The Foundation has announced 47 of grants totalling £330,787 to voluntary and community organisations in the West Midlands and Warwickshire from Arts Council England’s Let’s Create Jubilee Fund.
The Let’s Create Jubilee Fund will ensure that thousands of people from communities all across England will have the opportunity to take part in exciting creative events – all in celebration of the Platinum Jubilee. From puppetry and story creation, through to making crowns, carnival and art trails, there will be a huge range of exciting activities for people of all ages and backgrounds to get involved in.
Made possible thanks to National Lottery players, the Let’s Create Jubilee Fund has been administered by UK Community Foundations on behalf of Arts Council England. The programme is designed to help voluntary and community organisations develop creative and cultural events to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June.
The Foundation is one of 44 community foundations awarding grants across the country on behalf of the Arts Council.
Shree Shree Radha Krishna Cultural Center were awarded £5,680 to support their jubilee celebration procession and festival, featuring live music and dance from different parts of the world in Radford, Coventry. Anuragi Devi Dasi, a project lead at the centre, said:
“Shree Shree Radha Krishna Cultural centre are heartily grateful for the Arts Council funding to celebrate the Queens Platinum Jubilee in a diverse manner. The impact this fund will have is it will create cohesive relationships within the community and encourage beneficiaries to take part promoting confidence, skills and awareness.”
YMCA Sutton Coldfield (YMCASC) were awarded £7,582 to fund their intergenerational local history project in Sutton Coldfield to deliver an exhibition to celebrate the decade of Her Royal Majesty the Queen’s Coronation in 1950. Rachel Dutta Choudhury, Bid Writing, Fundraising and Development Manager at YMCASC, said:
“We are thrilled to have been awarded this funding. Our intergenerational project, in collaboration with FOLIO and photographer Kate Hollingsworth, will enable the younger and older people engaged with the project to creatively capture Sutton Coldfield as they see it. The exhibition; From Polaroid to Smartphone, will give participants a voice enabling them to feel valued, engaged and involved as active participants in their local community.”
Tina Costello, CEO at Heart of England Community Foundation, said:
“It’s wonderful that we’ve been able to fund so many exciting, cultural projects across the region, from performances showcasing the traditional dance of the Mbala tribe, to textile projects bringing together isolated communities – all 47 projects funded are supporting their local community in some way all while honouring this once-in-a-lifetime celebration.”
Darren Henley, Chief Executive at Arts Council England, said:
“The Let’s Create Jubilee Fund is a wonderful example of our ambition to give everyone the opportunity to participate in and experience the arts, culture and creativity – made possible thanks to National Lottery players. This June, we’ll see communities across England coming together to celebrate a historic milestone for this country. I’m excited to see these projects brought to life in villages, towns and cities across the country as our wonderfully creative communities celebrate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.”
Rosemary Macdonald, CEO, UK Community Foundations, said:
“For community foundations, people and places are the priority and the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee is a unique opportunity for people to get together and celebrate in their communities. We are proud to have connected Arts Council England with local organisations whose imaginative and exciting projects and collaborations with professional artists will bring communities together to enjoy marking this milestone moment in our history.”
HM Queen Elizabeth II is the first monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, having overtaken Queen Victoria as the longest reigning monarch in 2015. Her reign has been marked by a commitment to public service, reflected by her extensive programme of engagements at home and abroad, and support for over 600 cultural organisations, charities, military associations, professional bodies and public service organisations.