(1) to promote, maintain, improve and advance the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the arts and popular culture among the inhabitants of the borough of south tyneside and its neighbourhood (2) to establish and to secure the establishment of centres for the arts and popular culture throughout the borough of south tyneside and in particular at the old custom house building, mill dam, south shields and to equip, maintain, manage and market the same, together with related capital projects within the mill dam area of south shields