The Hive is celebrating after being awarded £350,000 in National Lottery funding to support its work.
Based in Belmont, Shrewsbury, The Hive will use this funding to support young adults, aged 16 – 30 who are facing particular challenges, to develop life skills through engagement with creative media.
The funding comes in the form of 2 projects: MYC Music (£91,570), with a particular focus on song-writing and recording over 2 years – and MYCollege (£266,081) which focuses on a whole range of creative media over 5 years, including outreach to different areas of the County to support participation. The Hive is already working with existing partners to identify young adults who could benefit from the new projects and will be looking for new partners in Shropshire and Telford as the work progresses.
The new funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, which distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes and is the largest community funder in the UK, will see sessions for 16 – 30 year olds expanded to broaden into a full programme of different creative experiences. These will help them to build relationships with others experiencing similar challenges and provide opportunities for them to develop their own support network.
At the same time, The Hive will be able to provide a support worker for sessions, additional one-to-one mentoring for those with specific needs; outreach to partner organisations to provide taster sessions; training opportunities for partners and The Hive’s pool of freelance artists and technical and administrative support for The Hive’s own team.
Sal Hampson, Programmes & Projects Manager says: “We’re delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised our work in this way. Now, thanks to National Lottery players we will be able to press on with our plans to develop an holistic programme of support for young adults struggling with the transition to independence. This is important because it helps both the participants to build relationships with others facing similar challenges and to create their own supportive circles of friends and peers. It also supports The Hive in our quest to showcase the positive impact that creativity can have to health and wellbeing”
Dan Greenwood, volunteer at The Hive, added: “Volunteering with the Hive is the absolute highlight of my week, it’s a privilege and the team continuously guide and support me through the process – even helping me toward some independent work in a similar field. I wouldn’t be where or who I am without The Hive and look forward to working with them as the programmes continue to grow and develop!”
Shropshire Live is regulated by 