About Us

Vibrant Shropshire’s Cultural Compact is part of the national network of cultural compacts supported and funded by Arts Council England (ACE) and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and facilitated by Shropshire Council. It’s made up of representatives from business, education, health, wellbeing and culture to support the delivery of Vibrant Shropshire the county’s cultural strategy

Vibrant Shropshire aims to support the sector to deliver amazing cultural events and activities that help increase the county’s wellbeing, economic development, resilience, sustainability and local pride.

What is a Cultural Compact?

A Cultural Compact is an Arts Council England initiative supported by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). In 2019, they supported the creation of 20 Cultural Compacts around the country.

These Compacts are partnerships designed to support the local cultural sector and enhance its contribution to development, with a special emphasis on cross-sector engagement beyond the cultural sector itself and the local authority. The Compacts model was included in the recommendations of the UK Cultural Cities Enquiry, an independent enquiry into the cultural resources of Britain’s cities. (Source: ACE)

You can read more about the national Cultural Compact Initiative on the Arts Council website:

ACE Cultural Compacts Initiative

Our key priorities

Support the development of innovative, ambitious and surprising programming

Help overcome barriers to participation in culture, especially amongst underserved communities

Support the cultural sector to help develop Shropshire’s economy

Increase employment opportunities in culture and encourage more young people to consider a career in the sector in Shropshire

Increase the delivery of cultural initiatives that have a positive impact on health and wellbeing

Increase awareness of environmental sustainability and reduce the sector’s impact on the environment

Engage more children and young people in cultural activities

We define culture as:

Visual and performing arts, music, dance, crafts, literature, museums, heritage, history,
archaeology, archives, architecture, libraries, open spaces, countryside recreation,
sport, hospitality, cafes and restaurants, visitor attractions and locally produced food
and drink.

Meet The Board

Paul Johnson

Cultural Compact Chair and Professor of Theatre at the University of Chester

Paul Johnson is Dean of Academic Quality and Professor of Theatre and Performance at the University of Chester. He has worked as a researcher, lecturer and external examiner/advisor at many universities, developing and delivering courses in arts and culture. Paul has worked in the theatre as a writer and director, as well as a variety of other roles from youth theatre worker to script reader. Previously, he sat on the Strategic Board of Arts Connect, the Arts Council Bridge organisation for the West Midlands, ensuring wider access to arts and culture for young people in the West Midlands, and he chaired the Quality Assurance Agency review of the subject benchmark statement for Dance, Drama and Performance courses in higher education.

Paul Gossage

Culture, Leisure and Tourism Projects and Marketing Manager, Shropshire Council

Paul Gossage joined Shropshire Council in 2021. He has worked in the charity and heritage sectors for many years and has considerable experience of communications, project development, fund raising and community engagement. As part of his role as Development Manager he has established Vibrant Shropshire and continues to be heavily involved in its day to day running and strategic work.

Tim Ashton

Owner of Soulton Hall, Historic Country House in North Shropshire

Prior to returning to Soulton, Tim studied law at Oxford University, and work in this area briefly took him to Los Angeles. Tim has dyslexia and appreciates the importance of inclusive and diverse cultures.

During the pandemic, Tim built and ran an ’emergency’ amphitheatre and the landscape around his family’s farm became a refuge for in person performance while that emergency lasted and beyond. A particular highlight of this was work with the National Youth Theatre. Tim is excited to see culture and art lead Shropshire’s economic development, identity and heritage regeneration.

Dr Sarah Browne

Head of Shropshire Music Service

Sarah started as a music teacher in primary and secondary schools, then managed a performing arts and media department in the FE sector.

She spent the last decade in senior roles in Higher Education, where she founded and chaired the Walsall Cultural Compact.

Sarah has published several academic articles and a book in 2022. She advocates for young women in music, working with the UN on the Hear Her Song initiative and promoting gender equality in music at the UN Headquarters.

Louise Johnson

Partnership Manager, Department of Work and Pensions

Louise Johnson has 30+ years’ experience within the Civil Service and has worked for the Department of Work and Pensions since 2017. Louise is keen to encourage employment within the Arts and Culture sector.

Zoe Partington

Zoe Partington Associates

Zoe Partington, a Shropshire-based conceptual artist, auditor and creative equality trainer, specializes in ‘Disability Art’. She uses 3D installations to explore inclusive audio approaches and tactile representations of Disabled people’s experiences. Zoe supports the arts, cultural, heritage and built environment sectors by promoting inclusion and often appears on radio and podcasts to discuss societal barriers for disabled people. Since 2013, she has worked as an auditor and equality trainer with the British Council and Shape Arts, delivering global programs with disability activist Barbara Lisicki.

Zoe collaborates with academic institutions like Exeter University, King’s College London and Newcastle University among others. In Shropshire, she has supported Dash Arts for 20 years. She also volunteers on the board of ACE, mentors for the Stephen Lawrence Trust and supports Shropshire Museum Services.

Tim Russell

Until retirement Tim ran international management and training consultancies based in the UK, Singapore and Australia advising multinational companies on the management of their people and their interaction with their customers and suppliers.

Tim, who lives in Clun, was until recently Chair of Enterprise South West Shropshire (Enterprise House). He is Chair of Clun Amateur Dramatic Society (CADS) and is on Clun’s Green Man committee.

His particular interest is in trying to achieve a collaboration between the many disparate providers of culture in the county and the suppliers of hospitality and other visitor attractions.

Joseph Schneider

Founder and Director of Rural Art Hub

Joseph Schneider has thirty years’ experience as an artist and creative facilitator working across art, play and educational settings. He is the founding director of the Rural Art Hub in North Shropshire, a Community Interest Company whose innovative, interdisciplinary projects bring together creativity, heritage and sustainability to support transformation and inspiration at the heart of community.

Pete White

Director of Information Solutions/The Web Orchard

Pete is one of the founding members of Vibrant Shropshire. His background is in IT and web design and he runs the Shrewsbury based companies Information Solutions and The Web Orchard. Pete’s side projects include the Love Shrewsbury website and ShropGeek. He is interested in both the economic and social benefits of the cultural projects the region has to offer.

Delia Yapp

Economic Growth Team, Shropshire Council

Delia Yapp is a Manager in the Economic Growth team at Shropshire Council, with 20 years’ experience supporting a wide variety of businesses to grow, invest and develop in the region.

Delia brings extensive knowledge of the external funding arena and aims to help the Cultural Compact attract additional funds to assist the group’s delivery plans. She also serves as a link to the local authority and any support it can provide.

About Vibrant Shropshire

About us