Leading arts venue catalyses regeneration and reaches underserved communities

The Lowry is the cultural and community heart of the Salford Quays regeneration project MediaCity and the flagship arts and theatre venue in the North of England. To mark its 25th year since opening, Lichfields was commissioned to produce and publish a social and economic impact report that evaluates its relationship with the local community and impact on the economy.

The Lowry’s anchored the regeneration of Salford Quays and was central to attracting the BBC, ITV, the Imperial War Museum North as well as a growing cluster of tech industries to create MediaCityUK. This has been an unmitigated success which today contributes £1.3 billion in GVA to the economy, doubling that in 2001. The Lowry itself generates a significant £90m in visitor spending in the North West every year, supporting around 650 jobs and £48million GVA.

Most importantly and on top of its place-making and economic impact, the report shows that in 2022/23 alone, 22,000 individuals participated in Lowry programmes, including 15,000 young people and 3,000 people with special educational needs or disabilities. Over 3,200 sessions such as those provided under ‘Arts for Social Change’ were held across all of The Lowry’s learning and engagement programmes, totalling over 6,000 hours and delivering at least £22.4m in social value.

Impressively, The Lowry delivers these benefits whilst receiving a uniquely low amount of public finding relative to other similar organisations. With just 6% of the Lowry’s income coming from the public purse in 2023, The Lowry represents an outstanding return on investment.

Independent market research conducted for the report, which engaged over 2,000 residents of Greater Manchester and beyond, showed that 94% of visitors find The Lowry inspiring with 87% feeling that it has a positive impact on the local community.