Welsh Community Arts Projects receive £30,000 funding from Wales & West Housing
An organisation which helps disadvantaged and vulnerable groups to express themselves through art has received a £30,000 funding boost.
Each year the Board of Wales & West Housing chooses to support charities with a donation of £10,000 for three consecutive years. This year they chose Engage Cymru.
The donation means that Engage Cymru will be able to continue its work with artists and groups such as older people, young adult carers, refugee families and those suffering with mental and physical health issues.
Alex Ashton, Chair of the Board at Wales & West Housing said: “We look to support charities that work with disadvantaged groups of people across Wales, particularly in the 15 local authority areas where we provide more than 12,000 affordable homes.
“Engage Cymru does great work with disadvantaged and vulnerable groups to express themselves through art. These groups include older people, young adult carers, refugee families, socio-economic deprived communities and those suffering with mental and physical health issues.
Alex Ashton, Chair of the Board at Wales & West Housing
“Our residents too have been able to benefit some of the frontline projects run by Engage Cymru by accessing training, advocacy and virtual community networks.
“Last year the charity successfully ran an Arts Award project working with Syrian refugee families in Denbighshire, Wrexham and Conwy. The project helped families to improve their use of the English language. All the young people taking part will also receive a nationally recognised art qualification to help them improve their future opportunities. WWH contributed £3000 towards the project through our Making A Difference sponsorship and we were impressed by the professional way Engage Cymru ran the project and engaged with the families.
“In the past year charities have faced greater fundraising challenges than ever, and the arts sector has been badly affected by the pandemic, we hope that with this three-year funding Engage Cymru will be able to support more people in need.”
Angela Rogers, Engage Cymru, said: “We are absolutely delighted that Wales & West Housing has chosen Engage Cymru as its charity of choice for this generous sum of funding. The money will give critical support to our community arts development work over the next three years.”
“This is a real endorsement of Engage Cymru’s work.”
Jane Sillis, Director of Engage Cymru
Jane Sillis, Director of Engage Cymru, added: “An enormous thank you to Wales & West Housing for supporting Engage Cymru’s programme over the next three years. This is a real endorsement of Engage Cymru’s work. It supports diverse audiences to engage with the visual arts and the workforce who enable this. This generous donation ensures the continuity of this vital programme.”
Other charities which the WWHG Board have supported in recent years include Keep Wales Tidy, Manumit Coffee, an organisation which helps survivors of modern slavery and human trafficking by employing and training them to become coffee roasters, Dementia UK’s Admiral Nurses and Wales’ leading homelessness charities, Llamau.
