News that arts groups on the Island are to benefit from new Arts Council England grants totalling over £2.25m has been welcomed by MP Bob Seely.
Shademakers UK Carnival Club, The New Carnival Company CIC, The Island Collection, Ventnor Exchange, and Steve Ross Foundation for the Arts (Quay Arts) will receive a share of the money announced today.
Bob, who has made supporting and developing arts and culture on the Island a key priority since his election, said the money would allow the Island’s vibrant cultural community to continue to flourish in the coming years.
He said: “This is really good news for the Island, and I am delighted.
“A thriving arts and cultural community is a vital part of the Island’s regeneration aims: it provides jobs, it supports education, it encourages tourism and it creates aspiration.
“When I became MP, one of the first things I did was ensure Arts Council England treated the Island as a priority area and that is now bearing fruit as we get more money for valuable and important projects.
“I want to thank Arts Council England and congratulate the five Island organisations who thoroughly deserve their grant because of their hard work, skill, dedication and creativity.”
The money will support the five organisations between 2023-26 and constitutes the largest regular investment to support arts on the Island. It also extends the number of local groups in receipt of the support from two to five.
Bob said: “The funding will ensure that more people in more places than ever before will have access to fantastic, fulfilling art and culture in the villages, towns and cities where they live.”
