Waltham Forest Awards £135,000 to 12 Community Arts Groups

Following 165 applications the 12 projects that have been selected bring a wide range of creative projects to life, ranging from African storytelling feasts to comedy and circus performances. The projects will see cultural activity take place across the borough throughout the year and showcase the diversity and creativity of the local community.

Make it Happen is one of three grants programmes that make up the £550,000 Fellowship Funding, with the second round of funding opening today for applications [17 January].

Justine Simons, Deputy Mayor for Culture and Creative Industries, said: "London Borough of Culture puts art and culture at the heart of local communities, helping Londoners from all backgrounds experience the wealth of creativity on offer in our city. Waltham Forest's programme has got off to a spectacular start, and these grants will enable even more local performers, writers and musicians to bring their brilliant and varied ideas to life and to participate in the very first London Borough of Culture."

Cllr Clare Coghill, Leader of Waltham Forest Council, said: "We are thrilled to today announce 12 incredible projects that truly represent the diversity of both the communities and culture Waltham Forest proudly represents. In our bid to win the Mayor's London Borough of Culture award we pledged to showcase culture on every corner, and these Fellowship Funding projects play a vital role in achieving this vision. There are many different interpretations of culture and this funding is an opportunity to explore and celebrate that across the borough. No-one needs our permission to be part of this incredible year, but if you are an individual or artist looking for funding support, Fellowship Funding is a brilliant way to do this. We look forward to discovering what inspiring projects the next round of Fellowship Funding will result in."

The 12 projects that will receive funding from Waltham Forest as part of this initial round of Make it Happen are:

Carnivalista will bring a vibrant carnival parade of costumes, music and dance to local summer festivals in Leyton and Chingford, celebrating the magnificent visual spectacle of carnival, inspired by Inspiration Arts' collective cultures.

For International Women's Day, Libby Liburd, writer and performer of a new show Fighter, will run theatre workshops, including a boxing class, that celebrate the achievements of radical female boxers who fought for their right to fight.

Highams Park Community CIC will present arts trail Wild About Highams Park, featuring a series of 12 wood carvings representing animals from the woods and a mural reflecting the local area.

Adebisi Oyekanmi's project is The Human Library, where books become people. Participants will sit down with a selection of people for a conversation about themselves. Featured 'books' available to check out from the library will tell fascinating local stories from a variety of different perspectives, showcasing the breadth of Waltham Forest's communities and encouraging new connections.

Think Globally, Create Locally is a partnership between Organiclea community growers and African performing arts organisation Mbilla Arts. Through storytelling, music and visual arts, the project will provide opportunities for local residents to develop creative skills whilst learning about fair food growing systems around the world and in Chingford.

Esther nelson's project Monstrous Assembly will see young people of all ages from 10 schools across the borough creating life-sized monsters. They will build them from scratch, designing, making armatures, sculpting in clay and colouring. The finished works will be fired, and displayed together at Halloween time.

Martyn Loukes' project Pride in the Borough will highlight the importance of LGBT inclusion in everyday transport environments throughout the borough; previous work has included roundels, buses, taxis and DLR carriages.

The Big Bagaga Show by Company-ish - an associate company of NoFit State Circus - will premiere an absurdist, skillful and intimate circus show featuring 11 artists from across the world in a tent that will pop up in the borough. 60% of the tickets will be priced at just £2 for local residents.

The Rebel Brass Band will bring together 50 people aged 11-18 to co-create Waltham Forest's first ever high-energy New York-style street band, featuring brass instruments, percussion and MC-ing. With tuition from artistic partners, a four-day summer course will include ensemble composition, protest costume creation, and culminate in a high-energy street parade showcase.

Tell Tails features Lucky, a puppet dog, who will help deliver drama workshops within residential care settings in Waltham Forest for older members of the community. After developing a piece of theatre in response to the elders' workshops, local school children are invited to watch the show alongside the workshop participants.

We Are Extraordinary brings to life inspiring people who have lived or worked in Waltham Forest in a hardback book co-created with school children in Leytonstone with the aim of inspiring children to aim high and to fulfil their potential.

DashDot/YouthDance will provide young people with physical and learning disabilities with the unique opportunity to take part in creativeIRIS dance workshops and perform at an inclusive dance platform hosted by renowned dance organisations including Stopgap Dance Company

Make it Happen provides funds for new arts and culture activities, that will be part of the London Borough of Culture 2019 programme. People can apply for funding from £100 to £30,000.

Round 2 of applications open today - January 17 2019, deadline 4 March 2019.

Make it Local - provides neighbourhood focussed funding for arts and culture projects delivered hyper locally by communities. Applications open today for grants of up to £5,000.

Full information: https://wfculture19.co.uk/fellowshipfunding

Photo: Successful Make it Happen projects pictured in Leytonstone with Cllr Clare Coghill, Shonagh Manson and Cllr Paul Douglas (Photo: David Levene)

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