Coventry City of Culture Trust are now offering grants to creatives in Atherstone and the rest of Coventry and Warwickshire.

Micro-grants of up to £200 are available to set up 'Fun Palaces' across the county.

Fun Palaces is a UK-based campaigning organisation, which was started to support the to co-creation of free events that bring communities together, allowing local people to meet their neighbours by showcasing and sharing their skills.

"Your skill might be in street dance, watercolour, quilting or astro-physics - if you can share it with your neighbours, in real life or online, then you can make a Fun Palace!"

The campaign operates all year round, but the big event 'Fun Palaces Weekend of Action', will see community-led projects come to life across the country and beyond.

This will be held on the weekend October 3-4.

With events clearly having to adapt to the current situation, Fun Palaces Co-Director, Stella Duffy has said "Maybe you'll teach three neighbours to play guitar from your front window, run a 15-minute online mask-sewing workshop, or share keepy-uppy skills with the (socially-distanced) supermarket queue - anything that connects people through sharing creativity in community is a Fun Palace, the smaller and safer the better."

The Fun Palaces Micro-Grant Scheme is delivered by Voluntary Arts England in Partnership with Coventry City of Culture Trust and can be used to purchase or hire equipment, buy materials, print posters/banners, hire a space etc. There is also provision for the fund to cover any PPE or other extra costs necessitated by current Government guidelines.

Applications are open to residents of Coventry & Warwickshire for any amount up to the maximum of £200.

The fund is limited, and will be distributed on a first come, first served basis. To receive funding applicants need to send a brief synopsis (250 words) of their project to [email protected].

If your activity is accepted you can register your activity on the Fun Palaces Map as well.

Full details are available if you follow this link.