Rural arts in Northern Ireland get £500k boost

Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI) has distributed £500,000 in the latest round of its Rural Engagement Arts Programme (REAP).

The funding has been split between 73 community groups, arts organisations and local authorities in rurally based communities. Funded projects span music, theatre, heritage and the visual arts, supporting different age groups to become engaged in creative activities.

ACNI consulted its Rural Deliberative Forum, a pilot project established in November 2021 designed to give a voice to under-represented groups, and Northern Ireland’s 10 local authorities outside of Belfast when designing the latest REAP round.

The overarching theme of the programme is to tackle isolation and loneliness and promote social inclusion and wellbeing through participation in the arts.

ACNI Chair Liam Hannaway said the effects of the pandemic and resulting lockdowns had been compounded in rural communities.

“The Rural Engagement Arts Programme will increase opportunities for people living in rural communities to engage and participate in meaningful arts activities, enriching their lives for the better,” Hannaway added.

“The Arts Council believes that arts, and coming together as communities, can all make a vital contribution to building wellbeing, confidence and healthy, integrated communities.”