A two-year project to transform volunteering in the arts sector has been awarded almost £500,000 by the Government.
Cumbria Museum Consortium – led by Carlisle’s Tullie House – will deliver Helping Hands. Its aim is to improve community wellbeing, grow capacity and workforce diversity across the Cumbrian cultural sector, address loneliness and isolation, and break down barriers to volunteering.
Helping Hands will be delivered through five local clusters. A number of organisations have come together as part of this project, including Theatre by the Lake in Keswick, Rosehill Theatre in Whitehaven, Barra Culture in Barrow in Furness, Brewery Arts in Kendal and Highlights Rural Touring Scheme based in Penrith.
Five organisations will host Inclusive Volunteering Leads. Cumbria CVS & Cumbria County Council (Library Service) will provide expert support in volunteer recruitment and management.
Over 20 museums, theatres, arts organisations, rural touring village halls will create and host volunteer opportunities and organisations with expert knowledge of their communities and beneficiary groups, including Cumbria Youth Alliance, Anti Racist Cumbria, Prism Arts, Multicultural Cumbria, Cumbria Deaf Association, Triple A (Autism) Project are also involved.
The University of Cumbria Institute of the Arts will help to co-design and promote volunteer opportunities to meet participant needs and to train staff in host organisations and Cumbria Arts & Culture Network; Cumbria Museum Directors Group and Carlisle’s Thriving Communities network will share project opportunities and progress.
Helping Hands will start in spring. The project expects to recruit and support around 500 new volunteers and enable nearly 30 Cumbrian museums, theatres and arts organisations to carry on inclusive volunteering in the future.
Andrew Mackay, director of Tullie House Museum, said: “The investment is hugely welcomed. Cumbria is the third largest county in England and yet it boasts a very joined up arts and culture network.
“Given the size of the county and the sparsity of population, volunteering plays a crucial role in both community wellbeing and the sustainability of many cultural organisations – this project will combine, strengthen and accelerate the good work that is currently being done in this area.”
Kate Parry, head of partnership at Cumbria Museum Consortium and project manager for Helping Hands, added: “The arts and culture sector in Cumbria is very well connected and works collaboratively.
“Helping Hands is a great example of all the sector working together with ACE/DCMS investment to deliver a project that will benefit the whole community. It is a brilliant project, and we are thrilled to receive such an award.”
Image Credit: Kirsty McSkeane, Red Dwarf Photography
CONTACT
Emily Burnham, Marketing & Communications Manager, Tullie House T: 01228 618742 | M: 07384 817960 | E: Emily.burnham@tulliehouse.org
NOTES TO EDITORS
· The first round
