Shrewsbury's The Hive see Arts Council bid rejected
The Hive Music and Media Centre has received the support of the town’s MP and Mayor to question why its recent submission for funding to Arts Council England has been rejected.
The Hive’s Grants for the Arts bid – B:Inspired - was seeking funding to support an ambitious and distinctive visual art project which would have enlivened and enhanced Shrewsbury and other sites in Shropshire. The 18-month project would have involved young people in the development of ideas, artwork and a creative programme across the county.
The bid was for just over £60,000 from the open access Grants for the Arts programme administered by Arts Council England.
“We requested an official feedback from the Arts Council following the notification that we had been unsuccessful” said Alyson Lanning, the Hive’s director, “We had spent so much time preparing our bid and talking to so many people, including local residents, councillors, young people. The Mayor, Councillor Tony Durnell hosted a public launch event last September at the Hive and we believed that we would receive support from ACE given that B:Inspired was an exciting and worthwhile programme of creative activity for the county.”
“What makes the situation more exasperating is that I have been informed our submission was recommended for funding at the assessment stage, only to be declined by a panel decision later in the application process. The reason ACE has given is that there is such a high demand for funding, but this does make the situation much more frustrating for the Hive as re-submission is costly and time-consuming” said Alyson.
Shrewsbury & Atcham MP Daniel Kawcyzinski has already written to the Arts Council England head office asking why the Belmont-based arts centre bid has been turned down. The Mayor, Councillor Durnell has also stated his ‘deep concern and disappointment’ that the Hive’s B:Inspired programme had not been financially supported. The Hive appreciates the support it receives from both civic dignitaries and the local community.
“It appears that there is little arts funding coming into Shropshire” Alyson Lanning continued: “Our projects are all about engaging with the local community, supporting local artists and creating projects that will leave a legacy for the town and county. Our mission is to invest in young people and in the professional development of Shropshire based artists, which in turn has a longer term impact on the local economy – it is bitterly disappointing not to receive the funding when there was so much at stake in the creative opportunities this project would have provided.”
“I spend so much of my time writing funding bids and every time I am asked the same questions: I have to demonstrate outputs, legacy and sustainability of any project we are organising: I would like to question the public funders: just how much money will this country spend on fireworks this year? We have the Jubilee celebrations and the Olympics in 2012 and I suspect millions of lottery money will, literally, go up in a few seconds of sparkle and smoke.”
She added that the Hive was currently reviewing the B:Inspired project and would consult with the local community, partners and stakeholders over the next few weeks to decide whether to revise the current programme or to explore other routes of funding.
