SAVE THE DATE: Tuesday, November 21, 2023.

Preston creatives meet up #02 at The Larder, Lancaster Road, Preston.

Hosted by Brewtime Collective

Starts 6pm – gathering, networking and #lancsphotofest projection featuring images from the first 48hrs in Preston participatory photography project.

From 6.30pm there will be a short presentation by Sarah McCue, Community Funding Officer at Lancashire County Council about the latest round of Lancashire Cultural and Sport Fund Crowdfund Lancashire project.

LCC were delighted with the success of their presentation at The Larder 12 months ago, and the number of Preston-based individuals and organisations who applied for funding as a result.

In 2023, they are particularly interested in reaching more individuals to encourage them to apply for funding.

The application process has been made simpler for individuals in the latest round of funding – to encourage more grassroots projects.

This round of funding opens on November 16, 2023 and is open until February 14, 2024.

This event at The Larder will include loads of time to ask questions about the funding process.

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The Brewtime Collective – Preston’s biggest network of independent artists and arts organisers – is delighted to host another in-person get-together at The Larder.

We’d like to re-connect Preston’s creative population so are putting on this FREE event to allow you to meet like-minded creatives, bump into old friends and make new ones.

Our Brewtime Core Team have roles with several major organisations in the city.

The Brewtime Collective was originally formed in protest against Preston’s first 12-year Cultural Strategy which we did not believe represented the needs of the people of Preston.

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Lancashire Culture and Sport Fund

If you have an idea for a project to improve the culture or sport offer in your local community, then you could get up to £20,000 towards your target from the Lancashire Culture and Sport Fund.

Crowdfund Lancashire gives local communities and individuals a chance to create and support the projects which matter most to them. It will enable everyone to contribute towards their community – chipping in as little as £2 to help bring ideas to life.

We are working in partnership with Spacehive to create, fund and deliver your project idea. Spacehive are the UK’s leading community crowdfunding platform.

The fund is a unique crowd-funding-style match funding project, with £500,000 available annually (two rounds of funds released per year) to Not For Profit organisations, parish and town councils, businesses and individuals.

From information revealed so far, the breakdown for match funding available is:

Not For Profits: £20,000 max

Parish and town councils: £5,000 max

Businesses and individuals: £2,000 max

This fund is eligible to be submitted as part of an Arts Council Project Grant.

To be considered for support, projects must deliver public benefit. The fund will support a broad range of cultural and sporting activity.

Here are some examples of the types of project that might be considered for support:

• A theatre replacing outdated seating to improve the audience experience

• Conservation of artifacts at a heritage centre

• Building of new changing rooms for a local football club

• A community centre or library improving accessibility through provision of devices to support participants with sensory impairments

• A mela creating an international programme of events to give free access

• A reminiscence project recording memories of past events

• Hiring a public address system to support a band night

• Commissioning a mural to improve the indoor space of a village hall

• A brass band working with a composer for a new piece of music

• A theatre company taking their work on tour across Lancashire

• Building of a new entrance at a community hall to improve access

• A youth theatre working with a writer to create a new show

The LCC presentation will give an overview of the project, how it works including timescales, and how to apply. There will be a chance to ask questions.

More information about the fund: https://artslancashire.org.uk/…/county-council…/

NOTE: I was told in a meeting that £500,000 is available annually – the press release says £900,000 is available.

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This is a FREE event. We would like you to support The Larder by buying a drink and possibly some food or snacks.

Please register for your free ticket on Eventbrite so that we can manage numbers of those attending. Please let us know if you register for a ticket but are then unable to attend.

The Larder: https://www.facebook.com/CafeatTheLarder