Cheltenham Arts Council is a Registered Charity that exists to support the arts and culture in Cheltenham.
We support over 50 arts societies. The interests represented are visual art, music, heritage, drama, literary groups and history, plus some language and culture groups. We believe that Cheltenham’s arts and cultural scene is its greatest asset, not only for the town, but for Gloucestershire. Our famous International Festivals are underpinned by a thriving grassroots culture of clubs, societies, choirs, orchestras and other organisations.
How we support our members
We support our members with publicity through this website, social media and a “Celebration of the Arts “ event during Cheltenham Heritage Week. We hire stalls erected on the Promenade so that societies can promote themselves and their activities.
Members events and performances are promoted through our Events page, which is also a reminder of the astonishing quality and variety of events in and around Cheltenham, Gloucestershire's cultural hub.
To help our members to publicise and advertise their activities, we run a blog on our website, and publish an online magazine, both under the name 'Perspectives'. Articles from members are always welcome.
Our Annual Awards
We also run annual Awards. Here, we invite societies to celebrate their members, either for their achievement or for their service. The evening where we present the Awards is a friendly and sociable occasion. The Awards themselves are greatly appreciated by the recipients.
Grants & Awards
CBC Grants awarded In April 2026 were as follows:
Cheltenham Choral Society - soloist funding
Glos Writers’ Network - Poetry and Prose prizes
Parrot Productions - Leckhampton Hill Riot play funding
Cheltenham Chamber Orchestra - Conductor funding
Cheltenham Philharmonic Orchestra - support for a local concert musician
KAM Performing Arts - Chaperone fees for a new production
Leckhampton Local History Society - A1 poster displays at Leckhampton Court
Oriel Singers - Sheet music costs
Gardens Gallery - Cheltenham Young Artists competition prizes
Cheltenham Open Studios - Art Trail
Holst Victorian House - Children’s Trail redesign
Gloucestershire County History Trust - Cheltenham Publication
Cheltenham Camera Club - Young Photographers Competition for local schools
2026 Awards
On Wednesday 18th March, Cheltenham Arts Council held their 2026 Awards evening. We met in the Municipal Offices for a change, with a reception in the Pittville room followed by the ceremony in the Council Chamber. Edward Gillespie, Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire presented Awards and we were grateful that Councillor Dr David Willingham, Mayor of Cheltenham, and Councillor Izaac Tailford, council cabinet member for Economic Development, Wellbeing, Culture and Public Realm were also able to be present.
The Award Winners received much applause from a full house. Congratulations to them all.
The Elizabeth Webster Cup
Awarded to a young person, 18 years or under, who has made an outstanding contribution in his or her branch of the arts was awarded to Nathanael Horlock from St Edward’s School.
Citations Awarded:
Geoff Bridgman from the Charlton Kings Local History Society
Shirley Elliott from the Cheltenham Bach Choir
James Golding from the Holst Victorian House
Belinda Hyland from the Arts Society, Cheltenham
Wendy Price from the Cheltenham Philharmonic Orchestra
The Charles Irving Sponsorship Award
Awarded to a local business that has provided exceptional support through sponsorship of the voluntary arts in Cheltenham was awarded to Tracey and Tom Cadogan of Art Union.
Geoff Bridgman from the Charlton Kings Local History Society
Shirley Elliott from the Cheltenham Bach Choir
James Golding from the Holst Victorian House
Belinda Hyland from the Arts Society, Cheltenham
Wendy Price from the Cheltenham Philharmonic Orchestra
The Cheltenham Visual Arts Cup
Awarded for a significant contribution in the visual arts was awarded to Karen Bendersky from Lansdown Studios.
The Opera Cup
Renamed in 2026 as the Musical Arts Cup for enterprise and innovation in music making was awarded to Sue Belinfante from the Cheltenham Philharmonic Orchestra
The Joyner Cup
Awarded to the most outstanding candidate of the award winners was awarded to Sally Self from the Cheltenham Local History Society.
Here are the Award Winners from recent years:
2025 Annual Awards
The Elizabeth Webster Cup, awarded to a young person, 18 years or under, who has made an outstanding contribution in his or her branch of the arts was awarded to:
Will Pritchard from St Edward’s School.
Lola Carter from the Cotswold Savoyards was awarded a citation.
Sue Brown from the Cheltenham Local History Society, Stella Caney from the Cercle Français, Gill Douglas from the Cheltenham Bach Choir, and Jeff Powell from the Philharmonic Orchestra all received citations.
The Charles Irving Sponsorship Award, awarded to a local business that has provided exceptional support through sponsorship of the voluntary arts in Cheltenham was awarded to Washington Printing for their printing support to Cheltenham Bach Choir over many years.
The Cheltenham Visual Arts Cup, awarded for a significant contribution in the visual arts was awarded to Betty Harrison from Lansdown Studios.
The Opera Cup for enterprise and innovation in music making was awarded to Amber Smith from the Cheltenham Childrens’ Choir.
The Joyner Cup, awarded to the most outstanding candidate of the award winners was awarded to Stephan Belinfante from the Philharmonic Orchestra.
2024 Annual Awards
The Elizabeth Webster Cup , awarded to a young person, 18 years or under, who has made an outstanding contribution in his or her branch of the arts was awarded jointly to:
Shashish Gowri Shankar from Nethra Academy of Performing Arts
Lena Modlinska from the Cheltenham Children’s Choir was awarded a citation.
David Elder from Cheltenham Local History Society was awarded a citation
The Charles Irving Sponsorship Award, awarded to a local business that has provided exceptional support through sponsorship of the voluntary arts in Cheltenham was awarded to Cotswold Mounts Ltd for their support of local artists and photographers. The Cheltenham Art Cup, awarded for a significant contribution in the visual arts was awarded to Robert Goldsmith from the Gardens Gallery. The Cheltenham Opera Group Cup, for enterprise and innovation in music making was awarded to Kirsty Willan from the Oriel Singers. The Joyner Cup, awarded to the most outstanding candidate of the award winners was awarded to Eric Miller from Leckhampton Local History Society.