Writing Back and Fall into Place awarded grant
Writing Back and Fall into Place Theatre have been awarded a National Lottery Awards for All grant to transform the letters from Writing Back into an intergenerational theatre production.
Writing Back and Fall into Place Theatre have been awarded a National Lottery Awards for All grant to transform the letters from Writing Back into an intergenerational theatre production.
Writing Back is an award-winning letter-writing project that was established in 2014 by Dr Georgina Binnie. It pairs students with local elderly residents as pen pals, allowing them to combat loneliness and share life experiences.
Fall into Place is a community theatre initiative that brings together people of all ages, genders, abilities, and backgrounds. They run drama groups for schools, students, and older people, as well as offering training on skills such as public speaking and team building.
National Lottery Awards for All awards funding to voluntary or community organisations to deliver projects that bring people together, give them a leading role in delivery, and enable them to fulfil their potential by tackling social issues.
Writing Back and Fall into Place have received full funding of £9,990 to deliver their collaborative project - a testament to the vital and impactful work being done by both initiatives in the local community.
This new project builds on the success of a pilot project that took place in 2017 - you can watch a video here about the process and participants. The new grant will allow the two initiatives to continue using community-based theatre to alleviate social isolation, enable people to fulfil their potential and foster relationships between different age groups.
Students from the University of Leeds and local younger and older people will have the opportunity to get involved by co-creating and leading on all aspects of the project.
The intergenerational theatre performance is due to be held in April 2019, but the project will also see drama workshops held in residential care homes and an exhibition of letters presented to the general public.
If you'd like to get involved, please contact Sarah Goodyear at Fall into Place.
