Worcestershire County Funding for Voluntary Groups due 30 oct 09

Worcestershire County Council’s Voluntary & Community Sector Unit are offering ‘grants to support voluntary & community sector organisations in Worcestershire whose activities contribute towards identified outcomes for the community’.
Round 4 grants are for one year or a one-off activity and are based on the following grant schemes:

•    FIRST BASE COMMUNITY ARTS
•    CELELBRATING DIVERSITY GRANTS
•    SUPPORTING COMMUNITY BASED ACTIVITIES FOR OLDER PEOPLE

For more details on each of the grant schemes please visit the website for supported guidance www.worcestershire.gov.uk/voluntary or you can ask or a copy by emailing.

I went to a funding fair and they said you can apply for all of these on the same form- if your project cuts across more than one area.  If in doubt, ask them!

Training by Music Leader and Youth Music 16 november, birmingham

If you are a youth worker, teacher, or musician and working with young people with learning difficulties, special needs, or physical disabilities, then here is a chance for you to share your skills, stories, and techniques!  You can discover the Patrick Music and Multimedia Studio at Symphony Hall and learn more about the use of technology. MusicLeader West Midlands and Youth Music are organising this event which is in association with Town Hall/Symphony Hall, Birmingham .

This event takes place on 16th November at Symphony Hall, Birmingham .
If you are interested in being a part of this event, then email your interest

Arts Council England- changes in staff

New Area Director appointed for the Midlands and South West

Arts Council England announced the members of its new Executive Board – the streamlined national leadership team that will lead the re-structured organisation from April 2010. The Area Director responsible for this region will be Laura Dyer, current Executive Director for the East Midlands region.

Read all about the new staff changes here.

Plan your website course 1 october 2009

Just what the doctor ordered.  Like our 2008 Small Grants recipients, Local and Live, you too could be on your way to a brand new website.  A chance to plan, storyboard, discuss and get all the tasks and materials in order.   Or if you have a website that’s not so shiny and new, you may need to spend some more time again. Like houses, website demand love attention….

Arts and Media Training read my mind so have a look.

01 October 2009 09:30am – 12:30pm Plan your website0

Click on the link below for more about their course ‘Understanding Web Statistics’ too.

Full Course Details

This half day workshop will teach you the basics of what makes a well designed website. Your course leader will speak in everyday language, and use anecdotes from their own experience. Visual examples – such as live websites – will feature extensively.
Who is it for?

This course is designed for sole trader artists, arts workers and organisations who want to either improve an existing website, or design a new site.

If you book on both Planning Successful Websites (AM, 1st Oct 09) and Understanding Your Web Statistics (PM, 1st Oct 09) save £10! Special course bundle at £50!

Arts Networking, Whitchurch, Shropshire

15 September at Whitchurch Librar, 6-8.10pm

Artists and community and voluntary art organisations are invited to attend an Arts Network event on Tuesday 15 September at Whitchurch Library from 6.00pm to 8.10pm. The event will feature a number of presentations, including, · Top tips on making social media and blogging work for you. · Meet the new Arts Manager, Andy Lee. ·

Opportunities to get involved in the Whitchurch Blackberry Fair. Throughout the evening artists will have the opportunity to network and exchange ideas and information. Refreshments will be available free of charge. www.shropshireandtelfordartspartnership.gov.uk

Shropshire Council Arts Grant Scheme Round 2

Shropshire Council Arts Grant Scheme Round 2 The next deadline for the Shropshire Council Arts Grant Scheme is 25th September 2009. Applicants can apply for up to £1000 if they are an organisation or up to £500 as an individual and must have at least 25% match funding. This funding will support artists, arts organisations, community and voluntary organisations involved in arts activities, arts festivals and arts events in Shropshire. Grant forms and guidance are available from the funding page of www.shropshireandtelfordartspartnership.co.uk

Jodi Awards- funding for digital media

Culture 24 – Jodi Awards

deadline: 25 September 2009

The Jodi Awards exist to promote excellence in accessible cultural websites and digital media. They are offered in memory of Jodi Mattes, whose work has inspired museums and galleries to develop accessible websites and thus give equal access to culture for disabled people.

Nominations should use digital media and make arts and cultural collections more accessible to disabled people. There are three awards in 2009 that are UK-wide. Museums, art galleries, libraries, archives, heritage venues, arts organisations, disability organisations and commercial companies (in association with one of the aforementioned bodies) can apply. The 2009 deadline for the receipt of applications is 25 September. For more information, visit: www.culture24.org.uk/spliced/online collections/art69556

(Source for items 2 & 3: VAN News)

Successful websites course

I came across this from an Arts and Media email.

http://www.arts-media.org/index.php/courses/entry/planning_successful_websites2/

Reflecting on ‘Music in the Hospice’

As you may have read, in April-May 2009 we ran a project with participatory music at Marie Curie Hospice, Solihull with members of Harmonie Concert Band sharing their music in an interactive way. The hospice felt it was very positive as did day-patients and their families.  It is impossible to praise highly enough the dedication and positive attitudes of all the hospice’s staff and volunteers, without exception.  Without their active input the project could not have succeeded as it did, and it shows how important that sort of partnership is to run a project of this type.

In addition the members of Harmonie are to be commended for venturing into the unknown – sharing their music in a new and exciting way- and rising to the occasion so well. There’s a fun video of Janet demonstrating the French horn which you really should see.

The members of Harmonie who took part showed a great deal of willingness to have a go and expose themselves.  They succeeded even in cases where they felt uncomfortable and their gifts, both musical and personal were invaluable. We were observed by at least two outside people who think a similar project could run in their own locations -Selly Park and Worcester.

To read a more full report click here.

Creative Choices- Funding

Here’s a great resource for anyone looking for funding for arts organisations, projects or creative industries. The Find Funding tool on Creative Choices has a live feed of available grants, loans, awards, tax relief and venture capital funds.

The site requires a quick registration and then you can start finding funding for projects or training, or to support creative businesses.

Creative Choices is hosted by Creative & Cultural Skills in partnership with the Cultural Leadership Programme and Skillset. To register and start searching please visit
http://www.creative-choices.co.uk/server.php?show=nav.00100100e&zzz=1