Funding News Announcement 30th March 2011

Ilkley Literature Festival are delighted to announce that we heard early this morning that we will be part of the National Portfolio of organisations funded by Arts Council England, with funding until 2015. We are grateful to everyone at the Festival who worked so hard on the bid and to Arts Council England and Bradford Met Council for their support in these very difficult times.

Our exiting programme of work over the next three years will include a new ‘Poetry in the City’ Weekend; a project exploring memories of reading with elders from Chapeltown in Leeds and the Wharfe Valley; establishing an Arts Award for young people, an inner city ’story shop’ and out-of-school book and writing groups for children under 12.

Our thoughts this morning however are with our colleagues and organisations who have not been so fortunate. Cuts to the arts harm each and everyone of us and make our society the poorer in so many ways. ACE has had to take very difficult decisions within a financial landscape not of their making and we can only hope that artists and arts organisations can support one another to continue to create great work and ensure access for everyone whatever their circumstances.