Dorset Bushcraft has been awarded £1,694 from Abri Group’s community fund, for their “Creative Chaos!” workshops, to take place in Littlemoor, Weymouth. Workshops are free and Dorset Bushcraft aim to involve young people who ordinarily might not be able to take part in this kind of activity, due to financial pressures or constraints.
Open to young people aged 10-16 years, those taking part can look forward to entry-level music-making sessions that will explore:
- Learning how to play the ukulele from scratch.
- Building up confidence to sing in front of other people.
- Getting creative with simple chords to make many songs.
- Finding your natural rhythm.
- Forming new interests and becoming a musician in your own band.
Chey O’Connell, instructor and owner of Dorset Bushcraft said: “Our sessions give young people with musical aspirations what can be rare access to this avenue of creativity, the sense of achievement can be overwhelming when a young person realises they can actually play a tune, more so when a group comes together to play as one! The sense of achievement individuals feel when seeing what they have created or listening to their music boosts that young person’s self-confidence and shows that tasks that may initially seem daunting, are actually achievable!”
Workshops will take place over an 8-week period and participants should expect to commit to the full programme. Sessions take place at the Top Club Youth Centre, Littlemoor, with exact times and dates still to be confirmed. To be kept up to date on “Creative Chaos!” e-mail Chey O’Connell on dorsetbushcraft@outlook.com.
The community fund is part of Abri’s commitment to empowering lives and creating thriving communities, making them better places to live. Abri has awarded nearly £90,000 from its community fund to support local organisations and projects between April 2022-March 2023. Cita Jagot, Abri’s Communities & Involvement Manager said: “More organisations across Abri’s geography are being supported than ever before as part of Abri’s new regional approach to delivering services. By splitting its operating areas into three, Abri will ensure its colleagues are even more visible, accountable and empowered to meet the specific needs of their customers and diverse communities.”
Applications are decided on a resident panel made up of customers and those living in its communities. Shanie Clarke, an Abri customer and panel member, said: “I’m really excited that we have the opportunity to support this project as it continues to grow and have such a positive impact on one of our communities in the south west of England. The project is really responding to a local need and is totally unique in the area with the mixture of activities it offers.”
Other successful applications from this round of Abri’s community fund include:
- £2,000 for the Saturday Kids Zone for Deaf Children in Hampshire.
- £1,500 for Friends of In Touch’s youth groups in Eastleigh.
- £3,000 for Home-Start Bracknell Forest’s "Empowering Hearts and Homes" project.
- £2,718 for Over The Wall Children’s Charity’s “South Health Challenge and Siblings Camp 2024” in Dorset.
Abri’s community fund opens for applications four times a year, and organisations can apply for up to £3,000 to support a project in one of Abri’s communities. The next application window is 1-31 January 2024.
Projects with a cost-of-living focus will be prioritised. Application forms, and window dates are available here.