Changing Lives, Strengthening Communities, Nurturing Talent
Glasgowbury is a charitable social enterprise that has been working across Mid-Ulster since 2000 to provide access/progression routes into the creative industries and deliver opportunities for community engagement in the arts. Through our programmes and events we deliver services from the Cornstore Creative Hub at the heart of Draperstown’s historic town centre for all members of the community from young children and their carers to seniors. In response to the identified need we have sought to develop the arts infrastructure in mid-Ulster from grassroots level through our programmes and we aim to nurture talent, strengthen communities and change lives. We are currently welcoming over 130 people to the centre weekly to take part in various programmes and events.
We continually monitor and evaluate our work to ensure that we are achieving positive outcomes for the individuals and families we work with, our partners and our funders. In response to their feedback we have introduced tailored programmes that support older people’s participation and intergenerational engagement, enable children with complex needs and adults with mental health issues to participate in the arts as well as providing a community based resource for entrepreneurs, small businesses and local voluntary groups.
Glasgowbury has developed professional, productive relationships with Executive Departments, various statutory agencies, local businesses, funding bodies and voluntary groups to identify shared objectives and implement a series of initiatives to deliver benefits for the whole community. We have successfully introduced innovative, award winning programmes to support creative activities in small communities. We are already contributing to the delivery of a number of key Executive and Local Government policy objectives including DCAL/ ACNI’s strategies to promote the arts and creative industries particularly in the Northwest, DARD’s initiatives to support rural development, DEL’s and DETI’s policies to provide routes to employment and encourage entrepreneurship and OFMDFM and DSD’s various policies to improve relations within and between communities and to support active citizenship.
We are now working to secure core funding to underpin services which support the achievement of local government’s objectives e.g. our youth programmes increase feelings of community safety by providing diversionary activities and facilitating intergenerational engagement, computer literacy courses for seniors improves access to goods and services for older rural dwellers reducing social exclusion and enabling participation in digital communities, our initiatives to support people into the creative industries offer pathways to employment, entrepreneurship, further education and training and volunteering opportunities within the community.
Here are just some of the nice things that people have had to say about Glasgowbury:
Festival
“Our first ever headline of an Irish festival which made it all the more special ”
Mark Hamilton, Ash
“…it’s the most innovative and authentic and sheerly enjoyable musical festival in these islands”
Eamonn McCann, Belfast Telegraph
“Forget Glastonbury, here’s Glasgowbury, one of the biggest and best loved independent music festivals in Ireland ”
David Roy, Irish News
“…take in the breathtaking beauty that is the Glasgowbury setting, this really is something special”
Sig Doherty, Cluas
“The festival has grown from the original ‘small but massive’ concept into just ‘massive’ with the biggest acts on the local scene clamouring to get involved.”
Mark Whyte, Daily Mirror
“Glasgowbury is an annual celebration of all that’s best in Irish music culture”
Hot Press Magazine
Programmes
“Every participant noticed a significant improvement in their mood, sleeping pattern and ability to cope with everyday life”
“The tutors were focused and sensitive to the needs of the young people”
“Glasgowbury has played a huge role in my career”
“He finds it as a method of stress relief”
“Glasgowbury holds a special place in my heart – it’s more than just music, it is an ethos, a community, a way of life”
“As a result of taking part in Creative Computing I have become more active in the community”
“It really gives her more confidence”
“You can learn a new instrument and make friends while doing it”
“It helps her with her performing arts GCSE”
“Glasgowbury is an asset to our community. It offers a unique accessible service at a very affordable level, very friendly and welcoming environment”
“The location is vital as we live so rurally and would miss so much if this facility didn’t exist”
“My kids are learning valuable and worthwhile skills”
“It is refreshing to see such an initiative in the area which greatly enhances the lives of local young people and helps develop skills which will be put to good use in their later lives and careers”
“It is more than just learning notes and songs”
“From his 10 week guitar programme my son has felt a sense of achievement”
“Glasgowbury has been an integral part of our transition whilst settling into the Draperstown community”
“He is disciplined with practice and rehearsals”
“I was very glad to get some industry experience on my CV”
“Glasgowbury has provided complete inspiration, encouragement and great advice”
“This has been such a positive experience”
“They have given me the confidence to be who I am today”
“The Rural Key programme changed my life”
“I came to Glasgowbury for work experience and got so much more than that”
“I just wanted to say thank you!”
“You guys do great work, to inspire people of all ages, create wonderful opportunities for musicians and artists, bring people together and add incredible worth to the wonderful and ever growing artistic community of NI and Ireland”
“The advice and guidance I received from the team over the years has been invaluable”
“The Rural Key turned out to be the most all encompassing, confidence building, and most importantly, hopeful, course I have ever been on”
