Today the staff team agreed to meet at the office at 9.15am so we could be together when hearing if we were successful with our application for funding from Arts Council England.
Carly pressed the button and we were all gobsmacked at the result…we had been ambitious in our application and passionate about the women we will collaborate with. We were driven in our quest to reach wider audiences nationally and internationally, strong in our argument for increased capacity, to have more staff and investment in artists in the North East. We stood in solidarity with the women we work with to ensure their voices are not only heard but that change is made a reality. The Arts Council said YES!
Of course we want to gush and at the same time we know many of our friends and colleagues didn’t get their funding, so this statement comes with that knowledge and hopefully without insensitivity.With this funding comes great responsibility, and we take this very seriously. We have a huge task ahead of us and we need to make the women and all those who have supported us over the last 19 years proud, including the Arts Council.
