The National Campaign for the Arts met in London this week and are calling for greater investment into Britain’s creative industries.

Some of the biggest names in stage, screen and design are playing a part in the campaign for what is one of Britain’s biggest success stories – the arts.

Oscar winner Kevin Spacey has urged for greater investment into the industry; "Too often some in politics try to frame culture as less important than other things in our lives, I don't think we've done a good enough job of looking at how much of our economy is generated by arts and culture."

By 2013 the creative industries will employ 1.3 million people and the wealth generated by these industries could reach £85 billion. Recent research from the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (Nesta) suggests that the cultural sector will grow by 4% between 2009 and 2013 - double the estimate for the rest of the economy.

Lord Bragg, speaking at the House of Lords on June 4th described the somewhat historical view that some people have of the arts being ‘whimsical, marginal and verging on the dismissible’ but insisted that the creative industry is an essential part of the nation’s economy; the UK has the largest creative sector in the EU.

The creative industries, as defined by DCMS, cover a wide range of creative endeavour, including music, film, television, radio, architecture and designer fashion.

Not only does the creative industry have a positive impact on the economy but it plays an important part in social, community and cultural development.

Razia Iqbal, the BBC’s arts correspondent said "The UK is uniquely good at creativity and innovation. Even in difficult times, institutions such as the National Theatre are innovating. For many bold enough to say so, the creative industries can be part of the solution to get the economy out of recession."