As the doors to many much-loved arts and cultural organisations reopened around the nation, Wellington College was excited to announce that they are helping to cultivate the arts in the local community, by awarding over £6,000 in grants to schools. Established in 2018, the Wellington College Arts Fund (WCAF) aims to raise money from ticket sales of College performances. The fund is available for Arts Education projects involving students of school age, and particularly school-based projects. Over the last few months, Wellington College has live streamed a variety of plays and concerts, and the money raised has now been awarded to a selection of local schools including Birch Hill Primary School, Evendons Primary School, Bulmershe School and Winston Churchill School (Woking). The grants issued will enable local schools to buy much needed equipment and resources to enable the arts to flourish and give their pupils extended opportunities. Director of the Arts at Wellington College, Simon Williamson said: “Cultivating grass-roots arts projects has never been so important. The global pandemic has hit this sector harder than most and to ensure its future we must work together to help the arts thrive at every level, whether this be funding music lessons to those who could normally not afford them, the construction of an outdoor stage or equipment for an arts festival, that the whole community can enjoy. Wellington College is excited to help cultivate creative talent in the local communities”. The College has received wonderful feedback from its winners: Claire Laurent, Winston Churchill School, said: “Thank you so very much for this fantastic grant. It will make such a huge difference to our students and will give them the chance to learn an orchestral instrument and gain a lifelong love of music”. Kate Whitmarsh, Bulmershe School: “This is amazing news and we are so grateful. We look forward to sharing some wonderful photographs and updates in the near future”. Applications for grants are ongoing. To find out more information on how to apply for a grant for your local arts project visit wellingtoncollege.org.uk/WCAF In addition to raising money for WCAF through concert ticket sales, Wellington College pupils have raised over £5,000 for charities, including Ruth Strauss Foundation, Autistica, Help Musicians UK and the Crowthorne Community Minibus. Back to all news