Culture is worth investing

by Ms Kristi Aavakivi

Voru is a small town V in which the cultural life is closely connected with the overall development. For its citizens, the availability of cultural events locally is of great importance, as the location of the town sets certain limits to visiting bigger centres.

All major events are financially supported from the town budget, the largest ones being the Voru Folklore Festival and the Anniversary of the Town of Voru. Organising public events noticeably influences the number of guests of nearby hotels and catering companies.

A greater part of cultural events is organised by non-profit institutions. A number of such institutions has been steadily growing and many active citizens have become involved in their activities as well.

After its renovation in 2005, the activities in the Kannel Community Culture Centre got a new impetus. The number of staff and the range of activity areas have increased considerably. All this has led to a growth in the number of people engaged in the cultural area and has consequently increased the volume of the town budget.

Cultural life is inseparable from its sports events. One of the best examples of culture as the driving force for municipal development was the completion of the Voru Sports Centre in 2006. Namely, the choice of the location of the sports centre initiated the construction of a new street and by now two shopping centres are about to be completed alongside the street.

In the recent years, Estonia has had to encounter the issue of labour force and the concentration of population in the capital. In order to remedy the situation, the towns in the peripheries of the country, like Voru, have to create added values to attract people to live and work there. One possibility for doing this, is to offer as much diverse recreational opportu-j nities as possible. The aim of V?ru is also to attract outside investors by promoting such values.

Culture is the sphere in which the citizens of Voru and its guests are ready to invest their time and money. Similarly, many entrepreneurs regard the funds contributed to culture as investments in the future rather than expenses.