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Press Release
  • 28 Sep 2016

Paul Hamlyn Foundation backs Hull communities

Paul Hamlyn Foundation (PHF) has made grants worth £725,000 to organisations working in Hull, including £350,000 to Hull 2017 UK City of Culture.

The full programme for Hull 2017 UK City of Culture has been announced today. It will offer four seasons of activities that celebrate the unique character of the city of Hull, its people, history and location, delivering on the ambition to transform lives and communities through arts and culture.

As part of a wider commitment to support community engagement through arts and culture across the UK, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation (PHF) has supported the City of Culture programme with a £350,000 grant. And, to ensure that a legacy for the people of Hull and the cultural sector is realised beyond 2017, PHF has also made awards to the Freedom Festival (£60,000), to Hull Truck (£60,000) and to the PRS Foundation (£225,000).

Moira Sinclair, Chief Executive at Paul Hamlyn Foundation said: “The UK City of Culture programme has left positive legacies in cities across the country and we want to see this impact in Hull in 2017 and beyond. Our aim is to help people overcome disadvantage and lack of opportunity, so that they can realise their potential and enjoy fulfilling and creative lives. We know that access to and participation in culture is a powerful way in which to achieve that aim and we are proud to be supporting artists and communities in Hull.

PHF’s grant has supported activities in programmes for the UK City of Culture across Hull to help ensure that everyone has the opportunity to take part.

The Freedom Festival is an initiative founded in 2008 in celebration of the Hull-born champion of the anti-slavery movement, MP William Wilberforce. In 2016 over 70,000 people attended the Freedom Festival in Hull to enjoy more than 200 performances and artists from over 30 countries.

Jenny Howard-Coombes, Executive Director at Freedom Festival said:

Community engagement and a commitment to encouraging community cohesion through skills development, artist development and community engagement underpins our work and reflects our mission to explore the human value of freedom. The programme of work, funded by Paul Hamlyn Foundation, will enable us to establish meaningful relationships with established and emerging communities within Hull, celebrating diversity and creating a narrative which encourages social cohesion. “

Hull Truck Theatre is a pioneering theatre which is locally rooted with national reach, inspiring artists, exciting audiences and supporting communities to reach their greatest potential. With a commitment to growing the next generation of exceptional talent, Hull Truck Theatre will use its resources to bring local people, artists and audiences closer together.

Magda, Community Project Co-ordinator at Hull Truck Theatre, said:

The funding has allowed us to reach people in areas of low arts engagement. For instance, we now attend and provide free family-friendly activities in which we undergo meaningful consultation with local residents as part of our community engagement programme to better understand the barriers to arts participation.

The funding to PRS for Music Foundation will support its New Music Biennial 2017 initiative that provides a platform for talented organisations and music creators who are pushing the boundaries of new music in the UK.

Vanessa Reed, Executive Director at PRS Music Foundation said:

Thanks to Paul Hamlyn Foundation’s support we’ve been able to extend our New Music Biennial festival to include a series of composer residencies and school activities which will enable us to give local community groups, primary school children, composers and music leaders the chance to create, perform and listen to new music in the lead-up to and after Hull’s celebration as City of Culture 2017. Over the next two years, our composer residencies will inspire city-wide creative music making and primarily school children will be joining in through Sound and Music’s unique Minute of Listening programme. We’ll also be supporting local composers and music leaders to take over after our festival in July 2017 so that new music in all its forms can be enjoyed by all kinds of people from across the city for years to come.

 

About Paul Hamlyn Foundation

Paul Hamlyn Foundation was established by Paul Hamlyn in 1987. Upon his death in 2001, he left most of his estate to the Foundation, creating one of the largest independent grant-making foundations in the UK.

Our mission is to help people overcome disadvantage and lack of opportunity, so that they can realise their potential and enjoy fulfilling and creative lives.

We have a particular interest in supporting young people and a strong belief in the importance of the arts.

www.phf.org.uk

About Hull UK City of Culture 2017

Hull secured the title of UK City of Culture 2017 in November 2013. Hull is only the second city to hold the title, and the first in England.

The vision of the Hull 2017 Culture Company, the delivery organisation of the project, is “to deliver 365 days of transformative culture in 2017 through a range of diverse and high-profile events and projects”.

Following on from the Olympics and Paralympics, Commonwealth Games and the Tour de France in Yorkshire, Hull 2017 is the next major event in the nation’s cultural calendar.
The Culture Company is an independent organisation with charitable status, funded both publicly and privately. It has an £18m funding target, with key contributions coming from: Principal Partners – Arts Council England, BBC, Hull City Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Yorkshire Water, KWL, KCOM, the University of Hull and Spirit of 2012; Major Partners – Sewell Group, BP, the British Council, Wykeland Group, Paul Hamlyn Foundation and MKM.
Hull 2017’s International Partners are: Aarhus, Denmark, European Capital of Culture 2017; Reykjavik, Iceland; Rotterdam, The Netherlands; and Freetown, Sierra Leone (twinned with Hull).
Useful links for background information on Hull, the UK City of Culture bid and the UK City of Culture programme:
1. www.hull2017.co.uk
2. www.visithullandeastyorkshire.com
3. https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/supporting-vibrant-and-sustainable-arts-and-culture/supporting-pages/uk-city-of-culture-programme