PEOPLE in Craven are being asked to help shape a strategy aimed at the promotion of arts, heritage, and culture throughout North Yorkshire.

A recently launched public survey asks for opinions about what North Yorkshire's priorities should be around cultural services, what should be included in the council's strategy, and how success should be measured.

Participants are invited to share memories about cultural experiences they have had, including gallery visits, public art programmes, and workshops.

The survey follows the establishment of the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority in February, which brings fresh funding opportunities for arts and culture.

North Yorkshire Council was also recently awarded an Arts Council England grant worth £1.2 million to go towards high-quality music education for children and young people, including subsidising music lessons and purchasing instruments.

Craven Museum, at Skipton's Town Hall, was awarded £15,000 as a finalist for the National Art Fund Museum of the Year 2024.

It was in the running alongside such venues as London's National Portrait Gallery and Young V&A, Dundee Contemporary Arts, and Manchester Museum.

The World Health Organisation states that “the arts are uniquely suited” to provide wide-ranging health benefits for people taking part in cultural and leisure activities, adding: “In recent decades, we have come to understand the intrinsic health benefits to artistic and leisure activities.”

North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for culture and the arts, councillor Simon Myers, said: "North Yorkshire has a rich cultural heritage which is not only important to the people who come from far and wide to visit, but also those who call the county home.

"But it is not all about the past.

"As England’s largest county, we also have an incredibly diverse arts and cultural sector behind some of the most imaginative and thought-provoking projects around.

"The importance of arts and culture in terms of wellbeing for all our residents, unlocking creative talent in our young people and building on a vibrant and diverse creative sector with well-paid jobs, cannot be understated, which is why I believe the implementation of a coordinated strategy will be a significant development."

"By taking part in the consultation you can ensure your voice is heard and the things that are important to you are represented."

The survey runs until August 15, and is available online at https://online1.snapsurveys.com/vfq714.

Paper versions of the survey are also available at Skipton Town Hall.