ARTS and culture came to the forefront of the town yesterday with a visit from the head of the Arts Council England.

Darren Henley, ACE chief executive was given a whistle-stop tour of the town’s cultural hubs including the Wyvern Theatre, Arts Centre and Central Library.

He met with the Prime Theatre company and Swindon Dance followed by a lunch with local dignitaries and South Swindon MP Robert Buckland at the Civic Offices.

Darren also visited the Central Library to attend a storytelling session with Drove Primary school pupils and author Jamila Gavin.

He said he was impressed with the diversity of the arts and culture scene in Swindon.

“It’s been very exciting to see what Swindon has to offer, you can see how important arts, music, dance are to this town,” he said.

“Having such a diverse range of activities for the next generation keeps interest alive in the arts. There is a large and distinct performing arts community here and many opportunities available because of the work these great organisations are doing.”

Leon Flower, lead librarian, said he was delighted to welcome Darren to town.

“It’s a difficult time for the libraries so something like this is what we look forward to,” he said.

“We’re really pleased to have Darren here. Arts and culture have a really important place in the town and this enables people to focus on the rich variety we have here.”

Arts Council England is a government-funded body dedicated to promoting the performing, visual and literary arts in England