£50,000 grant to be creative

PROGRAMME co-ordinator Shonagh Ingram

NEIGHBOURHOODS being revamped will get the chance to be creative thanks to a £50,000 grant.

Residents living in areas undergoing refurbishment as part of the Housing Market Renewal programme will be able to have their say in what they would like to see happening in their area.

The grant has come from Arts Council England’s Grants for the Arts scheme and six projects will get off the ground in the next three years.

Claire Morgan, consultation manager for HMR, said, “We are absolutely delighted that we have secured this funding.

“It will mean that residents will have new and exciting ways of getting involved in ideas for shaping their neighbourhoods.

“Working with them on creative projects is another way we can make sure we understand what the changes mean to residents as well as sharing in their hopes for the future.

“We will be talking to residents about what they want from this project to make sure that they get some real benefits from it.”

Shonagh Ingram, who has managed various community arts programmes in the North-West, has been appointed as programme co-ordinator. Shonagh will work on a part-time basis to support officers and local communities to design appropriate projects and appoint good quality artists.

She said: “The vision for this programme is for arts and cultural activities to play a key part in the delivery of housing market renewal,” says Shonagh.

“We want to bring people together in creative ways, whether through music, dance, photography, digital art, crafts, theatre —whatever interests them.”

The exact locations of the projects are to be confirmed over the next couple of months with the input of local agencies and communities.

If you are interested in getting involved, please contact Claire Morgan, on 0161-770 8328.