The Jaguar Land Rover Cultural Champions for Arts & Business have been announced.

Cultural Champions is an initiative pioneered by Arts & Business in 2009 as a way of honouring those individuals who make great contributions to arts and heritage organisations, whether it be through volunteering, business advice or philanthropic generosity.

For this year’s Midlands’ event, Jaguar Land Rover has partnered with Arts & Business as headline sponsor and is due to host the ceremony at the prestigious Jaguar Cars Visitor Centre in Castle Bromwich on March 29. Nadia Dooner, regional manager at Arts & Business said: “It promises to be a fantastic evening, complete with spectacular entertainment. This year’s Cultural Champions will be able to celebrate their amazing ahievements in style.”

Arts & Business received nominations from all over the region, each with a story to tell about the wonderful contributions that are being made to arts organisations.

The Cultural Champions chosen include contributions like that of Lee Humphreys, sales director at JCDecaux, who was nominated by EC-Arts. Between his job and family life, Lee made the time to negotiate for a matched funding scheme on behalf of EC-Arts to the value of £40,000 for their 48 Sheet Project. He also produced maps, resources, and provided advice throughout. Claire Farrell of EC-Arts said: “Without his help this project could not have happened. Lee is truly an arts and culture champion, advocate and philanthropist of the arts.”

The complete list of this year’s Cultural Champions:

* Janeene Streather – 3D Deaf Drama Group

* Marcus Wilkins – Aedus Presents

* Kathryn Key – Bewdley Festival

* Josiah Swingler – Bewdley Festival

* Carole Swingler – Bewdley Festival

* Robert Arthur Davies – Bewdley Festival

* Nilima Devi - Centre for Indian Classical Dance (CICD)

* Mike Harris – Craftspace

* Lee Humphreys – EC-Arts

* David Owen – Ikon Gallery

* Peter Baker – Leicester International Music Festival

* Adrian Nicholls – Leicester People’s Photographic Gallery

* Phil Andre – Leicester People’s Photographic Gallery

* Pauline Round – Lichfield Festival

* Viv Astling OBE – mac Birmingham

* John Stormont – Performances Birmingham

* Janette Rawlinson – Performances Birmingham

* Ivan Flack – Philharmonia Orchestra

* David Burbidge OBE – Royal Shakespeare Company

* Carole Manship – The Producers Forum

* Neville Topping – TROVE

* Sheila Shreeve – Walsall Museum

* Richard Bourne – Weston Park Foundation

* For more information visit www.artsandbusiness.org.uk