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Hi All,
Welcome to the February edition of the CCS Connect e-news. Thanks to those of you who shared opportunities and information for inclusion.
If you are receiving this e-news but your not signed up as a member of CCS, please go here to download a membership form. http://www.cultureconsortiumshropshire.com/join-ccs.html
Were really excited to launch our Creativity Lab this month, which will be happening on Wednesday 17th March. See further down in the e-news for more information.
The Creativity Exchange: A new online community to encourage teaching for creativity - Arts Council England This February Arts Council England (ACE) have launched Creativity Exchange, a new online community to encourage teaching for creativity across the curriculum. Designed for school leaders, teachers and cultural organisations who work with schools. This platform will be a place for creative inspiration and to share innovative practice in education.
Get involved! -If you’re a teacher, school leader or a cultural organisation that works in schools then this platform is for you and there’s lots of ways you can get involved: Connect with other teachers and school leaders to get new ideas and discuss how you teach for creativity using #CreativityExchange on Twitter where we will be sharing your suggestions! Welcome to The Creativity Exchange | ACE
Guidance for DCMS sectors now that the UK has left the EU. Government guidance on working safely during COVID-19 has been updated, outlining how lockdown restrictions will impact businesses and the support available during a period of closure. You can find guidance for the following sectors:
Were really pleased to see that Shropshire Council’s Kickstart programme has got off to a great start. As of this month, more than 40 placements have been created for eligible young people as part of the Government’s nationwide Kickstart Scheme. Throughout the year, Shropshire Council aim to create more than 60 placements within the council and maintained schools, offering a variety of roles including digital skills trainers, administration officers, handy person assistants and library officers.
Please continue to send us your digital and online opportunities and we will share them in this e-news and via social media. See below for details of how to do this.
If you want to see previous editions of the CCS Connect e-news, they are available on the CCS website - https://www.cultureconsortiumshropshire.com/ccs-connect--news.html
Take Care
CCS Management Group
 If you would like CCS to share the online and digital opportunities you have available for children and young people and their families, please contact Alexa Pugh, email, alexa.pugh@shropshire.gov.uk
We’re looking for local workshops, performances, film, animation, virtual tours, exhibitions, talks, mentoring, articles, CPD and resources etc. Content needs to be accessible and age appropriate for children and young people and their families.
The deadline for inclusion of information in the next e-news is Wednesday 17 March.
Please follow the government guidelines on COVID-19 when delivering activity. For updates, take a look at the NHS and Gov.UK webpages.
 Please tag us in events on Facebook and we will share them - https://www.facebook.com/cultureconsortiumshrops/
Twitter – Culture Consortium Shropshire @CultureShrop #spotlightshropscyp
Website – https://www.cultureconsortiumshropshire.com/
 OPPORTUNITY from Ascension Dance Project SOAR is a digital dance project looking to empower & build confidence in young women. If you are 14-18 yrs old, enjoy working creatively in a team & want to connect with new people, get in touch to find out more lexy@ascensiondance.co.uk
Do you know any young people who would like to join OPEN THEATRE on an exciting new creative venture? For the past 30 years, Open Theatre has worked with young people with learning disabilities and/or autism across the West Midlands, reflecting & celebrating their unique creativity. An opportunity for young people with learning disabilities and/or autism, aged 5-25, to join a new physical theatre group in Birmingham! Unbounded - Releasing Birmingham's Creativity - YouTube We will be running FREE weekly online sessions from March to May, with a creative sharing at the end of the project. info@opentheatre.co.uk
 Charity shares activities to while away the hours during lockdown
Oswestry charity Qube has produced a range of free downloadable activities that can be done safely at home and these are available to anyone who is looking to while away time or learn a new skill during the current lockdown restrictions.
The Get Creative At Home project has been running throughout the pandemic and has over 50 different activities from crochet projects to painting with coffee and from yoga activities to colouring in templates. There is something for everyone and ideas will continue to be added over the coming months.
Many of the ideas have also been generated through Qube’s partnership with Shropshire Council and Taking Part which has been providing resources for people who would ordinarily access day services in Shropshire but have been unable to do so during the current situation.
All of the activities and templates are available via the Qube website www.qube-oca.org.uk
Kate Garner Local Commissioning Manager at Shropshire Council showcases her Picasso portrait.
Shrewsbury LGBT+ History Festival 2021
Shrewsbury LGBT+ History is pleased to announce the 2021 LGBT+ History Festival.
This year the Shrewsbury LGBT+ History Festival is taking place between the 6th of February and the 13th of March.
The production of the festival has been tailored to adhere with current circumstances, so will be held virtually with a range of live streams, film screenings, lectures, discussions, and Q&A’s, from the comfort of your own home. All events are free and can be booked via the Shrewsbury LGBT+ History website, however donations are appreciated to enable this fantastic celebration of the LGBT+ community and its history to continue in the future. Thanks to the players of the National Lottery, we are delighted to announce that this year the festival is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund and we are proudly in partnership with the Shropshire Rainbow Film Festival.
More information on how to book for an event, view the festival schedule or to donate please visit www.shrewsburylgbthistory.org.uk

Discover museums and galleries online exhibitions. Virtual Tours. Fascinating films. Explore ways to engage with museums in the digital space. https://www.artfund.org/whats-on/museumsonline?utm_campaign=245569_AIYI_14012021_Prospects&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Art%20Fund&dm_i=5L9B,59HD,20VYU1,M749,1
The Courtyard launch FORGE: Young Artist Development Masterclasses -The Courtyard is thrilled to be launching a brand-new series of masterclasses, designed to help young people FORGE a career in the arts. As part of The Courtyard’s commitment to artist development, its FORGE project will include a series of masterclasses, enabling participants to learn about the arts industry and develop their skills in a variety of disciplines. Writer and digital director Lisle Turner will be leading two of the masterclasses over the coming months. "Show business is about telling stories.” Says Lisle, “It’s important for everyone that the voices telling those stories come from all regions of the UK and all walks of life. In these sessions I want to demystify the industry and the skills involved so that participants can decide freely if it's right for them. We’ll do that by trying things out in a relaxed and good-humoured environment - no pressure, just creative fun.” Two masterclasses will be scheduled each month and so far, include An Introduction To Screenwriting on Saturday 20 February, How To Start Your Career In Showbiz on Saturday 13 March and How To Ace Auditions on Saturday 27 March. Sessions will all be delivered online and are being offered with three pay-what-you-can options. FORGE masterclasses are aimed at young people aged 16 - 25 who have a passion for the arts and are looking to start a career in the industry. For more information about The Courtyard’s FORGE Masterclasses visit courtyard.org.uk/forge
 Meadow Arts - Online Lectures a success
It's been a successful start to the sixth season of the Art House Open Lecture Series, in partnership with University of Worcester's Fine Art department. In December, Rupi Dhillon visited the Art House studios to give a lively and interesting talk and we've continued presenting them on Zoom for January and February.
Hamja Ahsan brought radical ideas for the introverts among us; Juneau Projects discussed how working with people and communities is integral to their practice as an artist duo and Andy Holden experimented with the online talk format by getting a series computerised voices to ask him questions.
Feedback so far has been really positive and we're looking forward to hearing Jack Evans speak about his playful sculptural practice and exhibiting in places as diverse as a derelict stately home for In Ruins at Witley Court (a Meadow Arts exhibition) and a multi-storey carpark in Peckham for Bold Tendencies. After that, we'll be welcoming artist-educator De'Anne Crooks whose practice considers the collaborative and collective experiences of others; artists from the collective project SPUR, who digitally explore uncharted processes of art-making and exercises of co-creation, commitment and imagineering; we'll finish off the talk series with the living legend who is Vanley Burke, the ‘Godfather of Black British Photography’, whose iconic images have captured the evolving cultural landscape, social change, and stimulated debate in the United Kingdom over the past four decades. If you've missed any of the talks so far, we'll be releasing them on our website next month.

Get making with the Georgians & Skin Deep
To accompany the Skin Deep exhibition at National Trust stately home Berrington Hall, artist Mark Riley has created a series of activities that you can try at home. Inspired by the themes of Oliver Jones work for Skin Deep, which looks at self-image and how people modify their bodies through make-up, tattoos, skin treatments and surgery, Mark has looked at self-image from the Georgian period when Berrington Hall was built to the present day and designer Craig Cooper has interpreted Mark's ideas in a lively visual format.
Activity packs can be downloaded from the Meadow Arts Website

Making sessions get started
A small group of talented young artists have started working on the My Bubble digital project. Aged 16-22, with an interest in film, visual art and VR tech, the artists are creating their own vision of the perfect place to be alone with the help of creative event and filmmaker, and Co-Director of MASH Cinema, Nick Brown and independent filmmaker Ollie Lansdell in a series of online teaching sessions. Aiming to capture something of the strange times we are living in, and particularly the experiences of young people who live in the rural county of Herefordshire, the project is funded and supported by IAN (Invisible Arts Network).
Young artists are collaboratively creating a 360º digital world, image Leanne O'Connor
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Call for submissions - My Online Bedroom - virtual exhibition
MOSTYN launches a call for submissions for inclusion in a virtual exhibition of visual artworks in response to the theme My Online Bedroom. The relationship to private and public spaces has changed dramatically this past year due to lockdown restrictions, with many aspects of everyday life occurring within the privacy of bedrooms. We invite you to share any form of visual artwork that confronts ideas of privacy, personal identity and representation. This call is open to anyone aged 14+.
Selected works will be featured online through MOSTYN’s website and social media channels from March 2021.
For more information, please visit our website: www.mostyn.org/myonlinebedroom
DEADLINE: 9 March 2021
 Announcing the Teen Writers Conference! Saturday 27th March 2021, 1-4pm, Zoom webinar. Writing West Midlands are running a conference where we lift the lid on the publishing industry and provide an insight into writing as a career. They are aiming the content at young people aged 14-20, but would also welcome teachers, carers, youth workers and any other interested parties. Students already studying at university might find it helpful to think about other career options open to them after graduation. Tickets cost from £10. Bursaries are available on request - please get in touch (emma@writingwestmidlands.org) and we’ll send out a code. We can only give bursaries to those living or studying in the West Midlands in receipt of pupil premium or other Government benefits but paying places can be accessed by anyone anywhere. Full details of the sessions and a link to book can be found here: https://www.sparkwriters.org/teen-writers-conference-2021/
 Teacher CPD Network - CCS have been successful in securing funding from Arts Connect to run a Teacher CPD network for Primary and Secondary schools, which we are really excited about.
The next network is -
Secondary Art and Design Teacher CPD and Networking Event Wednesday 10th March 2021, 4.30-6pm CPD for Art and Design Secondary Teachers Virtually via Zoom, £20 p/person Book through @UCS
Evidence Coursework and Digitise Sketchbooks Use online platforms to document and assess sketchbooks If the lockdown has shown us one thing when teaching creative arts, having a grasp of the various digital means of presentation alongside our more traditional ways must be considered if we are to ensure the students have access to the best feedback and a level playing field for assessment.
This CPD will be delivered by Dan Haycocks who is an experienced visual communication lead and creative arts teacher. He will focus on exploring the platforms to use when documenting and digitising pupil’s sketchbook work, including those that are supported within school internal systems and are private – reducing the need to be online due to safety and safeguarding.
Dan Haycocks is a creative arts teacher of 18 years who has taught fine art, graphic communication, animation, film studies and media studies. Dan is Head of Visual Communication at Thomas Adams School in Wem.
For further information or booking queries please contact Judy McFall at judycultureshrop@gmail.com
CREATIVITY LAB - An afternoon of CPD to explore and develop your skills in delivering a blended and online creative curriculum.
The afternoon will include
- A key note speaker from a professional arts/cultural organisation, exploring how you can deliver an excellent creative and blended curriculum for your pupils
- Facilitated discussions around the current challenges schools are facing, including delivering online, remote and face to face learning
- Practical demonstrations and interactive activities led by arts and cultural organisations, to inspire new ideas
- Examples of best practice from schools and pupils who have been directly involved and benefited from a creative blended programme over the last 12 months
- Hear from a range of arts and cultural organisations who are delivering exciting education programmes in Shropshire
“Technology will never replace great teachers, but in the hands of great teachers, it’s transformational.”
George Couros
Venue
Online via Zoom.
Following booking you will receive a confirmation email. 48 hours before the event, a Zoom link will be provided.
Booking
Tickets £20 per person, or 0.5 UCS credits
Ticket Source - https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/shrewsburymuseum/t-nxrnyj
UCS Shrewsbury - https://cpd.ucshrewsbury.ac.uk/catalogue/#!public/events/336/instance/757
Contact
Alexa Pugh, Arts Development Officer, Shropshire Council and CCS Strategic Lead
Email: alexa.pugh@shropshire.gov.uk
Judy McFall, CCS Development Co-Ordinator
Email: judycultureshrop@gmail.com
 Arts Council England: COVID-19 impacts on the cultural sector
Arts Council England are conducting research with the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre, The Audience Agency and leading academic researchers, to understand the impact of COVID-19 on the UK's cultural sector.
A blog, bringing together some of the emerging findings, has been written by researchers Karen Gray and John Wright.
A series of three introductory-level remote filmmaking workshops (with a one-to-one support option)
Work with award-winning filmmakers via Zoom to develop your skills and confidence in creating short film content for your website and social media channels — with the equipment you have — to connect with your audiences, participants, and communities.
Over three weeks, learn how to plan, capture and edit high-quality video and sound to help deliver and promote your work online, using smart phones / tablets, low-cost microphones, and simple editing apps.
- Friday 26th February 10.30am-12.30pm Workshop 1: Developing your ideas to engage people
- Friday 5th March 10.30am-12.30pm Workshop 2: Planning and capturing the best pictures and sound
- Friday 12th March 10.30am-12.30pm Workshop 3: Editing with simple mobile apps
Tickets for the series are £75 (plus booking fee) with an option to book remote one-to-one support.
More information and booking details here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/piece-of-string-media-30708513336
Email Nick (she/her) — nick@nick-fogg.co.uk — if you have any questions. We also offer bespoke remote training and support for organisations. You can see some of our filmmaking work here: https://vimeo.com/pieceofstringmedia
Free Branding and social e-commerce webinars
The importance of branding, social e-commerce and making the most from your website will be the focus of a new series of webinars to help businesses in Shropshire.
Firms are being urged to sign up to a new programme of four webinars from Buy-From Creative Agency which will help you make positive changes and adapt to an ever-changing world.
The classes, which are free thanks to the Marches Growth Hub Shropshire, will run every Tuesday from 2 March to 23 March 2021, and small and medium sized businesses are being urged to register as soon as possible.
On Tuesday 2 March at 9.30am the class will focus on Branding Your Business and will include the importance of a clear brand, how and what your branding communicates to your customers and why branding is much more than a logo.
Maximising the use of Instagram will be the focus on Tuesday 9 March at 9.30am, looking at a guide to all new features on the social media platform and that all-important insight into how to make hashtags work for you. The use of influencers will also be explored.
On Tuesday 16 March at 9.30am the class will look at social e-commerce – the newest trend. It will cover Instagram shops, optimising your business profile and building an audience.
Finally, on Tuesday 23 March at 9.30am the subject will focus on why having a website is more important than ever, covering online shopping trends and predictions, what websites work best for which business and choosing the right platform for you.
The series is free and places can be booked by clicking here.

Free training for Frontline Workers: 23 Feb 10am-12pm on Zoom
Together with West Mercia Police trainer Vicki Ridgewell we are putting on training on county lines, vulnerability, adverse childhood experiences and so on.
Anyone working with young people in south Shropshire paid or unpaid is welcome to join. CPD certificates are supplied.
Register by contacting Marinke on: marinke.ssyf@outlook.com

2021 Arts Connect Leadership Convention 9th March 2021 - Martin Green, CBE Chief Creative Officer Birmingham 2022 and Festival UK joins us to share his leadership journey and challenges as he leads high profile national and international projects in this moment. We will welcome you to take part in a day of learning and reflection on various provocations that will feed, enliven, enrich and support your leadership as you navigate the current challenges in the arts and cultural sector. In this year’s convention we will continue our enquiry into the themes of cultural democracy, participative leadership and expand our thinking about shifting audiences and shifting spaces for arts and culture.
We recognise that this is an important moment to reset our own commitments and expectations around fairness and equality in the sector. These themes are pressing as we focus on the health of our cultural ecology. This event is open for people living in the West Midlands. The event is being recorded and by booking you consent to this. Should you have any questions about the event or booking queries, please contact gemma.c@wlv.ac.uk 2021 Arts Connect Leadership Convention Tickets, Tue 9 Mar 2021 at 10:00 | Eventbrite
Arts Link Webinar series 2021
Webinar #3: NAVIGATING THE SYSTEM - FOR ARTISTS WORKING WITH CARE EXPERIENCED C&YP with panellists from across the care system plus experienced artists Exploring the network of people, organisations and processes that surround a care experienced young person. Jargon-busting, the role of the arts, effective practice for artists, and much more! Wednesday 24 February 2021, 5-6.30pm, Zoom Register: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/artslink-webinar-3-navigating-the-system -tickets-132428197303
Webinar #4: EVALUATING CREATIVE PRACTICE FOR ARTISTS with Sal Hampson and Abi D’Amore Insights into understanding and articulating the impact of arts activities in the care system, including ways for artists to observe and record the impact of their work as it happens. Wednesday 21 April 2021, 5-6.30pm, Zoom Register: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/artslink-webinar-4- evaluating-creative-practice-for-artists-tickets-132428861289
Joining instructions sent 1 hour before the webinar commences N.B. if you can’t make a webinar but would like to access a recording please email us at artslinkwm@gmail.com
 Beyond Borders 2021 Region-Wide Participation Call-Out
We’ve just launched four exciting call outs for the West Midlands Dance Development Leader’s Group (DDLG) Beyond Borders region-wide participation project that will premiere at Birmingham International Dance Festival (BIDF) 2021 and feed into Commonwealth Games 2022 next year. The DDLG group is led by Arts Connect and the project is executively produced by DanceXchange.
About Beyond Borders:
Beyond Borders will bring together dance artists, aspiring dance leaders, young people, and digital
artists to creatively work together to produce original work that will be performed at Birmingham International Dance Festival (BIDF) 2021 and feed into Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022. Building on #DanceConnect 2020, Beyond Borders 2021 will focus on a creative enquiry approach to dance and digital collaborations.
We’re looking for:
1 x Artistic Director/Facilitator
1 x Creative Producer
12 Professional Dance Artists
12 Young Aspiring Dance Leaders (16-25yrs)
All roles are paid and the project runs between March-July 2021. Applicants will need to be West Midlands based. The deadline for applications is 1 March at 10am.
We’ve tried to make the application process as accessible as possible but if anyone is interested and needs support, we’re more than happy to spend time to help. We also have an open Q&A session on Friday 19 Feb from 5-6pm on Zoom for anyone who wishes to ask any questions or hear more.
More information here - www.dancexchange.org.uk/opportunities/
Storyhouse, Chester
Freelance Programme Managers
We are going to diversify the way we programme so will be bringing a team of talented individuals together to work with us to create a diverse and surprising programme of live arts events. Reporting to our Artistic Director, you will be on a 12-month fixed term contract, paid £12,000 to deliver unique events into our programme. The are flexible, part time roles with the main focus on delivery of events, covering:
Dance & Theatre | Spoken Word | Contemporary & Popular Music | Chester Literature Festival
DEADLINE: 1 March 2021
Young Storyhouse Officer
We are seeking a dedicated, passionate individual who will support and encourage young people aged 14-25 to engage in Storyhouse’s Young Leaders programme. This is a 2-year contract (with possible extension) with a £23,000 salary. Our Young Leaders programme supports young people struggling with their confidence, helping them to discover their passion whilst also gaining work skills.
For full details of both roles, download job packs here: www.storyhouse.com/get-involved/work-with-us
DEADLINE: 17 March 2021
 Tender Opportunity – Social Prescribing for Children and Young People
Invitation to apply for grant fund – Deadline 25 February 2021
Shropshire Council are working on an exciting project to bring social prescribing to the children and young people of Shropshire, starting with the South West of Shropshire including, Ludlow, Craven Arms, Church Stretton and Bishops Castle. Social prescribing is a way for services in collaboration with young people to find innovative solutions to the problems that many young people face.
Problems may be physical and mental health conditions, caused by social and environmental factors.
Instead of medical intervention we can use sources of non-medical support in the local community such as sport, volunteering, social groups, mentoring, lifestyle balance and advice to help.
Although the programme is still in development, we anticipate referrals into the programme coming from GPs, Schools, voluntary and community sector, job centre plus and others.
Click here to find out more and see the application form.
Magic Little Grants 2021 Open on 1 March
Six funding trusts from the People’s Postcode Lottery and Localgiving will be working together to award more than £1 million in small grants to some 2,000 charitable organisations in England, Scotland and Wales over the next six months.
Unlike previous years when projects had to deliver sports or physical activities, this year (2021) the funding aims to support organisations carrying out projects that address the following themes:
- Improving mental wellbeing
- Enabling community participation in the arts
- Preventing or reducing the impact of poverty
- Supporting marginalised groups and promoting equality
- Improving biodiversity and green spaces
- Enabling participation in physical activity
- Responding to the climate emergency and promoting sustainability
- Increasing community access to outdoor space.
Organisations that receive a grant will also be awarded a year of free membership (funded by the player’s of the People’s Postcode Lottery). This means that the grant recipient will not have to pay the £80 + VAT membership fee, although they will still be required to set up a direct debit upon registration.
Also new for 2021, charitable organisations that are schools or connected to schools may apply. This is in addition to registered charities, Community Interest Companies (CICs), Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs, SCIOs) social enterprises, and other not-for-profit community organisations.
Applications will be accepted from 1 March 2021 to 31 October 2021.
Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust Invites Round 1 Applications
The Trust is committed to awarding grants to those most in need within the UK. The Trust focuses on different priorities each year. In 2021, the focus is on funding projects that support the homeless (rounds one and two) and refugees and asylums seekers (rounds three and four).
Round one is now open for applications that combat homelessness. Priority will be given to applications that help BAME communities.
UK registered charities with an income of between £100,000 and £1 million can apply for grants of up to £1,000.
The deadline for applications is 28 February 2021.
Click here to find out more.
Youth Music Network
We're a national charity supporting young people's lives in music. Equity, diversity and inclusion drive our vision and mission. We want to equalise access to music: we focus on those who would otherwise miss out because of who they are, where they live, or what they're going through. Through our funding programmes we invest in music programmes for children and young people, and work that helps organisations to diversify and be more inclusive.
Programmes funded by Youth Music work with children and young people of all ages, from babies and their families through to young adults up to the age of 25, using the power of music to support musical, personal and social development.
Grants of £2,000 to £30,000 are available to support music-making and music-making related activities for children and young people (aged 0-25) facing barriers.
See more information online at: network.youthmusic.org.uk
NEXT DEADLINES:
Round 21 - 1 April 2021 Round 22 - 30 July 2021
Microgrants - TNLCF and DCMS have announced a £4 million Local Connections Fund for charities and community groups working to reduce loneliness. It will fund 'micro-grants' between £300 and £2500 for small local organisations. Find out how to apply
Please forward this e-newsletter to interested parties. Apologies for any cross posting. If you have been sent this e-news by a colleague and would like to sign up to become a member of CCS and receive the e-news direct please email alexa.pugh@shropshire.gov.uk
Please note: this information has been forwarded to you because we think it may be of interest. We make every effort to ensure that any information that is forwarded is appropriate, however CCS (Culture Consortium Shropshire) can accept no liability for any inaccuracies or omissions contained in this e-news. Forwarding the creative sector opportunities does not represent any endorsement of projects or initiatives by CCS and readers should take their own steps where necessary to check the reliability of any organisations or projects featured.
If you are interested in any of the opportunities or events we ask that you get in touch with the relevant named persons, using the contact details within the text.
Get in touch
To find out more information about CCS, please contact: Alexa Pugh, member of CCS and Arts Development Officer, Shropshire Council. email: alexa.pugh@shropshire.gov.uk
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