Culturally, Basildon is riding on the crest of a wave with the news from our national arts and cultural funders.

This is such good news, both for our regional theatre, the Towngate which gets £279,713 to pursue its borough activities, and then Things Made Public community interest company, who are to get £122,900 to get started with its creative Basildon project.

Both projects aim to serve our residents well, by bringing entertainment and culture into our community neighbourhood, a vital ingredient if we are to get our communities working for us post-Covid.

As John Baron so clearly recognises: “These funds will be put to good use” in a town not yet noted for its inter-culturalism, but I have seen evidence that this is happening.

But with the added difficulty of not everyone understanding what ‘culture’ might mean to them.

According to the Oxford Dictionary, the noun culture means intellectual achievements, ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people in society, Afro-Caribbean for example, which gives the people of Basildon enormous scope.

We must not forget these creative extravagancies in our festival of enlightenment, such as the Towngate Theatre’s programme of events.

So, given the opportunity that the pandemic allows, we must all embrace these two community outlets, and let us all rejoice in the borough’s cultural attributes.

VIN HARROP

Rosslyn Road, Billericay

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