Art activities benefit young people academically and professionally. 93% of young people surveyed say studying an art subject improves their wellbeing. However, austerity has decimated arts education. Over the past 10 years, there has been a 47% drop in participation in drama and a 36% drop in music, with children from low-income backgrounds most likely to experience the loss. In Tower Hamlets, 56% of children live in low-income households. We want to improve access to the arts locally.

We are raising money for the third year of the Artichoke Summer School in Tower Hamlets. Your support will enable local young people from low-income families to take part in a free week-long programme of creative workshops during the school holidays in August 2025. They will work with artists to explore different creative mediums and visit cultural venues. Previous years have seen young people take part in everything from collage, painting and sculpture, to circus, animation and lyric writing.