You are warmly invited to enter the Fear and Fashion Awards 2010 for outstanding examples of projects that have proved successful in helping young people to stop carrying and using knives – for fear of attack or as a badge of belonging to a group or gang. This can include:

* Awareness-raising in schools and communities
* Building confidence and positive identity among young people
* Empowerment and positive role models
* Working with young offenders convicted of knife-related offences to change attitudes and behaviour
* The use of restorative justice and restorative approaches
* Reducing conflict in a structured way through mediation
* Helping young people affected by gangs

* Engaging with parents of young people who are carrying or using knives

Total prize money of £5,000 will be awarded, sponsored by City Bridge Trust, City Parochial Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, John Lyon’s Charity and the Wates Foundation.

Entries are invited from police, local authorities, social landlords, community or voluntary groups,schools and other organisations working with young people.

* Closing date for entries is 3 September 2010.
* Read more about the Awards and how to enter online here .

We look forward to hearing from you.

www.FearandFashion.org.uk

Don’t miss the chance to see a new exhibition of digital art and media work on display at The Forum over the next few weeks. Work created by local emerging talent during Signal Films workshops in 2009-10 will be open to the public in The Forum’s exhibition area from 21st May through until the end of June.

Classics vs. Futurists (Friday 21st-Saturday 29th May)
Works on show include a digital art exhibition which showcases 3D imagery, animations and moving image created with visiting practitioner, Alt-w award-winning artist Emma Tolmie (www.emmatolmie.co.uk). Working with Emma the artists mixed low-tech gadgetry and high-tech imagery to create striking pieces which explore the relationship between traditional art and culture and the modern digital era.

The art workshops were run as part of Signal Films “Digital ReGeneration” project, which offers opportunities in using digital technologies creatively.

Local artists who took part commented: “A new world has opened for me” (Gillian Nicholson, Barrow); “I’ve learnt not to be afraid to try, test and experiment – community activities like this are vital” (Claire Fryer, Kendal); “I’ve enjoyed seeing my ideas and visions come to life through digital media,” (Nadine Baxter-Smallwood, Lancaster).

Media Adventures youth campaign (Friday 4th-Tuesday 15th June)
A youth media campaign created by local 13-19 year olds will be making a splash at the Forum in June. The eye-catching work is part of a year-long ‘Routes & Shoots’ project which addresses youth issues in new and engaging ways. The campaign consists of posters, animations and photography created to inspire and encourage local young people to get out and about, enjoy the areas assets such as beautiful landscapes and to try new things. As well as displays at The Forum, you can expect to see their colourful campaign around Barrow from the end of May, featuring in local bus stops, shop fronts and Barrow’s train station amongst other venues!

The group decided on their campaign logo which features the two ‘Bs’ from ‘beyond boundaries’ in the shape of a butterfly after Peter (14 yrs) said the group research trip to Gummers Howe had made him “feel free and like he could do anything”.

The young people have been developing the ideas and brand for the campaign with Kendal based graphic designer and Creative Director of Lavahouse, Steve Scott. He said of the project “working with these young people has been an inspiring experience for me and I have been extremely impressed by the talent and vision that these young people from Barrow have.”

Signal Films ‘Best Of’ (Friday 18th-Tuesday 29th June)
A selection of the best from Signal Films activities this past year will also be on show to celebrate the diverse range of mixed media work which has been created with local talent. There will also be the chance to sign up for Signal Films’ new upcoming programme of free events and training.

To find out more about the exhibitions or to register your interest in any of our projects email info@signalfilms.co.uk or ring 01229 839983. www.signalfilms.co.uk

CALLING ALL CREATIVES!
Kendal Calling would like to invite any one who is involved in arts within Eden to come and be a part of the event this summer. The festival has been grown form very humble beginnings and has always supported local music, arts and produce.

We think it is vitally important that this continues and are actively looking for artists, performers, stalls and anything else that is from the Eden Valley or close by to be a part of the event. We are actively prioritising local submissions so please get in touch whatever your idea.

The festival takes place from the 30th July to 1st August and plays host to dance, music, performance art, art installations, comedy, spoken word and alot more.

If you would like to get involved then please check the contacts page at www.kendalcalling.com for direct emails. Please place EDEN ARTS in capitals in your submission.

Thanks

28 January 2010

The first UK Young Artists event will take place in the Autumn of 2010. Artists who are selected to take part in this event could also be selected to represent the UK at the XV edition of the Biennale of Young Artists from Europe and the Mediterranean.

Work should be new and can be from any art form including visual arts, performing arts, literature, applied arts, film and fashion. Artists must be between 18 and 30 and be a UK citizen or have been resident in the UK for at least one year.

To register your interest and be notified when the call goes live please visit:

www.ukyoungartists.co.uk/content/biennale-2009
UK Young Artists :

• Showcase the best of the UK’s young and innovative creative talent at regular national and international events .
• Give vital support to young artists (18-30) at a critical time in their career
• Increase confidence in young artists and support emerging creative networks and professional development
• Promote the values of intercultural dialogue, art as a language of peace and cultural exchange

This spring Theatre by the Lake has over 6000 free theatre tickets to give away to young people aged under 26 – all you have to do is fill in a form – that’s it, no catch, just free tickets. Under the Arts Council’s A Night Less Ordinary Scheme the Keswick theatre has programmed 17 events between now and May including visiting drama, dance and other family events designed to whet young people’s appetites for live performance.

Enjoy a playful re-imagining A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Moon Fool on Tuesday 9 February at 7.30pm in the Main House. In this brand new show three performers use Balkan folk music, circus jazz and playful acrobatic movement to re-imagine Shakespeare’s well-loved play. On Sunday 14 February at 7.30pm, The Hot Dots in the Main House use acrobatic balancing, physical theatre and film to tell a compelling showbiz story set against the backdrop pf 1930s Music Hall. Similarly Hoof! promises to be one of the more unique live events. A visual, verbal and musical feast as four performers and a musician catapult the audiences into a totally improvised world on Tuesday 16 February at 7.30pm in the Main House.

On Monday 15 February at 7.30pm there is highly-charged, energy-emitting dance with Still Breathing in the Main House. 2FaCeDDaNcE is one of the UK’s leading dance companies. This brand new work takes their unique fusion of break, street and contemporary dance to a new level. Don’t miss an hour of spectacular physical dance from six male dancers and an award-winning choreographer!

Enchant and entertain little ones with some inspirational events. Join Storytree as they bring Bedtime Stories to the Studio theatre on Wednesday 17 February at 7pm. With puppetry, shadow play and performance this will be a vibrant evening of traditional family stories from Cumbria and beyond. Also in the Studio is Ugly Beauty on Friday 19 February at 11.30am and 3pm. Embark on a journey to the Kingdom of Rumours where Princess Suzanna the Beautiful lives. A theatrical performance using acting, puppets, shadows and music for everyone from six years old to 106 years young.

For young people who prefer their entertainment with a slice of humour don’t miss Lipservices’ new show Move over Moriarty showing in the Main House on both Wednesday 17 and Thursday 18 February at 7.30pm. The award-winning comedy duo return as Holmes and Watson. Sherlock Holmes investigates the garibaldi biscuit affair, a case as impenetrable as a London pea-souper. On Friday 19 February why not try Pluck: The Specialists showing for one night only in the Main House at 7.30pm. The three most stupid musicians in the world have been invited to perform at last! Join Pluck in their hilarious new show of classical buffoonery – String Trio meets Marx Brothers, suitable for ages 8+. And finally we have a real treat for curious children and their grown ups on Wednesday 24 February at 7pm with My Mother Told Me Not to Stare – a deliciously dark operetta suitable for ages 8+.

All of the above events are free if you are under 26. To secure your ticket please contact the Box Office on 017687 74411. You will be asked to fill out a form in exchange for a free ticket. Please note that it is strongly recommended that children under 16 are accompanied by an adult. Theatre by the Lake cannot accept responsibility for unaccompanied minors.

If you’re looking for participatory events to keep the kids entertained over half term week then we have some more additional activities on offer. Please note that there is a charge for the events below:

Monday 15 February
Acrobatic Workshops with So & So Circus: yrs 11+ ( 10am) £9
Dance workshop with 2faceddance company: yrs 11+ ( 2pm) £9

Tue 16 February
Improvisation workshop with Hoof!: yrs 8-14 ( 11am) £9
Improvisation workshop with Hoof!: yrs 15+ ( 2pm) £9

Thu 18 February
Play in a Day: yrs 8-15 (10am) £15
Tickets are still available for all these events, so book now by calling our Box Office on 017687 74411 or visit www.theatrebythelake.com

For further information please contact Rachel Swift on 017687 72282 or at rachel.swift@theatrebythelake.com

Very short notice and just over the border of Eden, but a fantastic oportunity to showcase local talent…

Each year the Keswick Festival celebrates local film making by showing a selection of short films with a Cumbrian connection.

In 2009 the Cumbrian Short Film Awards were established to recognise and reward the talented film makers from, or working in, the region.

Submissions are now being accepted for short films to show at the 11th Keswick Film Festival in February 2010.

How To Enter
There are two categories of entry:
An open category for all types and ages of film maker with a link to Cumbria.
A young person category for film makers under 18 years of age with a link to Cumbria.

To be considered for the awards the film must:
Have a significant connection to Cumbria (e.g. filmed in Cumbria or by Cumbrian film makers).
Be no more than 15 minutes long.
Have been completed after 31st December 2008.
Be submitted on DVD
Submissions must be received by the 31st January 2010

For full rules regarding eligibility and how to submit your film, please visit www.keswickfilmclub.org/kff/csfa_2010.php

Prizes
Prizes will be awarded in each category as follows:
First Prize: £200
Second Prize: £100
Third Prize: £50

The best young crime writers in Cumbria are being sought out in a national competition launched by the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA).

Organised by the CWA, which represents the interests of published crime writers, and library authorities nationwide the competition will appeal to writers aged up to 18 (born on or after September 1, 1991).

Stories should be submitted between January 18 and February 19 and the word limit is 1,000. They must be entered through participating libraries.

The entries will be judged by members of the CWA and local winners will be considered for the national prize to be announced during National Crime Fiction Week, which starts on June 14.

CWA Chair Margaret Murphy said: “’From Enid Blyton’s Famous Five and Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider series, right through to adult crime novels and thrillers, crime fiction is a vibrant and hugely popular genre.

“The Young Crime Writers Competition gives budding young writers the unique opportunity to have their work read by professional authors – and have fun writing.”

Download the entry forms from the libraries website www.cumbria.gov.uk/libraries/crime_writers.asp
All entries must be handed in to your local library or emailed to libraries@cumbriacc.gov.uk

Rheged have a full week of funky fun this half term from 15-19 February.

“We have a great week of family activities planned at Rheged this February half term from Kite Flying for a Blustery Day to Suitcase Stories, an imaginative story telling show. After the great success of the Mad Science shows last year we can now bring you Mad Science workshops where you can get even closer to the mad cap action and even make your own pot of ooey gooey slime to take home. We are showing Monsters vs… Aliens in our 3D cinema – the biggest and best, sharp as a razor 3D experience in the North West and Silverband Falconry return with their Owl Encounter, learn to handle one of these beautiful creatures.”

For more details visit the website www.rheged.com/events or download the brochure Rheged Half Term Leaflet

Sedbergh Book Town is gearing up to kick off the New Year with a weekend of book-related events and activities aimed at the whole family. Throughout the weekend of 12th – 14th February the Book Town Buzz will present a selection of entertaining events and creative workshops that are designed to encourage children, young people and parents to read and write more within the family.

The festival includes family poetry and book readings from some of Britain’s foremost writers for children, plus workshops for young people on the theme of Drawing Cartoons & Making Comics, where experienced professionals will show how to create and draw crazy characters and add the whizz factor to a comic strip!

The newly appointed Storyteller Laureate, Taffy Thomas, will be entertaining young and old with traditional tales and stories from his huge repertoire, and for St Valentine’s Day there will be a choice of poetry events on the theme of love and romance.

Plus a further two creative workshops in Making Musical Instruments from Junk. Nick Penny brings his best-selling book to life to show how everyone in the family can make and play a musical instrument. We’ll provide all the junk…but you can bring some of your own!

Book Town Buzz is supported by Arts Council England and Spar. More information, including a brochure giving full details of events and bookings, can be found at the Tourist Information Centre in Main Street (email tic@sedbergh.org.uk or call 015396 20125) or on line at www.sedbergh.org.uk/booktownbuzz

Please note that places on the creative workshops (the Cartoons & Comics and Junk Instruments events) are limited so please ensure you book early. For further information concerning the programme of events, please call John Rice on 015396 20929, or poetjohnrice@btinternet.com

PS The organiser, John Rice lives in Sedbergh but is currently Scottish Arts Council’s Poet-in-Residence. If you’d like to see his work so far, visit the residency web pages on www.spt.co.uk/culture/poetry

This is a national competition open to young composers aged under 25 across the UK, who are invited to compose a new a cappella work for Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass. A shortlist of finalists will have their pieces work-shopped by the York-based Ebor Singers, and performed in an evening concert at the National Centre for Early Music, before a panel of judges including the senior music producer for BBC Radio 3.

The selected pieces from each age category will be sung by The Tallis Scholars in Chester Cathedral as part of the 2010 Chester Summer Music Festival on Wednesday 30 June. The performance will be recorded by BBC Radio 3.

There are two age categories for the award: 18 years & under and 19-25 years. Expressions of interest must be registered with the NCEM by Monday 1 March with the deadline for the submission of the final score being Monday 15 March. The Award will be judged in York on Thursday 20 May 2010.

See www.ncem.co.uk/composersaward for full details.