Increasing opportunities for young people in our community
The Guildhall Trust is delighted to announce that with effect from 1st April 2021, the multi award-winning Urban Vocal Group (UVG) will be joining the Trust with the aim of increasing opportunities for young people to engage in singing and music-making, to develop transferable skills and to nurture positive health and wellbeing.
Having been based in Portsmouth Guildhall (which is run by the charitable The Guildhall Trust) for the past seven years, UVG has developed a strong partnership with the Trust which has a shared vision around its work, particularly with those from disadvantaged areas and backgrounds.
Since forming in 2008, UVG has provided over 18,000 free opportunities across a range of activities including its weekly singing groups, gigs, recordings and performances (including at Victorious Festival) to training, masterclasses, songwriting, mentoring and artist development.
The Guildhall Trust’s rich programme of ‘Get Involved’ workshops, activities, groups and courses strives to inspire, excite, educate and engage across the whole community to develop a passion for music and the arts. With 12,000 instances of engagement annually, alongside its community programme and support for emerging artists, the Trust delivers a successful creative and cultural skills programme for schools and colleges which includes the popular Dance Live! event which is set to expand across the country.
By joining forces, it is envisaged that The Guildhall Trust and UVG will complement each other’s activities to achieve wider impact in the community and increase opportunities for all, whilst also having a greater influence on non-formal music education and training policies and achieve access to larger funding streams.
Director of UVG, Charlie Fletcher, said “This is an exciting time for UVG to join The Guildhall Trust, to continue and expand upon the work we do as we emerge from lockdown. Whilst we have continued to actively engage over the last year through online mentoring and online live sing-a-longs with the Trust, we look forward to getting back to doing what we do best in person! With our expertise and unique approach, combined with that and the reach of The Guildhall Trust, we look forward to increasing opportunities within our community”.
Chief Executive Officer of The Guildhall Trust, Andy Grays, said “We are delighted to welcome UVG into the Trust and to support the amazing work they do and everything that UVG stands for. UVG is a fantastic addition to our ‘Get Involved’ programme and work with young people in particular, and we look forward to working together to create some really exciting opportunities in the future”.
To find out more about UVG and The Guildhall Trust’s ‘Get Involved’ programme head to www.portsmouthguildhall.org.uk/get-involved