Four Harwich community groups providing initiatives for local young people have been awarded a total of £10,245 from the community fund provided by Galloper Offshore Wind Farm.

The four groups are:

• Harwich Festival of the Arts Trust with the funds going towards the cost of a new part-time administrator who will develop cultural activities in Harwich Festival’s new Centre.
• London Bus Theatre Company to support the production of a feature film and drama project for 300 young people from the most deprived areas of Harwich and Dovercourt.
• Harwich Shanty Festival to run shanty workshops with young children and adults with additional needs.
• Harwich Amateur Boxing Club to help with running costs for an amateur boxing club in Harwich.

More than £5000 was awarded to Harwich Festival of the Arts Trust to employ the part-time administrator who will ensure that the full potential of the new Centre is realised and the existing year-round community activities are developed and expanded.

General Manager of the Trust, Michael Offord said: “We are delighted to welcome Sian Allpress as the Harwich Festival administrator. She has a vital role to play in developing the Harwich Festival as a year round organisation, particularly as we embark upon the exciting task of developing the new Harwich Arts and Heritage Centre.”

The London Bus Theatre Company is already underway with its initiatives that include drama workshops in local primary and secondary schools on alcohol and anti-social behavior, film production with young people who will develop the script and deliver the full project from shoots to cinema marketing, and a monthly drama club at Harwich and Dovercourt High School.

Project Manager Kathy Austen said that: “The funding will help engage more young people from Harwich into the project and will make a real difference to their lives by boosting their confidence and self-esteem, improving transferable life skills and reducing isolation”.

The first workshop session for the Harwich Shanty Festival will be with primary school children and timed to tie in with the 75th anniversary of D-Day this year. A D-Day veteran and regular shanty performer will run the workshops. He was involved with the Harwich Tugs during WW2 and will also broaden the children’s awareness of local history.

Pam Fitzgerald, Festival Director said: “We are proud of Harwich’s maritime history and enjoy fostering a sense of community pride by celebrating our heritage. The grant from the Galloper Community Fund will enable us to run three very special and very different workshops during the lead up to our Festival in October”.

Harwich Amateur Boxing Club is a local club for amateur boxers with sessions starting for those as young as five and aiming to help attendees gain confidence, fitness, self-discipline and respect.

Martin Webb, Head Coach said: “We at the club are delighted to receive the recent cash injection that will help our volunteer-led club remain sustainable, and hopefully see many more members go on to learn the sport of amateur boxing”.

Managed by Essex Community Foundation (ECF) on behalf of Galloper Offshore Wind Farm, the Galloper Community Fund will award around £10,000 each year until 2022 to support charitable, educational and environmental activities in and around Harwich. This second round of grants means the fund has now awarded more than £20,000 to help local organisations and initiatives. The fund will open again for applications in 2020.

Galloper, a 353MW offshore wind farm sited approximately 30km of the Suffolk coast, is operated out of Harwich International Port where a state-of-the-art operations and maintenance base is now under construction.

Galloper Operations & Maintenance Manager, Sean Chenery, said: “Our team of 60 will work out of Harwich International Port for the lifetime of the wind farm and many also live within the Tendring District so we believe it is important to play an active role in the local community. Our fund is just one way we can support worthwhile local organisations and initiatives.”

Galloper Offshore Wind Farm is owned by innogy SE, Siemens Financial Services, Sumitomo Corporation and ESB and a consortium managed by Green Investment Group and Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets. innogy led the development and construction of Galloper Offshore Wind Farm and operates the wind farm on behalf of the project partners.

Cameraman James Martin films students Blake Galloway, Macy Levett and Jack Moore onsite at Harwich and Dovercourt High School as Galloper’s Lauren Rozier looks on with Director Chris Turner.

Running to the camera

Lauren and Director with clapperboard