Louisa Davies has been appointed the new head of culture and leisure services for Gloucester City Council.

The council says Louisa will continue the vision of establishing the city as a place where arts and culture thrive as well as supporting emerging artists and musicians and promoting local talent.

As well as this, she will be responsible for securing the long-term future of the leisure facilities at GL1 and Oxstalls, and developing initiatives to encourage active lifestyles and access to great sporting facilities and opportunities across Gloucester.

GL1 leisure centre and Oxstalls Sports Park both closed down suddenly last September  after the operator went into liquidation but have since reopened under a new provider, Freedom Leisure. 

Louisa has over 20 years' experience in the arts and heritage sector and was a senior producer of Birmingham 2022 Festival, a game-changing £12 million cultural programme that ran alongside the Commonwealth Games, reaching audiences of 2.4 million.

Louisa has been in a temporary role at the council since last year and joined after working as a freelance executive producer and consultant, including with independent theatre companies and local authorities.

This followed roles in Stratford-upon-Avon in senior public and creative programming and producing roles at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

During this time she was chosen to take part in the Creative Producers International initiative led by Watershed in Bristol, funded by Arts Council England's (ACE) Ambition for Excellence strand. The project gathered together a dynamic network of 15 creative producers from across the world, helping them to become change makers in their cities and beyond.

She was also producer and programmer at the Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham.

Louisa takes on the role of leading the ambitious plans to reinvigorate art and culture in Gloucester, following the city's award of £500,000 from ACE for a three-year cultural programme called Together Gloucester, run by Gloucester Culture Trust.

The programme, which aims to put residents at the heart of shaping the city's culture, will receive a further £450,000 from Gloucester City Council and transform the way creative and cultural projects are funded and commissioned.

Gloucester has also been designated a Priority Place by ACE with four local bodies selected as National Portfolio Organisations, which will help unleash talent across its communities.

Louisa said: "I am delighted to have been appointed to this role. Having overseen cultural development since last July, this city has really captured my heart.

"From its innovative cultural organisations like Strike a Light, the Music Works and Voices Gloucester to events that punch well above their weight like the History Festival and Tall Ships Festival, not to mention the wealth of heritage gems across the city, internationally-respected sporting prowess and incredible artistic talent, Gloucester is quite rightly being recognised as an emerging cultural hotspot.

"Arts Council England has recognised Gloucester's importance, determining it a Priority Place and helping the city achieve record investment in its cultural sector. This is such an exciting time to be a part of the cultural scene here and in my role, I want to help cement Gloucester's position as a creative city and cultural destination now and into the future."

As the new head of culture and leisure, Louisa will also oversee plans to grow audiences and develop programming at Gloucester Guildhall, awarded NPO status in 2023 and the Museum of Gloucester.

She is also responsible for the award-winning Blackfriars, a packed programme of festival events, and Visit Gloucester, which markets the city to visitors and aims to promote the rich and diverse story of Gloucester.