NI rural arts programme improves well-being and reduces isolation

A programme to increase arts engagement in rural Northern Ireland has been successful in reducing isolation, enhancing well-being and teaching participants new skills, according to the findings of a new evaluation.

The report into round two of Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s Rural Engagement Arts Programme (REAP) is based on the responses of 63 organisations across the country, who were awarded grants totalling more than £400k.

Funded by the National Lottery, REAP was launched in August 2022 to provide direct funding to grassroots community groups and arts organisations.

Grants of between £500 to £10,000 are provided for either one-off projects or a programme of events in rural areas.

In the second round of the programme, 1,465 workshops were delivered, with more than 12,000 people participating.

Funded projects included circus skills sessions by the community arts organisation Circusful, which worked with the Glenravel and District Community and Residents Association in the north-east of Northern Ireland.

Featuring live street events and workshops, the project culminated in two public shows for the small local community.

Other projects involved enhancing queer visibility in Omagh by celebrating the life of Raymond Brown Lecky, a local female impersonator in the 1950s and 1960s.

The Looking For Lecky project was a collaboration between Omagh Pride, Omagh Forum for Rural Associations, the Fintona Community Forum and the Fintona Golf Club.

Ulster Orchestra, meanwhile, hosted bassoon and viola workshops in schools as part of the Endangered Instruments of the Orchestra project.

Cross-community

Nearly all of those who received awards said that all or part of their project was cross-community, while just over half said it was intergenerational.

Artists were heavily involved in delivering all the projects, with 523 employed. Of these, 74% lived in rural areas.

All of the grant recipients said they would apply to the programme again and the application process was characterised as easy to understand, with appropriate support from Arts Council Northern Ireland when required.

The report concluded that round two of REAP “continued the success” of the programme.

It said: “In addition, it has broadened the art form and perhaps increased the connection between communities and between generations.

“The main challenge remains of how to manage the demand in a way that builds the arts infrastructure in rural areas so that the considerable achievements of the programme can be sustained.”