CREATIVE youth programme Great Place: Lakes and Dales can continue supporting young creatives for another year - thanks to a £48,839 grant from the Arts Council .

Its ‘Nurturing Creativity’ will focus on two strands - ‘youth voice’, and ‘representation and creative careers’ which it says will support young people in becoming advocates for culture and change in their area, developing their practices,and shaping their creative careers.

A spokesperson for GPLD said: “This project aims to empower young voices and offer innovative approaches to develop knowledge and confidence to help young people connect, create, and sustain skills for future careers and wellbeing.It will encourage businesses and organisations to collaborate creatively and make meaningful connections with young people living rurally to help ensure they are represented and have an active role in shaping their cultural community.”

Lindsey Hebden, GPLD’s programme manager, said: “Whilst Covid-19 has brought many challenges for the rural creative industries and impacted heavily on young people’s wellbeing, their resilience, innovation and talent never cease to amaze me.

“GPLD needs to continue to represent and encourage youth led cultural delivery and show that successful creative careers here are possible – now more than ever.

“We want young people to feel informed and included and their creativity valued. Thanks to this Arts Council funding and through partnership working we can build on our existing GPLD business models and initiatives to continue to nurture their creativity and amplify their voices.”

Working with Skipton Town Hall, Craven Arts, Settle Stories and Brewery Arts, and with continued support from the four core GPLD partners, including Craven District Council, plans include working with young people and organisations to encourage collaborations and to offer training to young people to provide a base in which they can forge a creative career.

GPLD says work over the next 12 months will include workshops, creative careers events, digital initiatives and commissions, with details to be announced early next year.

To find out more, visit: www.lakesanddales.org