NEF's programme of work on climate change and the benefits of small-scale renewable energy



COMMUNITY ARTS

The Little Angel Theatre's production of The Very Thirsty Giraffe

Grants in this category are for the most part small, under £10,000. An exception is the trust’s continuing support for the development of the Ashden Directory of Environment and Performance (ADEP). This innovative website aims to link and inform individuals and organisations involved in this fast-growing movement. The trustees also have a particular interest in encouraging creative projects for children, especially the very young, and for young people living in remote rural areas. These projects will sometimes, but not always, have an environmental angle. The Trust will also consider proposals for arts projects for children and adults with particularly severe mental or physical problems.



The Ashden Directory for Environment and Performance

  1. Ashden Directory for Environment and Performance (project support over a period of nine years)

    ADEP is a website which is designed to serve the expanding inter-related community of creative artists, thinkers and environmental activists around the UK. It contains editorial, features and news items, as well as a gazetteer listing individuals and companies active on the environmental performance scene.
    http://www.ashdendirectory.org.uk/links.asp

Arts for Children and Young People

  1. Little Angel Theatre (organisational support over a period of three years)

    Here and abroad, this tiny theatre has for over 40 years been known as the home of British puppetry where brilliantly ingenious productions have delighted generations of children and parents. In recent years, Little Angel has developed its community work, working both in Islington, a borough with a large number of disadvantaged families, and further afield through touring productions to schools in Sure Start areas. The Ashden grant has helped secure the community outreach work by supporting the education officer’s post and the programme of subsidised family workshops and performances.
    http://www.littleangeltheatre.com/
  2. Oasis Children’s Venture

    This grant supported the environmental arts worker for the Oasis garden, a large and well-tended plot adjoining a primary school in Stockwell. Some 5,000 children a year use the garden. In a ward with some of the highest levels of deprivation in South London, the children can experience the thrill of growing and harvesting. The environmental arts programme stretches their imagination and focuses on recycling, re-using and reducing waste, while also giving the children a presence at the Stockwell Carnival.
  3. Down Community Arts

    This organisation was started twelve years ago in Downpatrick, serving the town and rural hinterland. They applied for help towards building an Arts Resource Centre, to provide materials for arts projects of all kinds. Waste material is collected from companies and sold at the Centre; staff also advise members on how to run successful arts projects.
  4. Scottish Opera

    Towards the touring costs of an opera for primary schools on the theme of biodiversity.
    http://www.scottishopera.org.uk
  5. National Children’s Orchestra (project support over a period of three years)

    For bursaries for disadvantaged young musicians.
    http://www.nco.org.uk/
  6. Quondam Arts Trust

    Quondam is a small-scale national touring theatre company based at The Play Station in Penrith. This sparsely populated area offers little in the way of entertainment for young people, so Quondam started All Over Eden, a young people’s theatre company. The Ashden grant helped pay the transport costs of bringing youngsters from outlying villages and farms.
  7. Glasgow Repertory Company (project support over a period of two years)

    Towards the Shakespeare’s Garden project, which involves young carers in drama and environmental workshops.
    http://www.glasgowrep.org/