You can also contact the Arts and Young People Officer at Spelthorne Borough Council on 01784 446453 or visit our arts and heritage page.
Is there a leaflet or information available about arts in Spelthorne? Spelthorne Community Arts Association (external website) produces a newsletter called Arts News which lists local arts events and local arts groups. Groups pay a small fee to become a member of the association, which meets regularly throughout the year.
There is also a free leaflet called Artwalk which lists public art in Staines. The leaflet is produced by the council and is free of charge. Public art includes most artwork that is in the public domain such as sculptures, carvings on walls and outdoor mosaics. Contact Leisure Services on 01784 446433 or e-mail leisure@spelthorne.gov.uk for further information.
Is there staging, sound and lighting available for use? Some venues will have staging, sound and lighting that can be used by groups hiring the venue. Do not assume that you will be able to use all the equipment even if it is there. Sometimes extra insurance will need to be taken our and special terms of use agreed with the venue. It is therefore always advisable to check your requirements with any venue before agreeing to hire it.
What funding is available for my arts project? There is a variety of funding available for arts projects depending on the sort of project you are planning to run. Some of these come from lottery sources such as Awards for All (external website) or the Arts Council (external website) and some can come from funding that is not arts specific, but for example could be aimed at the age group for which you are planning to run a project. If you are planning to run a project that benefits Spelthorne residents, you can apply for a Leisure Development Grant from the council or up to £500 or 50% of your project (which ever is less). You can also contact our Arts and Young People Officer on 01784 446453 to discuss your funding needs.
Where can I find advice about running an arts project? There is a lot of advice available and even training courses that can help when you are developing an arts project. The main areas that need to be considered are health and safety (for staff and volunteers as well as participants), insurance, working with children and young people. You might also want advice on how to organise your project and where to look for funding (see Q5 below). The Arts and Young People Officer, can advise on all of these areas. There is also a four day course called the Community Arts Training Scheme (CATS) (external website) which runs in Surrey for people who want to develop skills that will help them to organise successful community arts projects. If you wish to attend this course, you would be eligible to apply for a Leisure Development Grant to help you with some of the costs. Contact the Arts and Young People Officer on 01784 446453 Where can I join an art, dance or drama etc class? Spelthorne Borough Council produce a Leisure Directory each year, that lists contact details for all the groups we are aware of and have allowed us to publish their details. For a free copy of the guide or to ask for your group to be included in future guides, please phone Leisure Services on 01784 446433 or e-mail leisure@spelthorne.gov.uk.
