NIE in the UK are a registered charity, and we are committed to ensuring more children and young people in the UK can access creative opportunities. Along with our touring shows such as Hansel and Gretel, Snow White and Macbeth, we work locally and nationally to improve access to meaningful cultural activities for children and young people who face poverty of opportunity.
We take creative learning opportunities to children experiencing serious financial and social barriers to accessing creative and cultural opportunities; providing workshops, storytelling, co-creation activities and performance opportunities in their schools or local communities.
“Over 50% of our children are from a very deprived community and are on free school meals. Arts in schools is very precious to us and this is a great opportunity for our children.”
— Headteacher, Galfrid School
Through this strand of our work, delivering co-creation workshops with children to develop productions for schools and the wider community (featuring a cast of professional actor-musicians), we help young people build skills, grow in confidence and improve resilience. For many this will be the first time they’ve seen a professional performance, or experienced creative activity outside of a school class room.
The difference you could make
We are raising funds to challenge unequal access to creative and cultural education opportunities for children and young people, and their families/communities, locally in Cambridgeshire and beyond. Your support will help us continue to create playful stories that connect us all, and continue to work with as many children, communities and schools as possible; improving access to creative opportunities and improving resilience and mental health for children and young people.
We want NIE to be able to continue creating playful stories and below are some of the ways you can help us to do this:
● Make a donation
● Support us for free when you shop online
● Trusts and foundations
Make a donation
Join our friends scheme and donate regularly, or make a one off donation – below are just a handful of examples of the difference your donation could make. You can donate online here.
£30 A gift of just £30 could help meet the costs of one young person participating in a workshop, supporting the development of expression, identity and the articulation of ideas.
£150 Giving young people the opportunity to set their imaginations free is magical and helps to develop the creativity of young minds as well as key skills, such as critical thinking. By making a gift of £150 you could help a group of young people take part in an NIE theatre project by supporting the cost of props and costumes.
£300 Go further and support even more young people develop their creativity; a gift of just £300 could help young people to participate in workshops by supporting the cost of a professional artist running two workshops.
Online shopping
You can support us for free when shopping online. By signing up to Easyfundraising and visiting their site before you shop over 8,000 online retailers will donate to NIE UK when you shop with them – at no extra cost to you.
Sign up here: www.easyfundraising.org.uk
Trusts and foundations
As a registered charity, the support of trusts and charitable foundations enable us to develop our community co-creation activities and deliver activity free at the point of access for children and communities who might not otherwise be able to access these opportunities. To discuss how your charitable trust could enable more children and young people to access creative and cultural activity and help us to continue to create playful stories that connect us all, please email get in touch.
All funds raised will support us to continue to work with as many communities and schools as possible – If you are interested in regular giving or making a one off donation to support our work, please contact our UK office or donate online
“Our children have really engaged with this experience. Being able to see intimate, live theatre and to create the stories that are brought to life is just phenomenal.”
— Headteacher, Galfrid School, Cambridge
Spotlight on...
Funding & donations allow us to create participation projects such as Legends of the Fen, a 6-month project in 2024. During this multifaceted project, we worked with over 250 school children from Cambridge, and across Fenland. Our artists lead creative writing workshops with groups of young people, and then brought their stories to life in a new co-created show. We performed at the children’s schools with an ensemble of professional actor-musicians, inviting their friends, families, and the wider community to join them and see what we had created together.
The act of writing their own stories gave the participants a strong sense of agency, and a confidence in their own ability to be creative.
Access to creative learning opportunities such as this lead directly to improved resilience and mental health. Teachers also report an increase in educational attainment across the curriculum; participation promotes self-esteem, confidence and a renewed sense of self in young people.
Find out more
If you are interested in regular giving or making a one off donation to support our work, please contact our UK office or use the link below.
