Delight as Shrewsbury's The Hive charity gets £350,000 in lottery funding

The Hive in Shrewsbury supports children and young people, including those who are vulnerable and at risk, through creative art projects both at its headquarters in Belmont and across Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin.

The venue also hosts live gigs, film screenings and other events.

It successfully applied for two pots of money. The main award of £266,081 is for the My College project. The other award of £91,570 is for the Up Tempo 3 project.

Councillor Nat Green, a trustee of The Hive, said: “I am absolutely delighted about the funding.

“The Hive has built up a reputation for its work with young people through the arts and for delivering top-class art, drama and music projects.

“This recognition means that we have been well supported by the Arts Council, the Lottery and also Shropshire Council.”

He said that Shrewsbury and Shropshire was lucky to have such an all encompassing organisation.

“It is rare to find this kind of support available for young people in these days of budget cuts.

“I have been involved with The Hive for two years and am constantly impressed with the work it does.”

Confidence

The My College projects aims to use creative activities to increase youngsters’ confidence, build self-esteem, raise aspirations and help them build connections with the community.

The Up Tempo 3 scheme will use music, art, writing, performance and other creative approaches to bring together young people who are experiencing isolation, exclusion and loneliness.

The Hive says its vision is to support young people through funded arts programmes to realise their aspirations and help develop confidence and self-esteem for those who face challenging circumstances.

Other grants for the Shrewsbury area include:

• £7,100 - for at all ability allotment plot at the Bowbrook Allotment Community

• £42,750 - for replacing doors, windows and the heating system at Wattlesborough Village Hall

• £10,000 - for renewing windows and updating audio equipment at Bayston Hill Memorial Hall

Shropshire’s community organisations have been awarded almost £850,000 in National Lottery funding for the quarter.