High profile performers who took to the stage at Artrix last week, including comedian Sarah Millican, lent their support by recording messages of encouragement and asking audiences to give generously. Their compelling words clearly worked wonders, because the remarkable sum of £4,273 was donated in just seven days and will be doubled because of the match funding campaign, The Big Give Christmas Challenge, to a grand total of £8, 983.50.

This amount includes £4,273 of online donations, matched by £2,753 of pledge funds, £1,500 of champion funds (The Reed Foundation) and £458 of gift aid. With the help of this funding, Artrix plans to create a two-year youth mental health programme, to enable young people and the wider community to understand the importance of looking after mental health. Artrix can forge ahead with developing the production of Hyped, outreach work with local young people and delivering a youth arts mental health festival as part of World Mental Health week in March, 2018.

This two year project has the potential to positively impact on thousands of local young people engaged in the process, through audience and workshop experiences, and online through mental health campaign engagement.

Director of Artrix, Hannah Phillips said, “We hope this will be the beginning of an annual youth festival programme and will support us in our aim of becoming a centre of excellence for youth engagement and programming. We hope to make a genuine difference in the lives and experiences of young people and believe that Artrix and our strategic partners can work together to achieve this.

“I would like to say an enormous thank you to all of those who donated and worked so hard towards achieving this target including our wonderful partners, North Worcestershire Business Leaders, Biz Smart, Open Door Counselling Service and Heart of Worcestershire College.”