AN arts boost of more than £500,000 will help push Crewe’s TrAction festival onto new heights, Cheshire East Council says.

The council – along with Crewe Town Council, Sandbach Transport Festival and Fleetwood Festival of Transport – has secured a £528,467 Arts Council grant to bring the SparePart:Accelerate programme to TrAction.

The three-year engagement programme targets communities where art is considered to be underrepresented, in a bid to help stimulate enthusiasm.

This includes school and family workshops based on transport through the ages in the run-up to the festival, as well as a parade during the event itself, at both the Crewe and Sandbach events.

Cllr Don Stockton, CEC cabinet member for cultural economy, said: “These are truly fantastic, creative events not just celebrating the borough’s links with transport, but also raising the profile of the arts as a form of education and entertainment.

“The funding is particularly exciting as it will allow for additional activities in the run up to the festivals so that each community can be more involved, creating performances and mobile artworks that will sit alongside the professional street performers.

“It will also enable the appointment of a participation manager who will work with schools and community groups to build engagement and sustain the festivals in future years.

“I would like to thank all our partners who have worked hard to secure this grant and I can announce that Cheshire East Council is also investing £30,000 over three years to support this entire arts programme.”

TrAction comes to Crewe on Saturday, July 7.

Crewe Town Council leader Cllr Simon Yates said: “We are thrilled.

“The funding will enable us to add more fun and excitement to Crewe’s ‘TrAction’ event and to work with schools and community groups to get added local involvement, especially in the parade, which should become a major feature of the day.”

Adam McGuigan, festival director of SpareParts:Accelerate, added: “The support of Arts Council England is invaluable to us. We can be more ambitious with the programme and participation opportunities.

“We have some incredible artists for 2018 and we look forward to announcing more detail in the near future.”