Waltham Forest Council Puts Up £50,000 Funding Pot For Residents To Stage Cultural Events In Fellowship Square

Following the successful launch of its new outdoor cultural space Fellowship Square this summer, Waltham Forest Council is inviting residents to play their part in programming the space over the coming year with a new £50,000 funding pot for arts and cultural activities.

Applications are open from today until Sunday 12 September for events taking place between October 2021 and April 2022. Groups or individual residents can apply for between £1000 and £7000 for projects including:

• Live events, such as music, dance or theatre performances
• Activities for children, young people and families
• Community meals and food festivals
• Exhibitions and installations
• Creative workshops

Speaking about the future plans for Fellowship Square Cllr Paul Douglas said "When we launched Fellowship Square we did so with the people of Waltham Forest at the heart our vision for the space, with a Summer Season programmed with and for the local community. These launch events brought residents back together in our public spaces to enjoy arts and culture following the challenges of the pandemic. With this new funding pot, we're going even further and putting up funding for local people to stage the events they want to see in Fellowship Square, creating a new cultural hub and putting the programme in the hands of local communities."

The new programming initiative follows the conclusion this weekend of Fellowship Square's Summer Season, which launched the square with a series of vibrant and varied cultural events including comedy, music, fashion, food, art, crafts, poetry and film, involving local creatives and entrepreneurs. The final event, the Fellowship Feast Community Picnic took place on Saturday 14th August and saw families and traders from the local area come together to share food and enjoy performances.

The free and low-cost events have proved popular with local residents with all ticketed events sold out and operating waiting lists. All events were held in line with the most recent social distancing and safety regulations. A folder of images taken over the four weekends of the Summer Season can be found here. For more information contact elin@mobiusindustries.com

At the centre of Fellowship Square is a new fountain designed by Churchman Thornhill Finch that has 144 individual jets, which can be programmed to move in time with music. This new water feature has proved a huge success with local families who have flocked to the square throughout the summer holidays.

Fellowship Square opened on 15th July 2021 with a Civic Launch event involving local school children, key workers, community leaders and the arts and cultural community who came together for an event which featured a spectacular performance The Sky is Full of Gold, which took place in and around the fountain.