Burst of new arts cash to help Hackney kids ‘speak out’

Children on the Speak Out project received top tips in acting (4 Jan) from the stars of the Hackney Empire's pantomime, Cinderella

An organisation which organises drama and dance activities for the under 5s has been awarded £370,000 to spend on work with children who struggle to make themselves understood.

Artburst has been given the money by the Big Lottery Fund for a three-year programme aimed at children with speech and language problems.

The new project named ‘Speak Out’ will involve creative workshops which use the arts and popular children’s fiction to help Hackney children build confidence and social skills. The scheme will be run in partnership with the Hackney Speech and Language Therapy Team.

Founded in 2006, Artburst already runs a creative programme for two-to-five year olds, as well as a holiday school for children. Last year the organisation worked with more than 100 families in Hackney, many of whom have children with speech and language needs.

“The best thing is that we don’t just learn a play like you do in other drama groups. We make up our own lines and we can imagine more”, said one eleven year old enjoying an Artburst activity.