Hackney Council offers £1k grants to residents for events celebrating this year’s Black History Season

Artist Veronica Ryan with her Turner Prize-winning Windrush sculptures. Photograph: Julia Gregory

Local residents can apply for grants of up to £1,000 to help celebrate Black History Season in Hackney.

The council is looking for ideas for events in October and November and is keen to hear ideas from people who live and work in the borough.

These could include community events, guided walks, film screenings or exhibitions.

Other ideas include podcasts or reminiscence sessions to help share stories.

There is £8,000 available to help fund projects, which must have Black leadership or partnerships.

Applicants need to provide details of who they hope their project will appeal to, its cost, and other sources of funding.

In previous years, Black History Season has seen the unveilings of Veronica Ryan’s Turner Prize-winning sculpture honouring the Windrush generation, and Shoreditch’s BRAFA Square, which took its name from the British Reggae Artists Famine Appeal Team.

Arts collective Future Hackney’s photography display, Ridley Road Stories Part 2, featuring stories from some of Hackney’s Caribbean and African residents, is another to feature in past seasons.

People need to apply for the grants by Sunday 20 August, and the council plans to contact all applicants by the end of the month.