Derbyshire arts group is lighting up the community, thanks to National Lottery funding
Derbyshire community project, Surtal Arts, is celebrating today after being one of 133 projects in the East Midlands to receive a share of more than £6 million of National Lottery funding in the past quarter*.
The vital funding has been distributed by The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK, supporting communities to overcome social and economic challenges raised by the pandemic.
Through its ‘Roshni Project’ Surtal Arts’ new £10,000 National Lottery grant is expected to benefit more than 1,000 people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities across Derbyshire. The project aims to use music, dance, and visual art activities from South Asian cultures to break down social stigmas associated with mental health and chronic illnesses.
The East Midlands isn’t alone in benefiting from National Lottery funding. Today it was announced that £65 million has been distributed to 1,700 community organisations across England in the past three months*.
Nisha Nath, Chairperson at Surtal Arts and lead for the Roshni Project, said: “The pandemic created a lot of isolation and brought mental health illnesses that are present in the BAME community to the surface. It was a priority for us to create a project where we could highlight and show people that forming friendships and getting involved in social activities will create a light at the end of the tunnel for them. This is when we came up with the idea of the Roshni Project. Roshni means brightness and light in Hindi, and that is what we wanted to create through this project.
“Thanks to National Lottery players, we can create inclusive activities for people from all different cultures. The local community can get involved and take part in singing, poetry, Punjabi folk dancing such as bhangra, learn how to play classical Indian instruments, and create lanterns and rangoli art decorations in time for the Derby Season of Light lantern parade and Christmas lights switch on. All of these activities create a positive environment and bring together the brilliant and diverse cultures that run through Derbyshire.”
Claire Jopling, Senior Head of Funding for the Midlands at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “Thanks to National Lottery players, this vital funding is having a huge impact on people’s lives across Derbyshire. It’s so inspiring to see dedicated volunteers and groups, like Surtal Arts, supporting their communities to prosper and thrive. This funding has given a much-needed cash boost to communities, so they can build back stronger from the pandemic.”
The National Lottery Community Fund distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes. Thanks to National Lottery players, last year we awarded over half a billion pounds (£588.2 million) of life-changing funding to communities across the UK. Over eight in ten (83%) of our grants are for under £10,000 – going to grassroots groups and charities across the UK that are bringing to life amazing ideas that matter to their communities.
To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk