Textile Conservation Foundation

The Radcliffe Trust’s most recent grant was used to provide bursaries to three students on the two-year MPhil Textile Conservation programme at the Kelvin Centre for Conservation and Cultural Heritage Research.

One student graduated this year and successfully secured employment at The People’s History Museum, and the other two students are progressing to the second and final year of the MPhil.

None of these three students, would have been able to study textile conservation without The Radcliffe Trust’s generous support. The longer term impact of the Trust’s support can be seen from 15 individuals who have benefitted from the Radcliffe Trust’s support since 1994. The contribution they are making to the profession internationally is continuing today.
The key lesson learned over many years is that, if we are to continue to have highly skilled textile conservators preserving our textile heritage for future generations, securing funding for bursaries will continue to be absolutely vital.

The Carousel Project

Carousel is an award winning organisation that nurtures the talents of adults, young people and children with learning disabilities, through a range of projects in music, radio, performance, tv, film and digital art. Projects include workshops to explore the arts right through to high profile events that showcase people’s artwork in professional settings. Carousel seeks to find routes of access and development for learning disabled children and adults supporting them to reach their artistic goals.
Over half of Carousel’s Board of Trustees have learning disabilities, and each of their programmes are planned and evaluated by a team of learning disabled (LD) artists. Many of the people worked with have additional health needs, sensory impairment or physical disability.

The Radcliffe Trust’s funding allowed The Chorus to deliver 5 workshops for LD young people aged 16-18 in 2 locations. The total number of attendees was 61.
The workshops were run with East Lewes College at their base in Lewes and with Team Domenica in Brighton. Both rooms were familiar to participants to ensure the settings felt safe and comfortable.
In addition to introducing and promoting the many benefits of group singing, other opportunities for young LD people were promoted, including Carousel’s accessible and safe social events for LD people in the region. This has helped reach and engage the next generation of LD creative talent across the projects.
Following the open workshop, one young person subsequently joined the Chorus as a full-time member and attended rehearsals, learning the Chorus’ repertoire and getting to know members.
Over the Radcliffe Trust’s grant period, there have been a total of 6 workshops and 10 rehearsals for the Chorus.

The Nelson Trust

The generous grant from The Radcliffe Trust enabled The Nelson Trust to fund an experienced Woodwork Tutor for 12 months, who facilitated weekly 2-hour sessions for their clients who are in recovery from addiction.

A total of 67 clients accessed these sessions, usually for a period of 6 weeks. During this time they learned a range of skills, gained confidence in using hand and power tools and created a range of wonderful objects. Each client passed a competency test for all the machines used during the sessions. They started making a small project, for example a small photo frame and then worked up to create a box or stool. Once their projects had been constructed the participants then went on to experiment with paint effects, decoupage and pyrography. Many of the participants gave their items to loved ones and expressed how proud they were of creating something from scratch. For some it was the first time they had completed a project of any kind.

The confidence and motivation that comes from practical, meaningful work has a huge impact on our clients ongoing self-esteem and ability to sustain their recovery. Many clients complete treatment on site and then return to their own homes. Having a new found confidence to use wood and attempt small DIY projects is an important part of building independent life skills.

One client said:
“Doing woodwork has been a beneficial part of my treatment. I’ve found it therapeutic and calming. I feel a sense of achievement from the work I’ve completed, and I have learned new skills, some I can use in everyday life like being able to use a drill. I feel capable of that which I couldn’t before”

These sessions have ignited a spark of interest in crafts, giving clients a new interest that they can pursue when they leave. Having meaningful creative and practical interests to focus on is vital for sustaining recovery long term.

The workshops have been so well received The Nelson Trust would like to double the workshop provision they offer to single sex groups, to allow those who have experienced domestic violence to work, learn and experiment in an environment they feel safe in.

The Purcell School

The Purcell School’s, well respected, Masterclass Programme received funding from the Radcliffe Trust to expand a range of vital masterclasses to enhance the students’ instrumental studies and offer individual exposure to the wider music world.

Saxophone Masterclass: Simon Haram, February 2024

Over 100 students have benefitted from masterclasses funded by The Radcliffe Trust. The students have accessed teachings ordinarily unavailable due to the costs involved and have had opportunities to learn from some of the best musicians in their field. The teachings by these eminent musicians have been indispensable, particularly for those auditioning for conservatoire places who asked for detailed and specific advice.

The Purcell School have also benefited from exposing the talent of the students to significant figures from the musical world.

The impact of the funded masterclasses has been immeasurable, with a vast amount of individual outcomes and successes being attributed to the teaching of our visiting musicians.

Without these great masterclasses, the students at The Purcell School would not have experienced as well-rounded musical education or truly had the opportunity to prepare themselves for life in the industry.

With grateful thanks once again to The Radcliffe Trust.