Great news for Tees Valley Arts and for the people who take part in and enjoy their projects – TVA has secured over £170,000 for three new activities.
The first success was an application to Youth Music to continue and expand work with young people, helping them create and perform original music. This will follow on from the Musicmix project, some of the products of which can be seen on Youtube – put in ‘Musicmix project’ and enjoy the sights and sounds!
The second success was an application to the Arts Council for funding to work with local playwright Ishy Din, to help young Teessiders write and perform a short play, exploring what it is to be young and living in Teesside now. Ishy Din is a Middlesbrough taxi driver who has shot to national prominence with his first play ‘Snookered’, which looks at the lives of a group of young Muslim men. ‘Snookered’ has just completed a hugely successful national tour and was performed at the Bush Theatre in London throughout February of this year.
The third success was an application to the Northern Rock Foundation for three years funding to work with refugees, asylum seekers and others who are newly arrived in the UK, who are trying to settle and rebuild their lives here in Teesside. The funding will help to provide events like concerts, film shows and performances that bring communities together to meet each other and to enjoy themselves, as well as supporting musician and artists within the new communities.
Rowena Sommerville, Director of TVA, said, ‘This is marvellous news for us, and we look forward to making some lovely things happen for young people and vulnerable communities in Teesside’.
Richard Anderson, Chair of the TVA Board, congratulated the TVA staff for their hard work, and said he was delighted to be part of good news for TVA and good news for Teesside.