NATIONAL YOUTH MUSIC CHARITY SUPPORTS NEW MUSIC PROJECTS ACROSS THE NORTH WEST WITH GRANTS TOTALLING £492,000

Music project on Moss Estate, Macclesfield awarded £47,000 grant

The National Foundation for Youth Music today announced support for a range of music-making projects in the North West with new grants totalling £492,000. This brings Youth Music's total aid over the last year in the region to over £1.5m, against the backdrop of a challenging fundraising climate for many music and arts organisations.

The Cre8 Music Project, based on the Moss Estate in Macclesfield, works with disadvantaged young people by offering them a chance to develop their musical talent and has been awarded a grant of £47,000.  It provides music tuition, performance opportunities and recording experience at their tailor-made facilities, offering an extra-curricular music education to young people who would not otherwise have the opportunity. It also provides young people with employment opportunities to help subsidise the cost of the music lessons.

In the latest round of grant allocations, Youth Music has invested £3.3m nationally bringing the total amount of funding awarded this year to music organisations across England to £10.2m.  Projects looking after children and young people in challenging circumstances have particularly benefited, in line with Youth Music's vision to ensure that all children have access to music-making opportunities, regardless of background or circumstances. These include children coping with disability and special educational needs, seriously ill young people in hospital, young people in care and those facing homelessness or exclusion.

Eighty per cent of young people taking part in projects supported by the music charity are experiencing challenging circumstances. Youth Music has also focused on early years music -making with support for a number of music projects for children aged five and under.

Matt Griffiths, Youth Music's Executive Director said: "We focus on early years and young people in challenging circumstances because we want to see every child being able to access music-making opportunities in their local area and these children are frequently overlooked.  We support projects working across all music genres, and we know that many young people find these opportunities to make music exciting and rewarding, frequently increasing their engagement at school and with potential future employment opportunities. We wish this CRE8 project and all those in the North West the very best with these exciting new music-making ventures." 

Youth Music is supported by Arts Council England with national lottery funds, by People's Postcode Lottery and through its own fundraising campaigns, including Give a Gig. 

ABOUT YOUTH MUSIC 

• Youth Music believes that music-making is life-changing and the charity wants the opportunity for music-making to be available to all children.  Every year, Youth Music provides more than 90,000 young people with the chance to take part in a local music project. 
• Many of these children and young people face challenges in their lives including coping with disability, homelessness or living in care.  Others simply need help to develop their full musical talent and potential. 
• In addition to developing musical skills, Youth Music projects help young people to develop their creative and social skills, make positive contributions to their community and live happy, successful lives. Youth Music projects work across all music genres. 
• Youth Music currently supports almost 400 music projects around the country 
• The charity knows that many more young people still need its help and continues to fundraise to realise its mission to ensure that all children and young people have access to life-changing music-making opportunities. 
• Find out more about the work of Youth Music by visiting www.youthmusic.org.uk
• For enquiries about Youth Music please contact: David O'Keeffe, Media and PR Consultant, Youth Music. Email:  david.okeeffe@youthmusic.org.uk