Press Release - February 2011

Sherborne ArtsLink wins £365,000 Big Lottery Award

Sherborne ArtsLink has been awarded a £365,000 grant by the Big Lottery Fund under the “Reaching Communities” programme of community art projects for young people. The money will be spread over 5 years and ArtsLink will recruit a part-time community arts officer to run the project and will work with a range of local partner organisations to deliver the project over this period. Activities will include a week-long summer holiday programme of painting and drama for under 10s and a reading group for local young parents and their children to help improve their literacy.  Local youth centres will be able to offer a greater number of arts and creative activities, including music and theatre, and a careers programme will be introduced in nearby Gryphon School, giving young people access to advice on jobs and volunteering.

                                                     
 ‘This is wonderful news’ said Emma Riley, ArtsLink’s Director.  ‘This grant enables us to continue our work with young people and build further links within the community by working with other vital community groups. In this financial climate we had real concerns about whether or not we could continue our work but this Reaching Communities Grant from the National Lottery ensures that this provision for young people is safe.’  ‘We’re working with other stakeholder groups – The RendezVous, Tinneys Lane Youth Centre, the Gryphon School, the Four Leaf Clover Club and St Pauls Hall to provide TakepArt, our community arts project for young people. From the outside, Sherborne might seem like a wealthy area, but parts of the town are some of the most deprived in Dorset where people experience a host of problems from housing issues and unemployment to ill health.  Amongst this, we’ve got some great kids who, for one reason or another, may feel excluded from mainstream community activities. This funding is fantastic because it means we can offer them a range of creative activities that will help them to improve their confidence and self esteem and give them a greater sense of belonging.’

‘ArtsLink is a longstanding local community organisation working at grass roots level whic 

Julian Halsby Chairman of ArtsLink

‘The competition for such grants is intense and it is an enormous achievement to have been awarded it. All credit goes to Emma Riley, Director of ArtsLink, and Vanessa Williams, Co-ordinator, who put so much time and effort into preparing the successful bid. It means that despite the cuts, Sherborne will be provided with a vibrant community arts programme for young people which will help them engage with, and play an active role in, the local community. For many this will transform their lives.Mayor of Sherborne
‘I am thrilled that all the hard work and dedication by ArtsLink has been rewarded with success in its Big Lottery Fund bid to promote and run community arts projects in Sherborne over the next 5 years. This will be of great benefit to local people in the town and surrounding area, and is a huge boost for the town. It will also provide a platform for fundraising for the Community Arts Centre, which will hopefully be built in time to house the project in its latter years. Well done to all concerned.’

Liz McGaw, Manager of the Four Leaf Clover Club and Facilitator for Get into Reading South-West

'Get into Reading South-West is delighted to be part of this exciting new project, which is committed to building community and promoting individual wellbeing. We will be providing a new group for young parents who may benefit from the shared experience of reading aloud, and discussing the thoughts and feelings evoked from stories and poems that might not be part of their reading experience. Using the model developed by the Liverpool based charity, the Reader Organisation, the group aims to improve the mental, social and emotional wellbeing of young people, and above all to give pleasure from classic stories and poems.' 

Lizzie Kingsbury
SHARP Community Development Manager, The Gryphon School

‘The Gryphon School are delighted for Sherborne ArtsLink organisation and extremely proud to be associated with the work of Sherborne ArtsLink and celebrate the fantastic news of their TakepArt Award.  The coming months and years present an inspiring and stimulating opportunity to work with our partner stakeholders for the young people of Sherborne, and by securing this award; it should be recognised as a significant contribution to consolidate and further develop Sherborne’s artistic legacy.

This award will not only provide exciting and creative possibilities for Sherborne communities; but will also allow further engagement events at the Gryphon School for art clubs & creative workshops together with opportunities to further develop school activities, community events and creative projects for the Gryphon School students.’ 

Cllr Robert Gould
Leader of West Dorset District Council

‘I am delighted that ArtsLink has been awarded this funding which will be a tremendous boost to the local community. It is a tribute to the high quality of their work and gives added impetus to the exciting Sherborne Community Arts Centre project which will provide a wonderful long term home for ArtsLink.’

Ingrid Trill
Manager, The Rendez Vous