Equal Arts awarded a grant of £85,000 to continue work tackling loneliness

Equal Arts, a close partner of NEFA, have been awarded a grant of £85,000 to continue work tackling loneliness among older people impacted by the pandemic.

Douglas Hunter, Chief Executive, said: “The past year has been extremely challenging for the older people we support and those living with dementia. It quickly became evident that supporting people and staff in care settings, and those living alone, to access technology was a vital tool in helping them keep connected. We’re excited for the opportunity to grow this area of support alongside our postal art packs and training to help people improve their wellbeing with meaningful and engaging creative activities.”

Sir John Hall, Equal Arts’ patron, said: “As a person of senior years myself, I know some of the challenges that older people face and particularly over the past 12 months. “However, as patron of Equal Arts, I’m proud of the hard work, creativity and the enterprise the charity and its team demonstrates in meeting the needs of older people in the North East and across England. Combining support from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund and applying our creative energies, I’m confident that Equal Arts will press ahead and support older people and their communities through the impact of the pandemic.”

This Spring and Summer the charity will be providing outdoor creative activities, bereavement and loss training for care staff, supporting tech in care for residents and developing its postal art packs to people across the North East.

Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair, Arts Council England, said: “Investing in a thriving cultural sector at the heart of communities is a vital part of helping the whole country to recover from the pandemic. These grants will help to re-open theatres, concert halls, and museums and will give artists and companies the opportunity to begin making new work.

To find out more about Equal Arts wonderful work, just visit their website here.