Culture

Earlier this year, York based organisations negatively impacted by Covid-19 were invited to apply for a new Events and Festivals Grant Scheme to support upcoming events in 2022.  

Following a successful application process, Make It York and City of York Council are pleased to award grants to fifteen York-based organisations. The purpose for this grant funding is to support the delivery of events and festivals which would have happened in 2020 and/or 2021, as well as new events and festivals led by York-based organisations who have been negatively impacted by the pandemic and therefore unable to fund the overall costs of such activities themselves.  

The £50k grant funding comes from the Government’s ARG fund, and is provided by City of York Council to Make It York, to be delivered in consultation with the Executive Members for Culture & Communities and Economy & Strategic Planning, supporting York’s economic recovery from Covid-19.  

The fifteen events and festivals who have been awarded funding from the ARG Events and Festivals Grant are:  

• York LGBT+ Pride (18 June 2022): York’s summer Pride event provides the main platform for a celebration of the diversity of the LGBT+ community through entertainment, inclusivity and fun. https://yorkpride.org.uk/  
• 2022 Wagon Plays organised by York Mystery Plays (19 – 26 June 2022): York Mystery Plays are a unique part of York’s literary and cultural heritage and allow hundreds of local people to engage with their own history. The Wagon Plays will be performed in June 2022 in outdoor locations across York.  https://www.yorkmysteryplays.co.uk/buy-tickets/  
• York Mediale 2022 Events (24 June – 18 September 2022, and November 2022): Funding will support a programme of events at York Art Gallery including the ‘Body Vessel Clay’ exhibition and the Immersive Assembly, Mediale’s international artist development programme, in collaboration with the city of Viborg in Denmark, a fellow UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts. https://mediale.org.uk/immersive-assembly/ https://www.yorkartgallery.org.uk/exhibition/body-vessel-clay/  
• Operation Hummingbird organised by Next Door But One CIC (August 2022): A new play by Next Door But One exploring loss, love, terminal illness and anticipatory grief. Operation Hummingbird is a conversation across the decades about a sudden family death, realising an opportunity that we all wish we could do at some point in our life; go back and talk to our younger self. https://www.nextdoorbutone.co.uk/Operation-Hummingbird.php 
• Wilberforce Bounces Back organised by The Wilberforce Trust (August and December 2022): The trust will host two community fayres – the return of their annual Christmas Fayre and a new Summer Fayre. The events will include old style village fayres, with sideshow stalls, fairground type games, craft stalls, food, silent auction and a raffle. https://www.wilberforcetrust.org.uk/ 
• Groves Community Cinema organised by Theatre@41 (Quarterly from September 2022): A new regular community cinema with a weekend of films every quarter is coming to York. Showing a mixture of topical films relevant to the lived experiences of the local community, films from the Yorkshire Film Archive, and a more accessible and affordable cinematic environment for the young people of the Groves and York. https://www.41monkgate.co.uk/ 
• York Design Week 2022 organised by Kaizen Arts Agency CIC (October 2022): York Design Week (YDW) is an annual city-wide multidisciplinary festival offering a programme of events, workshops, talks, exhibitions, and performances. This year’s theme aims to positively shift conversation and behaviour around what design means and how it can offer innovative solutions. https://www.yorkdesignweek.com/ 
• Making Moves (previously Dance It Up North) organised by York Dance Space (October 2022): Making Moves is a community dance production which brings together the diverse communities of York and North Yorkshire to perform at York Theatre Royal.  https://yorkdancespace.com/ 
• York Unlocked CIC (October 2022): Discover interesting buildings that are usually difficult to access with York Unlocked. Visitors will have the opportunity to take a look around famous York buildings including Herbert House, St Williams College, The Guildhall, Kings Manor, Old Archbishops Palace, Bootham School, De Grey Rooms, Lodge Duncombe Place, Hudson Quarter, Monk Bar, Chapel St Johns Uni and more. https://york-unlocked.org.uk/ 
• BAFTA-Qualifying Aesthetica Film Festival organised by Aesthetica Magazine Ltd (November 2022): The BAFTA-Qualifying Aesthetica Film Festival is one of the key destinations for new cinema in the UK. The festival will screen new films across 12 venues in the city centre this November and provides education and learning opportunities, as well as access to new film and high-profile speakers. https://www.asff.co.uk/ 
• 2022 Yorkshire Schools Dance Festival organised by Creative Learning Partnerships (November 2022): The Yorkshire Schools Dance Festival is open to all primary schools, secondary schools, colleges, further education providers and community dance companies across Yorkshire. Over 1000 participants will create and perform fresh choreography in a large-scale venue, as well as taking part in workshops and watch performances by professional dance companies.   https://www.yorkshireschoolsdancefestival.co.uk/ 
• SLAP York Showcase organised by SLAP York (SLAP Collective LTD) (November/December 2022): The SLAP York Showcase includes four creative workshops and a showcase of brand-new work created by artists living in the city. There’ll be live performances, including one to one experiences, durational work and participatory performance.  https://www.slapyork.co.uk/ 
• Poetry For All organised by Stairwell Books / York Spoken Word (November/December 2022): Poetry For All welcomes newcomers and regulars to join their poetry and prose open mic, which has been going for over 16 years. Offering a platform to disabled poets, they were the first UK event BSL signed with poems also PowerPointed in an accessible venue. http://www.yorkspokenword.org.uk/ 
• Christmas Folk at the NCEM (December 2022): Based in the centre of York since 2000, the NCEM promotes high quality concerts across a wide range of music genres. Christmas Folk at the NCEM will showcase three traditional/folk concerts taking place at the NCEM in December 2022. https://www.ncem.co.uk/ 
• ”The Shambles Saved Christmas!” organised by Thunk-It Theatre Ltd (December 2022): ‘The Shambles Saved Christmas!’ is a one person, family theatre performance, written to showcase the famous Shambles Market in York City Centre, whilst celebrating festive cheer. There’ll also be opportunities to take part in crafting sessions, including make your own festive decorations. https://www.thunkittheatre.co.uk/ 

All events will receive support from Visit York membership, to ensure that their event is as far reaching as possible.  

Helen Apsey, Head of Culture and Wellbeing at Make It York, said: “We received a high number of applications, of a very high standard, for the Events and Festivals Grants Scheme, and we’re delighted to be supporting 15 incredible initiatives with this funding. It’s a really broad, vibrant and diverse mix of events and festivals, which support local communities and residents, the local economy, and the aims of the York Culture Strategy.  

“It’s been a really difficult few years for people, and these events will give residents the chance to re-engage with their city, to take part in new activities, and to celebrate and enjoy the diverse range of events and festivals happening in York this year, as well as attracting visitors to support the local economy.  

“Many events and festivals have been severely impacted by the covid-19 pandemic, couldn’t take place as planned, or had to be cancelled altogether – and it’s still impacting organisers’ ability to fund the overall costs of events activity now. We’re really grateful to City of York Council for making this grants funding available from its Additional Restrictions Grant Allocation, to help us support so many events and festivals in York. Crucially, this funding will also enable many of these initiatives to become more sustainable in future years.”  

Councillor Darryl Smalley, Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Communities, said: “I would like to congratulate all successful applicants. It’s great to see so many worthy events and causes receiving this latest financial boost. 

“The ARG fund has previously supported safe, large-scale events across the city, such as Jorvik Viking Festival, York Food and Drink Festival, York Design Week and Aesthetica Film Festival. I look forward to the recipients of this latest set of funding use it to boost York’s exciting event scene, offering even more for residents and visitors to look forward to.” 

Alan Park, Chair at Theatre@41, said: “The ARG Events and Festival grant will allow us to launch Theatre@41’s Groves Community Cinema, providing our local residents with a relaxed, affordable and accessible cinema that allows the community to connect with one another and provide some with their first visit to a theatre. Without this money we would not have been able to launch the cinema. Now the Groves and the wider York community can benefit from this event for years to come.” 

For more information: 

Sarah Foster, Communications Manager at Make It York  

Comms@makeityork.com  

Notes to Editors:  

Grant funding comes from the Government’s ARG fund, and is provided by City of York Council to Make It York, to be delivered in consultation with the Executive Members for Culture & Communities and Economy & Strategic Planning, supporting York’s economic recovery from Covid-19.  

Events and festivals applying for the grant funding were asked to demonstrate the following: 

1. Evidence that their event has been negatively impacted by the covid-19 pandemic: demonstrating that the event has been delayed/ timelines affected, with evidence of financial losses/ reduced income OR how your new event has been negatively impacted by the pandemic and therefore you are unable to fund the overall costs of such activities yourselves 

2. How funding for this event/ festival will support economic/ wider recovery from covid-19 

3. How this event/ festival will support residents and communities  

4. How this event/ festival supports the aims and vision of the York Culture Strategy, York’s Creative Future, 2020-25 

5. How this grant funding will support the event to become more sustainable in future years. 

About Make It York  

Make It York’s purpose is to develop and promote the city and its surroundings – nationally and internationally – as a vibrant and attractive place to live, visit, study, work and do business. Its mission is to grow the economic prosperity and wider wellbeing of York and its citizens. In practice, this means delivering a range of projects and programmes based around our corporate strategic priorities.   

These are:  

• City positioning and profile-raising 
• Ensuring an exciting city centre 
• Delivering the city’s ground-breaking Cultural Strategy 

York-based charities, social enterprises, voluntary and community groups are being urged to apply for the 2022 Cultural Wellbeing Grants, with an overall fund of £30,000 available. In a collaboration between Make It York and City of York Council, with funding made available via the Better Care Fund, organisations are being invited to apply to grants up to £5,000 to aid initiatives throughout the city which will reduce loneliness and isolation and combat mental ill-health.  

With applications open until Friday 20th May 2022, organisations can apply for funding to help engage isolated people in their communities through cultural engagement to combat mental ill-health, improve physical health, or access employment and learning opportunities. Funding can be used for a wide range of project costs – including everything from materials and venue hire to set up costs, marketing, transport and administration time. 

Last year, nineteen different charities, social enterprises and community groups benefitted from the cultural and social prescribing grants funding from Make It York, City of York Council and York CVS. Spanning a diverse range of creative art forms and social activities, the grants supported everything from fairy trails and community coffee mornings to excavation projects, craft workshops and creative cafes in the city.  

Helen Apsey, Head of Culture and Wellbeing at Make It York said: “The Cultural Wellbeing Grants are a really important scheme, which support local organisations, groups and people, through funding for creative and cultural initiatives to support residents’ health and wellbeing. This focus on wellbeing is at the heart of York’s Culture Strategy, so we’re really grateful to be able to run the programme again this year, with funding from the Better Care Fund, alongside City of York Council.  

“Last year saw us supporting a wide range of projects, from theatre workshops for people affected by isolation, weekly music, movement and social sessions for adults with complex needs, through to coordinating green organisations to increase the number of people engaging with creative nature opportunities – and we’re looking forward to continuing to support many more projects through this year’s grants scheme.” 

Cllr Darryl Smalley, Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Communities at City of York Council said: “The Cultural Wellbeing Grants programme will build on the city’s fantastic work in tackling isolation and supporting mental health across our city.  These grants will be supporting York’s voluntary sector as our communities continue to recover from the pandemic. We look forward to a variety of different applications this year, with the wellbeing being at their core.” 

END 

For more information: 

Brittany Guymer, Communications Executive at Make It York 

Comms@makeityork.com 

Notes to Editors: 

Further information and the application form for the Cultural Wellbeing grants can be found here – https://www.makeityork.com/culture/cultural-wellbeing-grants  

Application forms must be completed and submitted by 9am on Friday 20th May 2022 to be considered. These will be assessed and shortlisted applications will be contacted by Friday 27th May 2022.  

If you have any queries or need support to apply, please email: Carl.wain@york.gov.uk  

About Make It York 

Make It York’s purpose is to develop and promote the city and its surroundings – nationally and internationally – as a vibrant and attractive place to live, visit, study, work and do business. Its mission is to grow the economic prosperity and wider wellbeing of York and its citizens. In practice, this means delivering a range of projects and programmes based around our corporate strategic priorities.   

These are:  

• City positioning and profile-raising 
• Ensuring an exciting city centre 
• Delivering the city’s ground-breaking Culture Strategy 

York based organisations who have been negatively impacted by Covid-19 are invited to apply for a new Events and Festivals Grant Scheme, in order to support upcoming events in 2022. Applications are now open until 7^th April on the Make It York website, with grants of up to £10,000 per organisation available.  

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the delivery of events and festivals across York, with many not taking place as planned or cancelled completely. Local arts, cultural and community organisations have also seen their finances negatively impacted by the pandemic as lockdown restrictions and social distancing halted their programme of activities and income generation. 

Recognising this challenge, City of York Council allocated £100k from its Additional Restrictions Grant Allocation to support events and festivals to take place across York. This fund has been well received and utilised, livening up the city once more. In February 2022, it was approved that a further £50k allocation from the Council’s ARG Budget would be provided to Make It York to support a broader range of festivals and events to take place across York this year. 

The purpose for this grant funding is to support the delivery of events and festivals which would have happened in 2020 and/or 2021, as well as new events and festivals led by York-based organisations who have been negatively impacted by the pandemic and therefore unable to fund the overall costs of such activities themselves. Applicants must demonstrate how their event supports economic recovery, residents, communities, plus the aims and ambitions of the York Culture Strategy.   

Organisations who are awarded grants will have access to promotions through Visit York and Make It York’s high-profile marketing and communication channels. Where an organisation is not a member of Visit York, Make It York will provide a one-year membership package to ensure that the event is as far reaching as possible. 

Grant funding comes from the Government’s ARG fund, and is provided by City of York Council to Make It York, to be delivered in consultation with the Executive Members for Culture & Communities and Economy & Strategic Planning, supporting York’s economic recovery from Covid-19.  

Sarah Loftus, Managing Director at Make It York, said: “Events and festivals have been significantly impacted throughout the pandemic, from cancellations to contingencies. This new Events and Festivals Grant Scheme, from the City of York Council’s Additional Restrictions Grant Allocation, aims to support both existing and new events taking place in the city this year benefitting residents, communities and continuing to champion York’s brilliant culture sector. Make It York have designed a quick turnaround grant-giving process, which opens from today, and we’re looking forward to receiving applications. Grants of up to £10,000 are available and we’ll be letting recipients know whether they’ve been successful before the end of April.” 

Councillor Darryl Smalley, Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Communities, said: “This investment will support events across the city, boosting York’s reputation as a city of experiences. I urge organisations to put forward their ideas to ensure residents and visitors have many more exciting events to look forward to.” 

“The ARG fund has previously supported safe, large-scale events across the city, such as Jorvik Viking Festival, York Food and Drink Festival, York Design Week and Aesthetica Film Festival. These much-loved events were a huge success and delivered an uplift to both our economy and wellbeing.” 

For more information: 

Sarah Foster, Communications Manager at Make It York  

Comms@makeityork.com  

Notes to Editors:  

Applications for the ARG Events and Festivals Grant Scheme are open until 7th April. Please apply via the Make It York website.  

Grant funding comes from the Government’s ARG fund, and is provided by City of York Council to Make It York, to be delivered in consultation with the Executive Members for Culture & Communities and Economy & Strategic Planning, supporting York’s economic recovery from Covid-19. 

Events and festivals applying for the grant funding must demonstrate the following: 

1. Evidence that their event has been negatively impacted by the covid-19 pandemic: demonstrating that the event has been delayed/ timelines affected, with evidence of financial losses/ reduced income OR how your new event has been negatively impacted by the pandemic and therefore you are unable to fund the overall costs of such activities yourselves 

2. How funding for this event/ festival will support economic/ wider recovery from covid-19 

3. How this event/ festival will support residents and communities  

4. How this event/ festival supports the aims and vision of the York Culture Strategy, York’s Creative Future, 2020-25 

5. How this grant funding will support the event to become more sustainable in future years. 

About Make It York  

Make It York’s purpose is to develop and promote the city and its surroundings – nationally and internationally – as a vibrant and attractive place to live, visit, study, work and do business. Its mission is to grow the economic prosperity and wider wellbeing of York and its citizens. In practice, this means delivering a range of projects and programmes based around our corporate strategic priorities.   

These are:  

• City positioning and profile-raising 
• Ensuring an exciting city centre 
• Delivering the city’s ground-breaking Cultural Strategy