In the UK we have decided that we want to support the arts through public funding. Almost all artists, performers and audiences have benefitted from this system, directly or indirectly.

This is a better place to live and work than it would have been without public funding of the arts. Our lives are richer and more interesting, healthier and happier.

It’s likely that if you’ve been to a free festival or a big outdoor event, much of the cost will have been funded from your taxes. If it wasn’t funded, it probably wouldn’t happen.

It’s likely that when a performance company comes to do a workshop at your local school, their time and the resources they draw upon will have been made possible through a funding scheme.

The next time you see a British film it's likely it will only have been possible to make it through some form of public subsidy or support.

When you buy a ticket for a local theatre it’s likely that it will cost a lot less than it might do because that venue, the company of performers, and the people responsible for putting on the show will all have been partly funded.

Public investment has shown huge dividends in the UK. We are recognised as world leaders in the arts and creativity, and that is (at least in part) due to the way we have nurtured, invested and championed talent through public investment in these areas.

But public funding is complex and subject to the vagaries of political influence. We need to keep reminding the decision makers how much we value their investment of our taxes in this vital area.

We’d love you to join us in our campaigning for the arts.