The Arts Council of Wales has been urged by some arts groups to use £1m of unspent funding to help companies struggling with budgets.
The council is considering using the money as a safety net against future cuts from the Welsh Assembly Government.
The money stems from leftover funds from an arts scheme that ended earlier this year.
The council has said it will decide in December how to use the funds.
It follows a decision earlier this year by the Arts Council of Wales to end funding for 32 groups in Wales.
The council said a "small number" of those groups have been forced to close as a result of the funding axe.
It's very clear that we're facing difficult times”
"We're working with them to offer what assistance we can in helping them to bring their affairs to an orderly close," the council's chief executive, Nick Capaldi, said in a letter to arts bodies in Wales.
Wiard Sterk, director of Safle, Public Arts Wales, which is closing down within the next two weeks, said: "It's a bit of a surprise to learn that the council has £1m left."
He said: "I would hate to think of that money being kept back to deal with cuts - that is a very regressive approach for the arts."
The remaining grant funded arts bodies in Wales have had to deal with standstill funding over the last few years, and are bracing themselves for cuts once the Welsh Assembly Government learns how much of its budget will be cut by the UK Government.
The Art Council of Wales has said it will maintain funding levels for 2010/11 but is deliberating holding on to the unallocated £1m as a buffer against expected cuts for 2011/12.
The council initially wrote to arts bodies saying they would use the £1m to spend on organisations who were successful applicants for a new funding scheme, called Investment Review.
But the council is now proposing three options - allocating the money, using the funds as a safety net or a mixture of the first two possibilities.
"I am disappointed that they have waited until December, although I can see the logic”
Chris Ryde, chair of the Welsh Association of the Performing Arts, has called on the arts council to use the money now.
He said: "I am disappointed that they have waited until December, although I can see the logic."
"My only worry then is that the mechanism to distribute the money is unclear and may have to be rushed through."
Mr Ryde, who has described the arts council's decision to end the funding of 32 companies as a cull, said it was important to decide on using the money sooner rather than later as many arts groups were finding it difficult to plan for next year.
The arts council's chief executive Nick Capaldi admitted some organisations were beginning to feel "the bite" from several years of standstill funding.
He said: "It's very clear that we're facing difficult times. We should know the outcome of the government's spending review and its implications for future years' arts funding by December.
"We firmly believe that we shouldn't rush into anything until the complete funding picture is clear."
One arts institution feeling the effect of that standstill funding is Cardiff's Ffotogallery.
The gallery's director, David Drake, said: "I hope that ACW will proceed as originally planned and allocate the funds to high performing organisations like ourselves in order to alleviate the financial stress we're under this year.
"We fully understand that this is an uncertain time for all in terms of the future availability of public funding, but every penny counts."
Mr Drake called on the arts council to decide as soon as possible what additional funding was available to support Ffotogallery's activities in in 2010/11, "so we can plan accordingly".
He added: "However, we understand that ACW wants to establish as complete a funding picture as possible before making its decision, which accounts for the deferral until December."
Monday, 11 October 2010
Arts Council of Wales urged to use unspent £1m pot - Manchester News
Stand UP for Depression: 15 October 2010 | Up
NEW LINE UP ANNOUNCED!! TIM MINCHIN + DANIEL KITSON WILL BE JOINING OUR ALREADY FANTASTIC LINE UP
15 October 2010, 19.45 (Doors Open 18.45)
Union Chapel, Islington, London N1 2XD
Ticket price: £17.50
Click here to buy tickets
UP is very over-excited to announce our stellar line up:
TIM MINCHIN
Tim has won numerous awards, including the 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe PErrier Comedy Award (Best NEwcomer) and in December will begin a solo tour of the UK and Australia, playing major venues including the O2 Arena in London, MEN Arena in Manchester and the Sydney Opera House.
“Tremendously clever comic songs”****Evening Standard, 2008
DANIEL KITSON
Winner of the Perrier Award in 2002 and the Barry Award in 2007 among many others!
“There are comedians who set benchmarks of quality and then there is the uniquely gifted Daniel Kitson.”*****Evening Standard, 2009
TOM BASDEN
Winner Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, 2007, appearences on Never Mind the Buzzcocks and with comedy sketch group Cowards.
“Two-for-one on gags”****The Independent, 2009
JONNY SWEET
Winner Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2009 and recently appeared as a young David Cameron in More 4′s When Boris Met Dave, and alongside Alastair McGowan, Adrian Edmonson and Hugh Dennis in a revival of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore’s Lost Sketches on BBC2.
SANDERSON JONES
Timeout Fringe pick of 2009 and star of ‘those funny IKEA ads’.
What we do
We’re a group of under-30s who want to support people of our own age affected by depression. Our aim is to raise awareness of depression, promote understanding of mental health issues and work to reduce the stigma that might prevent depression sufferers seeking help. If you are worried that you might be depressed we are here to encourage you to seek the best support to help you learn to overcome the illness, improve your quality of life and realise your full potential.
We are part of the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust (CWMT). http://www.cwmt.org/
Why target young people?
Depression is widespread among the under-30s. We often struggle to cope with the pressures of education, work, money, relationships and simply finding our way in the world. Sadly, we’re also the age group most likely to try to cover up any mental health issues.
Unwarranted shame, lack of information or believing we should just ’pull our socks up‘ mean that we’re often unable to admit to friends, family or even ourselves that something’s wrong. But with depression, something is badly wrong.
We believe it shouldn’t be this way. Treatment really works – if you can find it; at the moment there’s no clear path to getting help in the UK. In our experience, the most common answer to the question “what would you do if you felt depressed, or worried that a friend might be?” is “I don’t know”. We want to answer that question and if you are affected by depression help you find the support you need.
What is depression?
The NHS describe depression as a serious illness that’s very different to feeling miserable or fed up. You might feel extreme sadness for weeks or months. Even in its mildest form, you can lose interest in the things you love, and experience feelings of anxiety and worthlessness. This can disturb your ability to engage with the world and realise your full potential.
In its most severe form depression can kill: it’s the second most common cause of death in the UK for men under 35*: every year around 1,700 young men commit suicide. One in four people are likely to experience depression at some point†, but it’s hard to know exactly how many, as fear of being stigmatised means many sufferers don’t seek help.
Depression and mental health problems affect everyone differently, but there are some warning signs to look out for. We also have a list of other websites with more info about depression.
What causes depression?
Because depression is an illness of the mind it is very hard to pinpoint exactly what causes it. Doctors believe it’s linked to a chemical imbalance in the brain, possibly triggered by a specific event or experience. And if you have a family history of depression, you may be more likely to experience it yourself. See the NHS Choices website for more information.
How is UP working to beat depression?
We want to help explain the dangers and nature of depression, and encourage young people to get involved with fundraising for research and treatment. Our biggest challenge is changing perceptions.
We’re committed to getting the word out: depression is a treatable illness that isn’t embarrassing or shameful. It isn’t a sign of weakness. Many well-known and successful people have experienced depression, from Winston Churchill and Mahatma Gandhi to Ewan McGregor, Owen Wilson and Beyoncé Knowles. Although available treatments may not banish the illness for good, specialists are able to help you cope with and overcome your depression so that you can lead a normal, happy life and fufil your potential.
We want to help anyone suffering from depression to identify it and, more importantly, help them find effective treatment and support. Our funding supports our own projects and those of CWMT.
Find out more about our projects. http://www.lookingup.org/live-projects
The Charlie Waller Memorial Trust (CWMT) http://www.cwmt.org/
We are part of CWMT, a charity created following the death of 28-year-old Charlie Waller. Since Charlie’s death, CWMT has worked to increase awareness of depression and mental health issues, encourage sufferers to seek help, and remove the stigma attached to mental illness. CWMT monitors and supports research, education and other initiatives related to depression.
For more about CWMT and the projects they fund, visit their site.
* ONS Mortality Statistics (2008)
† ONS Psychiatric Morbidity report (2010)
BBC News - India's most expensive film is another Rajinikanth hit
10 October 2010 Last updated at 18:52 ETShare this page
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India's most expensive film is another Rajinikanth hit
By Sudha G Tilak DelhiRajinikanth plays the roles of the nutty professor and his killer robot
India's most expensive film ever is a Frankenstein tale of a scientist who makes a robot in his own image, which turns into a monster and falls in love with his maker's fiancee.
And it looks set to be another mega-hit for one of Bollywood's most bankable stars, Rajinikanth, a balding 61-year-old whose unstoppable box office staying power seems almost as incredible as the film's plotline.
Made with a budget of 1.6bn rupees ($35m; £23m), Enthiran is a story about a killer robot who multiplies into a million clones, destroying Chennai (Madras), the capital of the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
But this terrifying army of androids is dwarfed in real life by the legions of fans of the movie's cult mega-star, Rajinikanth, Bollywood's highest-paid actor.
In Enthiran (Robot), Rajinikanth plays the nutty professor and his creation, the humanoid robot, Chitti.
The lovey-dovey android serenades his creator's fiancee, played by another Bollywood star, Aishwarya Rai, singing that he will seek love in places "where Google searches can't reach".
James Bond 'snubbed'She purrs and calls him her "toyfriend"; he sings that her beauty has set him burning to temperatures that even the "Atlantic Ocean cannot cool".
Smart lines, diabolical characters, high-voltage action and impressive special effects make this a promising Indian popcorn movie.
Rajinikanth's fans have been known to perform Hindu bathing purification rituals on his posters
Then there are the lush song sequences in exotic locations like Machu Picchu.
The film's spin machine claims that the Peruvian authorities had "refused the shooting of a James Bond film, but allowed our Rajinikanth to dance".
The critics may be cringing, and at nearly 180 minutes, Endhiran is rather long, but the film has stormed the box office since opening last weekend.
The movie is also the product of an industry which is fast becoming globalised, despite its unique brand of cinema.
The special effects are cooked up by a Hollywood FX shop that has worked on films like Jurassic Park and Terminator.
Continue reading the main story“Start Quote
End Quote Slate.com reviewIf a tiger had sex with a tornado and then their tiger-nado baby got married to an earthquake, their offspring would be Rajinikanth”
The action scenes were staged by a Hong Kong choreographer who has worked with Jackie Chan and on the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
The music is scored by the Oscar-winning AR Rahman - the songs are a fusion of lilting Tamil numbers set to Malaysian rap and hip hop, and bouncy electro-pop.
As so often, Rajinikanth steals the show.
"The two worthwhile creations of God are you and me", he tells the film's heroine.
At least half that statement would be heartily agreed with by members of the more than 6,000 Rajinikanth fan clubs that have spawned across India.
He is especially popular in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, where film stars are venerated like gods.
In a recent article, slate.com rated Rajinikanth as the second-highest-paid actor in Asia, after Jackie Chan.
'Style King'"If a tiger had sex with a tornado and then their tiger-nado baby got married to an earthquake, their offspring would be Rajinikanth," says a review in slate.com.
Rajinikanth's eccentric mannerisms and histrionics have earned him the nickname "Style King"
In Japan, his film Muthu was dubbed in Japanese as The Dancing Maharaja and became a huge hit in 1995.
Rajinikanth's success is all the more remarkable considering he has no obvious aptitude as a dancer - a talent so desirable for Tamil musicals.
His eccentric mannerisms and histrionics have earned him the nickname Style King. But he remains the most beloved star of the Tamils.
His fans thought nothing of queuing from the early hours outside cinemas on the day of the film's premiere.
Rajinikanth's followers have been known to perform Hindu bathing purification rituals on his posters.
The success of Endhiran ensures that their worship of the Bollywood megastar will continue.
BBC News - Gender pay gap progress 'grinding to a halt'
10 October 2010 Last updated at 22:30 ETShare this page
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Gender pay gap progress 'grinding to a halt'
Women earn on average less than men, the report said
Progress in closing the gender pay gap appears to be "grinding to a halt", according to a report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
The commission said that on average women earned 16% less than men, widening to 27% for women aged 40.
Among other equality issues, it said that girls of all ethnic backgrounds outperformed boys in education.
Commission chairman Trevor Phillips said there was a risk of society being divided by inequality.
Continue reading the main storyRelated stories
The study also warns that the ageing population is creating new kinds of "chronic disadvantage", as many middle-aged couples struggle to look after two generations: their parents and teenage children. A quarter of women in their 50s are carers.
When it came to pay, the report said that the gender pay gap was lowest for the under 30s, rising more than five-fold by the time workers reached 40, with a "pernicious earnings penalty" affecting some ethnic minority and disabled people.
Women with no qualifications faced a 58% loss in earnings over their lifetime if they had children, said the commission in its 700-page report, entitled How Fair is Britain?
Disabled men earned 11% less than other male workers, while the gap was 22% for women.
Black graduates faced a pay penalty of up to 24%, the study suggested.
Total household wealth of the top 10% in society was almost 100 times higher than for the poorest 10%, while one in five people lived in a household with less than 60% of average income.
Continue reading the main story“Start Quote
End Quote Trevor Phillips EHRC chairmanWe are still a country where our achievements haven't yet caught up with our aspirations”
The report also suggested that men and women from the highest social class could expect to live for up to seven years longer than those from lower socio-economic groups; and black Caribbean and Pakistani babies were twice as likely to die in the first year of life as Bangladeshi and white babies.
The report also said that conviction rates for rape were "stubbornly low", that obesity was on the rise, and that two-thirds of gay, lesbian and transsexual secondary students said they had been bullied.
Mr Phillips said: "This review holds up the mirror to fairness in Britain. It is the most complete picture of its kind ever compiled.
"It shows that we are a people who have moved light years in our attitudes to all kinds of human difference, and in our desire to be a truly fair society, but that we are still a country where our achievements haven't yet caught up with our aspirations."
He said that 21st Century Britain faced "the danger of a society divided by the barriers of inequality and injustice".
"For some, the gateways to opportunity appear permanently closed, no matter how hard they try; whilst others seem to have been issued with an 'access all areas' pass at birth," he added.
He warned that recession, demographic change and new technology "all threaten to deepen the fault lines between insiders and outsiders".
EcoTech Centre
The wind turbine at the Ecotech Centre
http://www.ecotech.org.uk/turbine.html
For details of our Turbine Tours please click on TOURISM, above. . For technical information on Swaffham's two wind turbines please click here. In terms of renewable energy planning applications, we are pleased to arrange meetings, with our partners at Breckland Council, for local government colleagues who may wish to discuss renewable energy planning issues. Breckland is an experienced district, particularly with Wind Turbine applications and is happy to share this experience and insight.
To discuss the possibilities, please contact:
Stuart Weaver , Manager
[ T ] 01760 726 732
[ F ] 01760 726 763
[ E ] sweaver@ecotech.org.uk
swaffham wind turbine - Google Search
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