High Peak Community Arts

Youth and Community Arts for the High Peak

Youth Programme News

Tall Tales 2017We are celebrating winning the support of Arts Council England for the Youth Programme, with the news coming just ahead of our annual creative Summer School.

We asked the Arts Council to support us in producing original creative work by, with and for young people of the district and beyond.  We will be putting it to use straight away in August as we can now put on performances in Buxton, Glossop and New Mills.  Over the next 3 years we will reach out to those with the least access to arts and culture to create performances for families, a book for babies and children in early years and new original writing by teens from the High Peak.

The programme includes extending the early years project ‘For the Love of Books’, running Tall Tales (a performing arts project for anyone aged 8+ ) and adding a second Young Writers’ Camp, specifically aimed at age 13+.

Anyone interested in knowing more should get in touch with Sophie on 01663 744 516 or sophie@highpeakarts.org, or come and see this year’s youth performance ‘Join the Fight’, which will be part of New Mills Festival on 29th September.

Project eARTh birds!

Take a look at some of our recent Project eARTh artwork in the form of ceramic birds.. adding some oxides and colour. Making them for the garden.

With artist Caroline Chouler-Tissier.

 

 

Together Through Art

Together Through Art Poster

We are starting a new project in partnership with New Mills and District Volunteer Centre – ‘Together Through Art’ – for elders in the area who would like to get out, meet others, have fun and be creative. We will be working with artist Amanda Whewell, and the project will create a wall hanging for the Volunteer Centre. We want to reduce loneliness and isolation amongst older people – or if you know of anyone who would benefit – friends, family, neighbours – please let them know – if you want information, you could print out this flyer, or get in touch and we can give some to you to pass on – as can the Volunteer Centre. The project will be FREE of charge. The Volunteer Centre can provide transport for those who need it. You can also phone me, Alison on 01663 744516 or email alison@highpeakarts.org

From Sheep to Craft

We are delighted to be starting a new project with the residents of Charis House, Buxton, a safe place where homeless women, including those escaping from domestic violence, and women recovering from drug and alcohol dependency can find rest and recovery.

High Peak Community Arts has worked with Good News Family Care (who run Charis picture of sheeps woolHouse) since 2014 via the Creative Wellbeing project. This programme works with its residents and other women in the community in a wide range of creative arts.  Workshops are held at Good News Family Care’s Family Centre or Oldfield Farm.

 Funded by The Ashley Foundation, The South West Peak Landscape Partnership, and the John Booth Charitable Trust, the project seeks to provide a fun, creative way of learning new skills, socialising and doing something different. The main ingredient in this project comes straight from local fields, courtesy of our four-legged fleeced friends at Oldfield Farm! Local Lleyn sheep take centre stage, with women learning all the processes about how to transform a sheep’s fleece into carded wool – washing, sorting, dying, and carding – and then using the carded wool for wet felting, needle felting and weaving, as well as spinning the carded wool into yarn.


Working with local artist Carol Wilson, project participants will create final pieces from the fleece –  these may be woven, knitted, crocheted or felted. The idea is that the yarn can also be sold in local shops as a way of generating much needed extra funds for Charis House.

“The first project we ever did at Charis House was felting, which the women really enjoyed so, when the farm acquired 6 Lleyn sheep, it seemed ideal to revisit and expand the idea, this time involving the whole process from the shearing to the finished items. We see this is a long term venture so that staff can use their sheep to generate useful activity and income” (Alison Bowry, Project Co-ordinator, High Peak Community Arts)

“It’s fun doing it all together, working as a team. You get that feeling that people have been doing this kind of activity over centuries. And you really appreciate all the work it takes to transform wool into, say, a jumper…” (Jan, Volunteer, Charis House)

In 2018, the project will be using commercial dyes. Next year, participants will be using natural dyes, including those that will be created from plants (such as woad) that grow on Oldfield Farm.

Between 2018-19, the project aims to work with a minimum of 30 women in over 40 workshops.

For more information, please contact Alison on 01663 744516 or at alison@highpeakarts.org.

Music to ring out!

Musical interludeWe are excited to announce that we have received the backing of the National Foundation for Youth Music with a 3 year grant which will bring musical activity to schools and community spaces across the High Peak.

Youth Arts Programme Manager, Sophie Mackreth says “We are so happy to have won this grant, which will fund music at the heart of our whole youth programme, from early years to open workshops for age 8+ and new partnerships with some of our local High Schools.”  Young people should look out for local music workshops from Easter and a chance to take part in an annual Summer School which will produce a performing arts show for the general public.  Young participants can also submit their work for a national Arts Award and join the steering group that plans future projects.

Our next job is to sit down with the steering group and choose material for the coming year – and to raise funds for any non-musical artforms we want to use!  There’s never a rest from grant writing!

AGM 2017

High Peak Community Arts AGM 2017

On Tuesday November 28th 2017, we held our AGM at the Providence URC Church in New Mills. The turnout was fantastic, and the evening enhanced by a wonderful performance by the Amarone Ensemble. Made up of a trio of talented musicians, all who currently play for the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, the Ensemble treated our audience to spine tingling renditions of a number of musical pieces by composers including Handel, Elgar and Bach.

We circulated our latest annual report at the meeting. The report contains information about everything that the team has been up to from April 2016- March 2017. So much has happened – including canal boat art, lavendar and wool weaving and ceramic birdbath creations with Project eARTh; the Write to Roam and Young Writers Camp; the For The Love of Books early years learning programme; and the first year of our new partnership with Glossopdale Community College, Buxton Community School and Chapel-en- le-Frith Pupil Referral Unit via the Music Arts Pod project. It’s been a busy year, with the continuation of past projects and the start of many new ones. Huge thanks to our funders and supporters, without whom we would not be able to use the arts as a tool for positive change in local peoples lives.

Do have a read of our latest report, if you have time, and please let us know your thoughts!

Children & Young People Now Awards!

On 22nd November Sophie hit London with Film Cuts Club leaders, Mark & Benn Turton. 

We had a grand day out as finalists for the Arts & Culture Award.  Which was a fantastic achievement, in a shortlist of only 4 organisations from across the country, including Great Ormond Street Hospital, Rhythmix who cover South West England and Curious Minds, who are the Arts Council ‘Bridge Organisation’ for North West England.

We didn’t win, but we met some lovely people working hard for young people all around the country.  It was just brilliant to be part of the Children and Young People Now year of 2017, and it’s so valuable for small charities like us to be considered on a level playing field with the big regional and national organisations.  We enjoyed meeting some of the other nominees in our category and swapping notes. 

Children and young people now ticketsCurious Minds won the Arts and Culture Award for all their work across the North West, and we had a great chat with Rhythmix from the South East who won the Mental Health and Wellbeing Award!

Children and Young People Now is the leading national magazine for professionals working in the sector and they launched the awards in 2006.

The Children & Young People Now Awards have become the gold standard for everyone working with children, young people and families. They provide a great source of pride and recognition for all those who strive day in, day out, to improve the lives of others. They offer an opportunity to raise the profile of projects and initiatives to funders and the general public.

And they present a tremendous showcase of learning and best practice from across the country that can be an inspiration to all. The awards recognise initiatives from the public, private and voluntary sector that work with children and young people from birth to adolescence as well as their families.

Shortlisted for the Children & Young People Now Awards!

High Peak Community Arts have just been shortlisted for the Children & Young People Now Awards!Children and young peoples award logo

We are delighted to announce that our Film Cuts Club has been shortlisted for the The Arts and Culture Award of this national scheme.

This is a tremendous achievement against extremely tough competition this year, and we are up against just three other contenders – Great Ormond Street Hospital, Curious Minds’ north west programme and Rhythmix south east programme.

Congratulations to our extremely hardworking and deserving filmmakers, Mark & Benn Turton and yes our tickets are booked for the awards ceremony in November!  Whatever the outcome this nomination brings a kudos which is sure to help the progress of Film Cuts Club and the whole of our youth programme!