David Smith has been chosen to take a leading role in a Government campaign to promote culture across the South-East.

Mr Smith, operations director at the Sussex Learning and Skills Council, is a leading educationalist and lecturer at the University of Brighton.

He has been appointed to the board of the South-East England Cultural Consortium, which promotes arts, sports, heritage, museums, libraries, tourism, film and media.

Mr Smith is also chairman of the South-East Centres of Vocational Excellence strategy group which aims to modernise vocational training.

He said: "I have spent my working life trying to use the potential of cultural and sporting activity to stimulate and encourage learning and skills development.

"I am honoured to be able to meet colleagues and mentors in the cultural world through the consortium.

"I hope to be able to help and support them as wells as learn from them."

Also appointed to the board is Felicity Harvest, who is executive director of Arts Council England and South-East, based in Brighton.

Mrs Harvest has worked for many years in arts organisations, first as a theatre designer and then as a publicist and administrator.

During the Eighties she was a partner in a consultancy firm specialising in local authority arts and leisure audits before moving to South-East Arts as chief executive in 1996.

Friday February 13, 2004