New £700,000 arts fund to engage older people in the arts

THE Arts Council of Northern Ireland is to invest £700,000 in a new three year programme designed to encourage older people to take part in the arts.

Jointly funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s Arts & Older People Programme will provide new opportunities for older people to engage with the arts, by joining a workshop or trying out a new arts activity.

Through funding new, innovative, community-led projects across art form areas such as dance, painting, crafts, storytelling, music and song, the programme will highlight and tackle the social justice issues older people face on a daily basis.

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The first round of funding opened earlier this month with grants of up to 50,000 available to arts organisations, as well as community and voluntary groups.

Rosemary Kelly OBE, Chairman of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, explained: “Over the course of the next three years it is our hope that through the arts this programme will help build a fairer, more inclusive society and improve the lives of those living in some of the most disadvantaged, deprived and marginalised areas of Northern Ireland.”

Ken Logue, Programme Executive of The Atlantic Philanthropies’ Ageing Programme, said: “Our goal in supporting the Arts & Older People Programme is to encourage the arts community to identify and explore new ways of helping older people make their own voices heard.”

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