We get so much joy from hearing from our grant winners and finding out what they are up to that we thought we'd let you meet them and share the fun.

It only takes a few minutes to Meet the Winners and to get an insight into how the grant will make a difference. Our first musical community group are 'I Love Thunder' - allow us to introduce you...

1. Who are 'I Love Thunder'?

I Love Thunder is an inclusive rock band which first got together at the end of 2009. We are a varied collection of individuals with a wide range of musical influences, which dictates the tunes we play. Our ages range from 16 to 66 with music being the jam that sticks us together! Our sets include songs from Taj Mahal, Wilson Pickett, Steve Harley, Rod Stewart, Bob Marley, Sha Na Na and Chuck Berry. Recently we have started working on our own material and ‘I Love Thunder’, our theme song (confusing isn’t it), is now a part of our regular set list.

As the year has progressed I think people’s reactions have definitely changed. When we start up there is often a look of surprise on people’s faces!

2. How will the BBC Performing Art Fund Community Music grant help the group?

We are planning a series of special rehearsal sessions whereby local bands from a variety of different genres (heavy metal, country, folk, jazz, reggae, indie etc) will be invited to come and rehearse with us. The final format for this is still taking shape. The idea is to expand our musical vocabulary and open us to other ideas to help in the creation of our own music.





3. Tell us about the best day 'I Love Thunder' has had so far?

We’ve played at 8 gigs this year, which was brilliant. Every time we learn something new and we continue to bond musically and are relaxing into our performance more. Our favourite gig so far was probably at the Harrow Disability Arts Festival in November although the gig at the RJT fundraiser in October was a close second.





4. What was the best reaction from the group when they found out about winning the PAF grant?

I think the reactions will really start when we start the programme in earnest.





5. Give us 3 words that describe a performance by 'I Love Thunder'

Inspirational, rocking and uplifting – well something like that anyway!



Here are some audience reactions:



"I thought the band was really great – Actually they really lifted the atmosphere as so many of the other songs were quite moody!"



"Even the female leader of the band called Grapefruit commented about I Love Thunder's timing being great"



"Great set at the Remembering Julia Trust event at Elthorne. Really enjoyed it, so many thanks!"



"Well done mighty Thunderers, keep on luvin it! Fantastic show yesterday, look forward to the next one."



"I just wanted to say thank you for the performance that I Love Thunder did at the ARC last month. The feed back was very positive and I think the band has gain new followers since their performance."



"Please will you also thank all of the band members for coming and making the evening such a great success."



"You guys were amazing today! It was a real pleasure working with you. Hope to be able to see you again some day!"



"Well done for a FANSTASTIC gig on Saturday! You were all amazing! Shall look forward to the next one xxx"

The Step Up group were recipients of a Community Dance grant in 2011. They put their grant towards developing a new piece of work ‘Origin: London’ which explored ideas about identity and heritage. The Step Up group’s young members developed their performance from taking photos for the stimulus of the choreography right the way through to the costume design. Mimbre, the organisers of the project, tell us a bit more about the group’s achievements:

Our Youth Work



This summer the Step Up group, one of Mimbre’s more advanced youth groups, had a fantastic time performing in different arts events across Hackney and London. They created a show called ‘Origin: London’ , which turned out to be a huge success. It premiered at Chats Palace and started the summer tour on the Big Dance Bus at Woodberry Down Estate. The show went to the London Youth Dance Shoreditch Festival, Big Dance – a Mimbre Event, Torch Relay, and The National Theatre, plus the group was part of an Australian film promoting England and the Olympics to Australia.

This was a very intense project. Before we could start the programme we had to ensure that the group worked well together and that the young people were dedicated and committed to the rehearsals and performances scheduled. The Step Up group was created from committed or talented members who were passionate about performing and were made up from all of Mimbre’s youth groups. 

The best advice that we can offer to a director or choreographer working with young people, is to create a performance that can be adapted to suit different numbers of young people and situations. It was impossible for the entire Step Up group to make it to every performance, so we had to adapt the show, often at the very last minute. Teaching the young people free styling skills and making sure that they were confident to improvise was very important too.

Getting family members involved in the shows and events really supported the group and meant practitioners could focus more on the performance rather than behaviour. It also meant that the young people were more likely to come along, as their parents were engaged in what they were doing.

The best day by far for the young people was when Mimbre teamed up with local charity Immediate Theatre and took part in the torch Relay parade. Wearing ‘I love Hackney’ costumes the group danced from Hyde Road N1 to Church Street N16. The parents didn’t get away either! Through the parade the young people and their parents celebrated the Olympics in London and promoted the spirit of the games through dance, acrobatics and a lot of screaming. And to top it all off after the march, the young people were introduced to an official torch bearer and were all invited to take pictures holding an official Olympic torch. They loved it.

The group have come a long way from the start of the summer tour. The once shy group of young people, most of whom were too shy to dance in class, performed in front of thousands of people throughout the summer and even began to look up at the audience, enjoy themselves and smile.

Can’t wait to do it all again next summer."

As part of the wider London 2012 Festival, the Greater London Authority offered five full-time NVQ Level 2 paid apprenticeships to work on producing events, specifically outdoors. Ella Samoles-Little earned her place with the Barbican as Culture Squad Apprentice Producer and reflects on how you step from your education to your profession in the arts.

“I have always been fascinated with the arts world, and am constantly influenced by the world around me. Since the rise in degree fees, I think the best advise I can give towards getting into the cultural sector, would be to go out and seek opportunity. Be involved in any way you can and if you have the right attitude, it will get noticed.

My path started by exploring photography and film at A-level, I loved experimenting with the visual messages you can create in both mediums. This pushed me in the direction of filmmaking. I studied a HNC in media practice, which had a focus on production. Although I enjoyed specific areas of the degree a lot - scriptwriting and directing were always my favourite – I did feel that some of the creative degrees now stop you tackling what you have passion for in your own way. Not everyone who is interested in making films – from the horror head, to the documentarian – will learn and take information in the same way.

I didn’t finish my degree as I wanted to explore different routes and I came across Changemakers, a charity that focuses on the development of young people and helping ideas grow. I was fortunate to became part of their year scheme which developed my campaign skills, presentation and speech as well as giving me access to a personal mentoring scheme to help develop projects of my own. It was inspiring to be amongst like-minded people that wanted to make a difference.

That is where I got the chance to curate a community project with a £350 grant. Working with the people around me, I wanted to capture ‘The London Life’ through young people from 18-25 using Film, Photography, Music and Poetry. The project was a great success, and it was really interesting to see what people had to say. Also, the amount of support and involvement that was on offer was amazing.

Then to find spaces that aren’t being used or on offer to use as a work space/ office/ rehearsal space for any project you have in mind somewhereto is an organisation which can help. See more information on their website.

Apprenticeships are now becoming widely available which is great to see. It’s not only the increase in university fees that makes me a firm believer in all apprenticeship schemes. Participation on a scheme allows you to work and learn in a professional environment and really gain an insight into working within the arts. The Independent Theatre Council offer great short courses to help develop any areas you wish to know more about.

If there is any advice I can give, and what I urge you to do, is: Get out there! Speak to people with the same interest, combine ideas, get networking and get involved. Do some research into companies that produce the kind of work you are interested in and approach them about work experience opportunities. Meet people within the industry and be pro-active. And don’t forget that networking tools such as twitter and blog pages are a great way to communicate with the world and follow people that inspire you.

Find your drive, and hit the road because the opportunities are out there!