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Community groups awarded over £55,000 in culture grants

44 organisations in the wands worth area have been awarded in excess of £55,000 in culture grants.

44 organisations in the wands worth area have been awarded in excess of £55,000 in culture grants. This is estimated to benefit 31,000 people. The funding has been provided by the council’s Wandsworth Cultural Wealth Fund, which is a small grant scheme designed to create opportunities for residents to participate and engage in cultural activities. It also aims to improve cultural facilities and promote cultural activities, especially in groups which have typically been hard to connect with.
Councillor Jonathan Cook, the council’s culture spokesman, said: “These culture grants give community groups the means to provide services and offer exciting new opportunities to people across the borough.

“They offer a chance for any community group or organisation to play a part in Wandsworth’s eclectic cultural scene and I am delighted the council has been able to provide funding for so many in such a short space of time.

“If you are part of a group, and believe you can add to the wealth of cultural opportunities on offer, we may be able to offer financial assistance – so I would urge you to get in touch.”

The first submission deadline for grants in 2012 is scheduled to be March 23. The maximum grant that can be applied for is £5,000 or £10,000 for building improvements.

Some of the groups to benefit so far include; Ignito Project – a charitable organisation which uses music and the arts to primarily reach the young people living on the Patmore, Earlsfield-based theatre organisation Tara Arts Group Ltd secured £5,000 in order to conduct a feasibility study into a proposed redevelopment of the Tara Arts Studio, in Garratt Lane and Regenerate Rise received approval for £1,000 for a cultural Kings and Queens event for 300 older people in Roehampton while a group called Storm used a £2,000 grant to stage a peace concert in the town hall’s Civic Suite.

The council also awarded £3,000 to Roehampton Trust Ltd for a ‘Meadow of Flowers’ large scale visual arts project on the Alton estate. Some 935 flowers were made by individuals and families who live on the estate, a local primary school and two community groups.