West End Centre has come to the end of its second year of the lottery-funded Big Music Project.
In partnership with Step By Step, a charity which helps to empower young people and prevent homelessness, we supported young people from a variety of backgrounds with a passion for making music by teaching song writing techniques. The group has recorded their own EP and will be performing at the Summer Westival.
West End Centre ran an ICE Project group in Aldershot in partnership with Breakout Youth, an organisation supporting LGBTQ+ young people across Hampshire. The young people explored the themes of community and identity and the resulting artwork from a workshop with artist Fatima Pantoja was exhibited at Aldershot Military Museum. Breakout Youth are now offering a regular support group at the centre as a result.
West End Centre received funding from Rushmoor Community Grants, Uniting Communities Fund and the Rowhill Ward Councillors to purchase 10 laptops to run classes teaching Nepali residents basic computer skills. Now we have the laptops as a resource, we hope to offer a variety of different courses and workshops to support the needs of the local community.
The West End Centre received funding from Tesco Bags of Help to turn their patio area into a family sensory garden with the help of Blooming Marvellous, a local mental health gardening group, and PAG, a group for families with disabled children. Children and parents will have a safe enclosed space where they can feel calm and relaxed, surrounded by wonderful flowers, shrubs and vegetables. A willow den has been made to complete the space by artist Judith Needham, whose work can also be found in the shape of a willow horse at the Aldershot Military Museum.
