Conference Charity

The Merseyside Media Trust was set up in the 1980s to support the educational ethos of Mersey Television’s outreach programme in media and the visual arts, supporting initiatives such as The Brookie Basics literacy campaign for the first National Year of Reading and the Script to Screen series in which members of the cast, script and production departments of programmes like Brookside and Hollyoaks would visit colleges and media centres across the UK to demonstrate how television was made.

The overall aims have been to advocate and promote a better understanding not just in terms of skills and employment opportunities in media, but also advocating how media can play an important role in helping others find a voice and get their messages heard.

One of its earliest projects was to support a media centre in Liverpool ahead of such projects as Cornerhouse in Manchester and Watershed in Bristol. This laid the groundwork for organisations like the 051 Centre and what eventually became FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) in Liverpool. Similar advocacy work underlies the North West Digital Platform (NWDP) - a free to air public service television channel with open access for any organisation engaged in direct public service lsuch as education, health, or the arts.

A pilot for this project - OC 167 - can now be seen on the Sky satellite platform as part of Merseyside Media Trust’s ongoing support of the Open Culture project during 2008. Open Culture is led by Phil Redmond and is a loose alliance of the International Centre for Digital Content (ICDC) at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and the local media comprising the Liverpool Daily Post and Echo, BBC Radio Merseyside, Radio City and City Talk. The aim of the project is to encourage people evolve from passive cultural spectators to active creators.

OC167 offers six hours every day dedicated to European Capital of Culture and is hosted on Information TV on Sky Channel’s 167 and is also featured on the Open Culture website. (www.culture.org.uk)

Other projects across the year have included the Liverpool Saga, 800 Lines for 800 Years (written about, for and by the people of Liverpool), the Liverpool Map (showing how the citizens of Liverpool see the size and scope of their city, from waterfront to distant horizons, as a cultural perception rather than a bureaucratic line on a map) and the Liverpool Art Market which establishes a place where anyone and everyone can bring art for exhibition and sale.

Merseyside Media Trust wishes to continue supporting Open Culture as part of the legacy from 2008. Our aim is to continue encouraging people not just to consume culture, but to create it as well!

MMT contact:
Charlotte Corrie
E: ccorrie@culture.org.uk
T: 0151 231 4816,