We invested £225,000 of funding allocation into 17 projects in Year 1 (2022 to 2023), including the inspiring Intra Lateral Arts Festival and Medway Light Nights.
We were delighted to award funding to 26 successful applicants in Year 2 (2023 to 2024).
Read more about 5 of those successful applicants who have run projects which have made a difference to their community.
Funny Women’s ‘Comedy in the community’ programme
Funny Women secured funding to deliver a range of new sessions in the community under the banner ‘How to have fun at work’.
In partnership with the Federation of Small Business Kent, Funny Women have run their latest programme to celebrate International Women’s Day, develop local leadership and create allies.
Funny Women has been empowering women in the comedy industry for over 20 years and in response to the demand for their programmes in the workplace, they run a programme that encourages professional women to have their voice.
UKSPF funding helped Funny Women to deliver 2 programmes: a ‘Stand Up to Stand Out’ workshop at Sun Pier House and ‘How to have fun at work’ at the Commissioner's House. The sessions were free to attend regardless of gender.
Chatham Town Centre Forum presents ‘Chinese New Year’
A Chinese New Year celebration event run by Chatham Town Centre Forum took place in February 2024.
This was one of the biggest parades in the South East for Chinese New Year and saw thousands of residents come together from a range of diversities. The festival was free to attend and saw a parade, street food, market, traditional dances and material arts masterclasses.
The Forum partnered with local organisations including the Kut-O Chinese Association, Nucleus Arts, Pentagon Shopping Centre, Dance Alley and Medway Youth Council to deliver the event, which was attended by The Mayor of Medway Cllr Nina Gurung.
Children and young people from across Medway can shape Child-friendly Medway’s latest initiative to protect the local environment.
Students from primary, secondary, SEND schools and home education, as well as youth groups and individuals, have been designing a public signage artwork that will be displayed in outdoor locations across Medway.
The Signs of Youth project received funding from Medway’s UKSPF to help improve public awareness on a particular environmental issue including littering, dog fouling, recycling, car idling, planting more flowers and trees and taking care of the wildlife.
The shortlisted designs will be installed in various locations across Medway throughout 2024.
Training programmes were available for young people and recently took place in February and April half-term breaks.
Medway Light Nights: Luton Light Trail
The latest Light Nights festival, run by Ideas Test, took place in February 2023 in Luton.
The event celebrated art, light and projections at Invicta Social Club, Chatham, exploring local themes of mysticism, ancestry and hope.
It followed previous activities including light-making workshops, a window trail competition and torchlit walks - to encourage people to take pride in place in Luton.
