BRENT ARTS ORGANISATIONS UNITE TO TRANSFORM OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE WITH MAJOR NEW FUNDING 

Nine leading arts organisations in Brent have been awarded £550,000 through Arts Council England National Lottery Place Partnership funding to expand the borough’s cultural sector. This significant investment will enhance opportunities for children to engage with arts and culture while creating new career pathways for young people.

Already identified as a Priority Place in the Arts Council England’s 2024-2027 delivery plan, Brent is set to benefit from the large-scale initiative designed to reach underserved communities. The funding will focus on engaging those who are less likely to access the arts or consider a creative career in the arts as a viable option.

The initiative, known as ‘Vi-Brent’ will bring together the expertise of its members over three years with the  ambition of enabling more than 7,000 children and young people to participate in a wide range of arts programmes and projects. Representing a diverse range of art forms from immersive theatre to orchestral music, carnival arts and filmmaking, projects will engage with children and young people aged four years old to 25 years and over. 

Key activity will include:

• A pilot project of free Brent-based arts provision for Primary Schools 
• A children's arts festival involving over 4,000 children and young people
• Skills bootcamps for young people interested in future careers in music production, film, TV or theatre.

Peter Higgin, Artistic Director of Punchdrunk Enrichment said: “We know that the Brent creative community already has so much to offer its young people. Through the Vi-Brent programme we are looking forward to bringing these organisations closer together and transforming the life chances of the borough’s young people through culture.”

Brent-based artists, creatives and culture workers are invited to the Vi-Brent launch on 30th January at Punchdrunk Enrichment Stores to find out more about the project and how they can get involved.

The nine organisations that form part of the Vi-Brent network are: Punchdrunk Enrichment, Fresh Arts, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Unique Community, Mahogany Arts, Young Brent Foundation,  Garden Studios, The Awareness Tap and Brent Council