Northampton nursery and Wellingborough music programme share £60k Children in Need fund

The BBC has awarded new grants totalling £59,354 to two local projects working with disadvantaged children and young people in the county.

This is the third funding allocation of the year, with additional funding to be given to projects across the UK throughout 2019.

One project which has been awarded funding is Growing Together Northampton.

It will use a three-year grant of £29,854 to support their early years programme, which provides both one-to-one and group sessions for disadvantaged children who are not school ready.

The project will take place at the Blackthorn Good Neighbours Nursery and aims to improve the children’s communication skills and raise their confidence while preparing them for school.

Northamptonshire Music and Performing Arts Trust (NMPAT) has also benefitted in this latest round, receiving a three-year grant of £29,520 to provide a music inclusion programme for looked after children in Wellingborough.

The music-based project aims to build the children’s wellbeing, confidence and self-esteem while offering them the chance to have fun and get creative with peers.

Simon Steptoe, Musical inclusion programme and partner manager at NMPAT commented: "Thanks to this grant from BBC Children in Need we will be able to deliver a three-year programme of music sessions based around song-writing, recording, and music production.

"Our aim is to create a studio workshop environment that empowers children and young people -especially those with limited music skills - to write, compose and record their own music."

Across Northamptonshire, BBC Children in Need is currently funding 12 projects to a value of £814,000.