In the countdown to the UK General Election, the arts are being drowned out by the B word. We want to push it up the agenda. So we’ll be publishing lists of ground-breaking arts events to remind everyone about the power of culture to transform lives and maintain a healthy, balanced nation.

We were invited to attend the launch of a new book ‘Smashing It: Working Class Artists On Life Art And Making It Happen’. Our Exec Chair Michael Smith went along and tells us what he made of the evening (and the book).

Overwhelmed by a recent performance by 1000 children at the Albert Hall, our chair Samuel West answers one of the first questions in the armoury of the arts defender: “Do we want our children to have this?”

Theatrical magic-makers Royal De Luxe have been defying expectations about arts and culture for decades. On their third trip to Liverpool, hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets to wave goodbye to the Giants. Board member Michael Smith was there for the spectacle.