Funding worth almost £1m has been awarded to Staffordshire Moorlands District Council for an arts project which will span three years.

The project, called Outside, is being funded by Arts Council England's Creative People and Place Programme.

Arts Council England has allocated £943,000 for the scheme, which aims to increase participation in arts and culture across the district.

The council entered into a competitive bidding process to win the money, and in total the project is forecast to be worth £1.2m when matched funding is confirmed by partners (including the district council itself).

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council will redeploy its current annual funding of community arts activity (£20,850) to support the project.

It will also commit up to £25,500 towards cultural activity and £27,175 to underwrite ticket sales during the project's delivery phase (April 2023 onwards).

Outside will run for a 12-month preparatory period starting this month, and then continue for a further two years until March 2025.

It will include a series of arts and cultural activities, bringing in professional artists to co-produce it.

The project will focus on working with a number of different groups – including people facing mental health challenges, those with disabilities, and families on low incomes.

It will also aim to engage with diverse communities – in particular Romany Gypsies as well as families with Polish heritage.

Cllr Sybil Ralphs said; "It's going to be beneficial in bringing the arts into the Moorlands.

"We're working in partnership with the B-Arts group, based in Stoke-on-Trent, and also the students from Leek College and Buxton College."

She added: "We already have a successful art gallery and museum, in the Nicholson Building in Leek, and this funding is going to help us build on that because we are looking to enlarge and improve the museum in the Nicholson and we're looking to build it up so we can get accreditation status.

"And then we'll look forward to working with museums both locally and nationally."

"We've got a wealth of talent in the Moorlands and this is something that's going to beneficial to the people in the Moorlands.

"I'm also very, very pleased that we shall be working with the students from both Leek and Buxton colleges, and also we'll be able to take the arts out to the rural villages – not just co-centring them in Biddulph, Cheadle and leek but also in the village halls.

"So, bringing art to the people.

"Art workshops and exhibitions throughout the Moorlands – not just in the three towns but in the villages as well."

Deputy leader Cllr Mark Deville said: "This offers us opportunities in the Staffordshire Moorlands to meet and enjoy the arts, and activities around the arts.

"It's just another example of us hopefully getting our lives back together.

"I totally support it."