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| nesa has a long and varied history as an arts development agency and delivery organisation within Bath & North East Somerset. |
| Since 1981, at the inception of Wansdyke Arts Council (WAC), there has been recognition of the need for the development and expansion of creative arts activity, education and access to these opportunities for local people. Initially, WAC was a forum of local amateur arts organisations, as there were no professional arts organisations based in the area at this time. |
| WAC worked hard over the years to promote and involve the community in a variety of different arts events, gaining support from ACTA, a Bristol-based community drama organisation and eventually in 1994 commissioning a report and arts development strategy for the area to enable more financial support to be sought. An Arts Development Worker was employed to oversee the development of WAC and there began the professional face of arts development within the local area. |
| In 1997 with the major change of local government boundaries and the creation of Bath & North East Somerset (BANES), WAC became North East Somerset Arts (known informally as NESA) and continued its work creating excellent community events and involving more people within the arts across the whole of BANES both in rural and urban areas, including Chew Valley, Keynsham, and, of course its home town, Norton Radstock. |
| Through the years, networks were built and strengthened and creating and working within partnerships became commonplace as projects got bigger, had more impact and NESA gained a reputation for excellent delivery of quality arts practice. |
| The biggest change recently has been the re-branding of the organisation in early 2005 to nesa and a focus on its public image, creating awareness of its exemplary programmes of work within the 3 areas of Neighbourhood Arts, Arts and Health and Young People and Creativity. |
| nesa continues to grow and develop its work, creating sustainable projects with real impact for its participants, enabling more people to access the arts and facilitating personal change in people's lives through intimate projects. |
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