11 April 2022
Somerset Community Foundation awards £44K to local community and voluntary organisations from the Arts Council’s Let’s Create Jubilee Fund
Somerset Community Foundation has awarded eight grants totalling almost £44,000 to voluntary and community organisations in Somerset from Arts Council England’s Let’s Create Jubilee Fund.
The Let’s Create Jubilee Fund will ensure that thousands of people from communities all across England will have the opportunity to take part in exciting creative events – all in celebration of the Platinum Jubilee. From puppetry and story creation, through to making crowns, carnival and art trails, there will be a huge range of exciting activities for people of all ages and backgrounds to get involved in.
Made possible thanks to National Lottery players, the Let’s Create Jubilee Fund has been administered by UK Community Foundations on behalf of Arts Council England. The programme is designed to help voluntary and community organisations develop creative and cultural events to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June.
Somerset Community Foundation is one of 44 community foundations awarding grants across the country on behalf of the Arts Council.
The groups are:
- Charlton’s Youth Club, Charlton’s Platinum Jubilee Festival – Youth Club Banner
A 4-day festival is planned, including musical performances, a village fete and a barn dance: £2,000
- Dulverton Town Hall, Dulverton’s celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
A partnership has been created between Dulverton Town Council, Dulverton Traders Association, Two Moors Festival, Visit Dulverton, Dulverton Development Forum and Dulverton Town Hall to organise Jubilee celebrations for the town: £1,750
- Frome Town Band, Band on the Road, Frome
A band will tour around Frome, showcasing music from each decade of the Queen’s reign: £2,658
- North Taunton Partnership, Queens Platinum Jubilee Celebration, Taunton
- Project Factory CIC, Wells Jubilee Celebrations
Free-of-charge activities including workshops and performances, both amateur and professional, across a one day festival in Wells: £8,704
- Seed Sedgemoor, Right Royal Jubilee Jam
A community-led, celebratory event including activities and performances that welcomes everyone, held in two areas of Highbridge: £10,000
- Sheba Soul Ensemble, Oh, Queenie!
A brand new, interactive theatre production to be delivered in collaboration with 10 primary, secondary and special schools around Somerset: £10,000
- The Milverton Trust, Project Milverton Community Jubilee
A number of performances held over the Jubilee weekend. The project will culminate in a ‘big lunch’ picnic on Sunday in the recreation ground: £3,499
Darren Henley, Chief Executive at Arts Council England said: “The Let’s Create Jubilee Fund is a wonderful example of our ambition to give everyone the opportunity to participate in and experience the arts, culture and creativity – made possible thanks to National Lottery players. This June, we’ll see communities across England coming together to celebrate a historic milestone for this country. I’m excited to see these projects brought to life in villages, towns and cities across the country as our wonderfully creative communities celebrate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.”
Rosemary Macdonald, CEO, UK Community Foundations, said: “For community foundations, people and places are the priority and the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee is a unique opportunity for people to get together and celebrate in their communities. We are proud to have connected Arts Council England with local organisations whose imaginative and exciting projects and collaborations with professional artists will bring communities together to enjoy marking this milestone moment in our history.”
HM Queen Elizabeth II is the first monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, having overtaken Queen Victoria as the longest reigning monarch in 2015. Her reign has been marked by a commitment to public service, reflected by her extensive programme of engagements at home and abroad, and support for over 600 cultural organisations, charities, military associations, professional bodies and public service organisations.
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) is a charity that helps passionate people in Somerset change the world on their doorstep by funding local charities and inspiring local giving and philanthropy. They aim to build stronger communities in Somerset where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. They provide rewarding and impactful ways for donors to give through them, to the causes and places they care about most. Together, they fund amazing organisations and the passionate people that change lives every day.
Since SCF were founded in 2002 they’ve awarded more than £17 million in funding, changing thousands of lives across Somerset.