To hear from past grant recipiants on how Salisbury Area Board funding has helped to support local projects.
Minutes:
Wiltshire Music Centre – Celebrating Age
This three-year project was funded by the Arts Council and Wiltshire Council, where isolated people came together to create art work.
16 events had been held so far with 481 people attending at a variety of venues around the city. Future plans included putting together a 5 year funding application for future projects.
Questions:
The Board put in £1500 for 3 years, what was the total project cost? Answer: There was other funding from the lottery fund, the whole project cost £100k.
The Secret Garden - 3D Bee Trail
Rebecca Twigg, Director of the Secret Garden Salisbury.
We encourage people to get outside for health. The Bee Trail was partly funded by the Area Board, who awarded us £4000 of the total £15,000 project.
There is an app with a map that details a route with locations to find the bees which appear around the city on the signs in our green spaces.
Other local businesses supported us with funding including nationally. We won an innovation award from DEFRA and Kew Gardens for the app and the trail and encouraging people outside.
There has been a lot of interest from other cities. This is a permanent project in the city.
Laverstock Country Park and boardwalk would be included as two more points to visit. We have worked with lots of schools and have been running workshops in the secret garden on pollinating.
Our future plans are to have a proper launch around the city, and push this free activity out to everyone.
Salisbury Literary Festival
Tom Bromley – Director of Salisbury Literary Festival.
We wanted a festival to celebrate the city and to inspire writers for the future.
The funding from the Area Board was used quite broadly. We have had 2 festivals so far. This year we ran 43 events across 6 days, where we had around 100 authors into the city.
We will run a full day of free events for children in the city and are about to launch the Salisbury storey prize, a competition for adults and children.
Our events are organised by volunteers with lots of good will, creativity and passion.
This year the festival is scheduled for 18 – 20th October.
Salisbury Post Adoption Support Group
Creative Workshops for Adopted Teenagers
Sarah Taylor runs the post adoption support group.
We wanted to do something not in education but that was more creative, so we set up a group called ‘Make your Mark’. We offered creative arts in sessions where our young people and their families were all invited to come together.
The grant enabled us to reach out to hard to reach families and deliver sessions which have had a positive impact on the young people.
We have forged strong links with the local arts organisations who have since reached out and offered us opportunities for our young people.
Last year we launched a Wiltshire Wide network called WANDS.
I have become a national champion for adopters.
Questions:
Some children don’t want to be treated differently for being adopted. What is the balance? Answer: It varies from one young person to another, some do not want it to be highlighted, others find it useful as enables them to see that they are not alone.
Salisbury Parkrun – Junior Parkrun
Rebecca Thomas – Director
We wanted to create something where the whole family could be involved. Our grant of £3000 paid for the registration with Park Run, and enabled us to get started.
We run a weekly 2k event for 4 – 14 year olds. We have so far had 300 runners participate, with 156 runners on average each week.
The event is fun, inclusive and the whole family can take part together.
Run by volunteers, in the community by the community. Helping to develop a life long love of activity. We also provide opportunity for volunteers to assist with setting up marshalling and time keeping.
The Bridge Youth Project – Mentoring Scheme
Alex – Director
We had £1400 towards the mentoring scheme that we run at 4 schools including St Edmunds, Sarum Academy and Wyvern.
Kate facilitates mentors who meet with young people 40 times over an academic year.
Safer & Supportive Salisbury
Anne Trevett – Secretary
We support vulnerable people out and about in Salisbury. We try and do small things that make a difference.
The installation of 2 defibrillators for the city has now taken place, with training for local people available soon. There are guardians looking after them.
The Men’s shed initiative, working in collaboration with Alabare there is now a space where men meet each week to do activities and talk. It has been a huge success.
The SASS showcase event. We held one for dementia where we provided details of 20 services were available in the community.
In May we had a session on autism in the Guildhall. The focus for 2020 will be on Carers.
Safe Places is a simple scheme where businesses and organisations commit to providing a place of sanctuary for those people who are vulnerable.
We had £480 towards the scheme. Small amounts of money can make a big difference.
Home Start South Wilts – Reaching Out
Emma Procter
On 2nd July 2018 we received £3,000. We recruit, train and support volunteers to go in and support families on a weekly basis. With the funding awarded to us we were able to support 3 families over 9 months.
Future proofing – working closely with Marc and Board members on a project in Bishopdown and on a project in the Friary where we hope to set up a group.
Chair
The Chair thanked all those who came to present their projects which demonstrated how much was being done with limited finance but an enormous amount of individual commitment and noted the wide and diverse range of projects the Board has supported.