Schemes put forward to celebrate Horsham's Year of Culture

The projects include literary trails, dance shows, writing competitions, photography exhibitions, the maintainance of historical gems, theatrical delights and the celebration of the 21st century through digital and computing creations.

Horsham District Council says that the deadline for grant applications for Year of Culture schemes has now passed but that everyone who applied for funding will be contacted by the Year of Culture team with feedback on their application. Those put through to the final stage will have until Wednesday January 31 2018 to submit formal application forms in.

A spokesman said: “Due to the volume of projects, the total cost of which stands at £1,648,596 - with £669,890 being asked via Year of Culture grants - the funding pot is heavily oversubscribed, which means some groups will be unsuccessful and others will not receive the full amount they’ve asked for.

“However, for those groups the Year of Culture team will be working closely to help apply for funding from elsewhere. As such, the Year of Culture team have organised funding workshops with various organisations including West Sussex County Council and the Arts Council and are keen to encourage groups to look for funding through other organisations too, along with the team’s support.”

Additional support will be provided by the Year of Culture team’s promotion of proposed events via the Year of Culture’s dedicated website www.hdculture2019.co.uk and via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

With this in mind, the council is running a social media workshop on Wednesday 18 April 18 but spaces are limited and people are being urged to book now.

Meanwhile, the Year of Culture itself will be formally launched on New Year’s Eve 2018 in conjuntion with headline sponsors Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens. The council says that its partnership with Leonardslee mirrors both organisations’ aim to encourage residents to discover what gems are on their doorstep, as well as attracting tourists from outside the district.

The West Sussex County Times is media partner with the Horsham District Year of Culture 2019.