A decision has been made by Live Borders to close Creative Arts Business Network (CABN) as of March 31st, as it no longer aligns with the organisation’s activities. This decision has been made without consultating the creative and cultural sector in the Scottish Borders, who are the community that CABN supports. Whilst we understand that priorities may change, we are concerned that the legacy of 13 years of valuable CABN activity, much of it publicly funded through Creative Scotland, will be squandered and lost forever.  As the only support organisation for artists in a region that is widely spread, CABN is an invaluable resource that keeps the creative sector connected,informed and skilled up. CABN also acts as the voice of the sector at regional aand national platforms. The loss of CABN will be keenly felt and this decision could not come at a more vulnerable time for many arts practitioners following the Covid pandemic. 

We are asking Live Borders for the following:

1.  to open up an immediate dialogue with the creative and cultural sector in the Scottish Borders about the hand-over and legacy of CABN

2.  to take part in an extra-ordinary meeting in March which the sector will call with all the stakeholders (Creative Scotland, SoSE, and others)

3.  to support this process of the hand-over of legacy documents and assets, through a transition period, to an organisation agreed by the Scottish Borders creative and cultural sector

4.  to make public the results of the recent CABN evaluation by Ruthless Research, the Report on the 2019 Scottish Borders Creative Spaces and Facilities Survey and any other consultations.