Introduction

Culture means different things to different people. It can give us a sense of belonging to a place and time. In its widest sense, culture means beliefs, attitudes, traditions, and behaviour - whole ways of life.

Cultural activities include a wide range of things which you might not think of as cultural such as walking the dog, reading a book, going to the cinema, playing a favourite sport. The list is as long as you want to make it. Anything which makes you feel good to be alive is YOUR Culture.

The Culture of South Tyneside is wide and varied we have lots to boast about like our coast line, arts venues, museums, festivals, industrial heritage and our people but we can always achieve much more with what we have and make sure that Culture is at the heart of what we do.

'Catch the Spirit' is the Cultural Strategy for South Tyneside, which was developed with the help of hundreds of people throughout the borough in 2002. The overall vision of the strategy is to make south Tyneside a better place to live work and visit. The Cultural Strategy is currently being rewritten and will be published as the Culture and Wellbeing Strategy in summer 2008.

The council's Cultural Services support the Cultural Strategy, through delivering on a number of objectives, which underpin Community and Corporate priorities

Since 2004 the cultural strategy and cultural issues have a voice and are monitored through the learning, creativity and culture partnership which links to the Local Strategic Partnership this is an important mechanism to ensure that the voices of all are heard in the decision making process.