Hope for the Future

By Kenn Taylor

Since its creation in 1988, the Hope Street project has been one of Liverpool's most successful arts training organizations. A recent funding crisis threatened its very existence; however through some support and hard work it appears as if there is still hope for the future.

The project provides free training and production opportunities in a wide variety of creative arts - from dance to directing - helping to create a new generation of arts professionals from a wide variety of backgrounds across Merseyside and beyond.

In particular, Hope Street has a long standing commitment to bringing arts out into the community, targeting youth and disadvantaged groups such as the unemployed and disabled.

The multi award-winning group has a history of achievement, with 85 per cent of its trainees going on into full employment in the arts. Past participants have gone on to form groups which have worked both nationally and internationally - such as the Spike and Rejects Revenge theatre companies.

However, 2005 saw a £400,000 black hole in the accounts when the European Social Fund - who had supported Hope Street Ltd for fifteen years - unexpectedly withdrew their backing. This left the group facing total closure, threatening all its good work and the livelihoods of eleven full time staff and the hundreds of freelance arts workers that it employs on a temporary basis.

Emergency meetings were held to stabilise the situation and discuss possible action. Luckily, the short term future of the group was secured by funding from the often-criticised Liverpool Culture Company, who awarded £85,000 - one of its biggest single grants. The group has also received help from the Arts Council North West who have provided financial support and have also chosen Hope Street to be one of its prestigious accredited training providers. Despite this, the group has still been forced to end the Theatre, Culture and Communities accredited training programme - a flagship project and long time success story.

However with some funding in place Hope Street are now concentrating on running their myriad of other projects in production and training. These include its famous Christmas show in conjunction with the Unity Theatre, the Culture Inc trading company which acts as an employment agency and consultancy for arts professionals, and the Healthy Arts programme - a series of workshops designed to address health issues faced by young people in the North West.

For more information check out www.hope-street.org