CUPIDO

Creative Folkestone is involved in a project called CUPIDO, funded by the European Union for three years. The project has 16 partners from 7 European countries which are local and regional councils, cultural organisations, such as Creative Folkestone and Universities.

CUPIDO is mainly about understanding how the creation of jobs in the cultural sector contributes to making a community vibrant and attractive for people to come and live, work and enjoy life.

The project will explore how creative activities such as art, dance and music as well as the cultural heritage can influence the face of a rural town or a whole region. And, more importantly, what impact creative activities have on the quality of life for the people living in these areas.

The focus is on rural areas with a failing economy and therefore struggle to provide people with the basic services they need. A lack of employment opportunities often results in an ageing population as the younger generation leaves to find work elsewhere. Folkestone is a really good example of such an area as the closure of the ferry services over three decades ago has left the economy ailing.     

Over the next three years Creative Folkestone will receive funding for a number of exciting initiatives which will help to create work and job opportunities in particular in the creative industries. In addition, we will be able to provide support to existing small and medium sized businesses and new start-ups to make the best of new technologies to be successful.       

We will regularly update you on the progress of the project, so watch the space. In the meantime you can find more details on the CUPIDO website.