Cash grants will help pupils be creative

Hemsworth Arts and Community College and the One to One Development Trust were both awarded grants from Wakefield Council’s Creative Partners scheme.

The college will spend its £5,000 on running workshops on moulding and casting.

And One to One, which ran a successful recipe book project with pupils from West End Primary School earlier this year, has got £15,000 to spend on a storytelling project inspired by museums called Curate Your Own.

Stephen Foster, assistant principal at the college, said it was the first time they had applied for the cash.

He said: “We’re delighted, and it’s nice that we have been recognised for the work we do in the community as well as in the college.

“Feedback from one of our last projects called Spirit of the Olympics was that people would really enjoy producing things through the casting and moulding process. So we’re going to work with primary schools and run some workshops.”

Judi Alston, creative director at One to One, said the group would work with people in four different communities on a storytelling project inspired by collections in local museums.

She said: “We’d like people to see what’s happening in their local museum and then recall their own stories. A film will be created which will ultimately be projected onto the wall of a museum.

“It’s quite a technically ambitious project but we’re really excited about it. The South East of the district is one of our favourite places to work.”

Both organisations were given grants in the award scheme’s Make It Happen category, which rewards projects that make a difference in their communities.

The Yorkshire Sculpture Park and Wakefield Theatre Royal were given grants totalling £350,000 as part of the Raising Aspirations category, aimed at organisations who promote the image of Wakefield as a cultural destination.

Coun David Dagger, cabinet member for culture, said: “I am delighted that we are continuing to support the district’s cultural sector through the Creative Partners Grant Scheme during this challenging financial climate.

“The quality of the projects and organisations supported will make a real difference to providing valuable cultural opportunities and experiences for many residents and visitors to the district.”