, planners, residents – to co-create the future with us.

Let’s build a Medway where creativity isn’t just celebrated – it’s embedded in our economy, our health, and our places. Together, we’ll shape a Medway that’s bold, inclusive, and brilliantly creative.