We’ve donated 18 pianos to local community groups across County Durham to help spread the joy and benefits of music.
Amongst the recipients of a piano is RT Projects, a Durham City-based arts and mental health organisation which already benefits from student volunteers.
Set up in 2009 by people who had experience of mental health challenges and wanted to help others, RT Projects specialises in suicide intervention. The team at RT Projects hope that the addition of a piano will open up a new world of creative outlet to the people they work with.
Also receiving a piano donation is Enter CIC, which focuses on widening participation and works with young people from four-25, as well as elderly in the community.
The team at Entre CIC, believe the piano will help to inspire young people and performers, both as audience members and artists.
Other organisations receiving a piano donation include Tees Valley Music Service, Citizen Songwriters and Greenfield Community College. A piano will also be relocated to Durham Railway Station.
The donations follow the completion of a project which saw Durham become the largest All-Steinway School in the UK, which involved us welcoming several new pianos.
We wanted to ensure that existing pianos which were being replaced went to good homes, where they could benefit the wider community.
The piano donations are part of our wider commitment to having a positive impact in the communities we’re part of, alongside things like our extensive staff and student volunteering programme, many events and exhibitions and schools and community outreach programmes.
Image 1 - Handover of piano to Enter CIC: Foreground: Andrea Flynn Enter CIC, Nicola Candlish Senior Manager of Performing Arts at Durham University. Alongside: Skye Colledge, Gracie Flynn, Ashton Flynn, Jack Cornish of Enter CIC.
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