Case study:Achates Develops Strategy: Brent Place Partnership

Achates has worked closely with partners in  Brent for a number of years, from when Brent Borough Council was selected as the first London Borough of Culture in 2020, an acknowledgement of the borough having the most limited cultural provision in the capital at that time. Achates supported the delivery of the London Borough of Culture programme and developed its legacy plan, including creating a new cultural agency to instil a community led, partnership-based approach.

Brent Place Partnership is a consortium of nine leading arts organisations in the London Borough of Brent seeking to enhance Brent’s arts and cultural landscape and build on the legacy of the Borough of Culture Year. 

Since January 2024, our work with partners has included:

• Establishing The Partnership: supporting the formation of the partnership (with partners including Punchdrunk Enrichment, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Brent Council, along with grassroots organisations), facilitating the agreement of programme delivery roles and responsibilities through workshops and 1:1 liaison;

• Developing A Partnership Strategy: creating a shared statement of purpose and narrative summary theory of change for the Partnership to act as a decision-making framework when prioritising activity; and translating this into a partnership strategy with principles for programme design;

• Supporting Income Generation: including developing a fundraising strategy to allow the partnership to realise its plans, creating budgets for key projects, and developing fundraising applications.

 In January 2025, Arts Council England announced a grant of £578,996 to the Brent Place Partnership to improve arts opportunities for young people, as a result of an application developed by Achates and building on strategic work we had undertaken.