A Plymouth hip hop collective and Community Interest Company has received £34,910 in emergency funding from Arts Council England to help it through the coronavirus lockdown.
Street Factory, based in the Millbay waterfront area, is being supported by the Arts Council England Emergency Response Fund, which has used National Lottery resources to ensure the organisation has a Covid-19 “lifeline”.
It means the organisation can continue with its daily classes, programmes and sessions, online, for at least the next six months.
Street Factory, which is behind an ambitious project to create the UK’s first hip hop theatre, has been continuing to stay connected with the community, providing well-being support, mentoring, dance and fitness classes and encouraging entertainment – all from the own home of Street Factory founders Toby and Jo Gorniak.
This swift re-organisation and innovation has been featured on the GOV.UK website as an example of excellence for its reaction to the lockdown and support of its community.
Mrs Gorniak said: “Like every organisation, the Covid crisis, and the lockdown poses us with a complicated set of challenges – both in terms of how we retain our vital levels of individual and group support for all of our service users and members, but also, as a Community Interest Company (CIC), how we have the necessary funds to pay the rent, bills and necessary support costs that normally allow us to open and to work every day.
“The lockdown period is challenging for everyone in terms of mental health, anxiety and uncertainty, so a number of our vulnerable Street Factory cases actually need more of our input and support now.
“We are therefore extremely grateful to have received this lifeline Arts Council England Emergency Funding, via National Lottery resources, and on behalf of all our members, we cannot thank the relevant teams, and the public who buy lottery tickets enough.
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“This critical financial support will enable us to thrive and to continue our community outreach work which has now gone online and virtual.”
The emergency funding will help Street Factory continue alongside support from the Rank Organisation, and keep its venue safe, covering costs of rent and utilities which will ensure the organisation has a physical base for the community to return to when the crisis recedes.
In a normal week, Mr and Mrs Gorniak would be working from their Plymouth base teaching classes, leading groups and providing innovative social, community and personal care and mentoring to more than 300 people.
Along with various hip hop educators they regularly provide outreach classes for more than 400 students in school sessions, as well as additional training programmes and projects as required in other locations citywide.
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Mr Gorniak, who was awarded an MBE by the Duke of Cambridge in 2018 for his outstanding community contribution, said: “We are so blessed to receive this funding, it will help us no end in delivering our work. This could be a negative time and we are determined to keep positive, keep connected and keep communicating, and we are blown away with the amount of people logging in from all over the city, and all over the world, to take part in our free sessions – and now we know we can keep on running those and helping everyone stay positive, whilst they stay safe.’
“We have found working digitally has enhanced our reach and connected us with even more members of our community who do not normally access culture, or such positive activities, and they have said they feel inspired, less isolated and are learning new skills.”
Street Factory is supported by a mix of grant funding from Arts Council England (ACE), the National Lottery, the People’s Health Trust and the Rank Foundation. Its work utilises the five pillars of hip hop: dance, Djing, graffiti, rapping and knowledge of self.
Mr Gorniak has been nominated for a prestigious SME National Business Award in the Business Hero’category for his services to the community. Voting is easy and free, click here to vote.
