The Reader: Arts can help shape our nation post-pandemic

As Julian Glover laid bare in yesterday’s Standard [Comment], our creative sector is facing grave existential challenges. While UK venues continue to explore how to get back to what we do best, we urgently need government support to allow us to reopen more fully.

At the Southbank Centre, we’ve facilitated remote workshops for people with dementia; we’ve launched Art by Post nationwide for isolated and vulnerable people; and soon, our 11-acre site will become an outdoor gallery, free for all, showcasing Everyday Heroes, an exhibition dedicated to the nations’ key workers. These schemes have harnessed the arts’ power to boost well-being and provide a collective opportunity to reflect.

We now have a chance to create a moment akin to the post-war settlement that created the South Bank, NHS, and Arts Council, a time where culture was deemed essential for healing and renewal. Let’s be a nation that recognises the arts’ role in shaping our sense of community, our national identity, and our everyday lives.
Anna Hughes, Press manager, Classical Music, Southbank Centre

Editor's reply

Dear Anna

I know that the Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, is on your side — but he needs help from the Chancellor and Prime Minister. London is the city it is because of the arts. Keep up the fight to save them.
Julian Glover, Associate Editor

Don’t price cars out of London

Ross Lydall's paean to cycling [Comment, June 24] ignores those who have reached an age when it is not a possibility, walking more than half a mile is hard, and public transport currently unwise. I have only ever used my car evenings and weekends but will now have to add £15 C-charge to the cost of outings. Spare us a thought!
Rachel Pointon