Wonderful News!
Wonder Arts celebrates after receiving £266,784 in National Lottery funding
We’ve got some exciting news to share!!
We have been awarded an incredible £266,784 from The National Lottery Community Fund to deliver our Communities of Wonder project for the next 4 years 🎉
This funding will allow us to expand our outreach work with children and young people across St Helens, giving them the chance to connect, create and explore some of the big issues that matter most to them.
What is Communities of Wonder?
The aim of Communities of Wonder is to develop and deliver an extended outreach and engagement programme with disadvantaged children and young people in St Helens.
Over the next four years, we’ll run a rolling programme of 12 projects (three each year) designed specifically to meet the needs of targeted groups of young people. These projects will be impactful because they put young people’s voices and experiences at the centre, focusing on the issues they face in their daily lives.
What we’ll achieve together
Through a wide range of arts activities, we’ll explore themes chosen by young people themselves, including mental health and wellbeing (post-Covid), the environment, and diversity. Alongside reducing anti-social behaviour, the project will focus on creating lasting positive change:
🌟 Improved Mental Health: Young people will feel more positive, more involved, and better supported.
🌟 Improved Confidence & Wellbeing: With greater life satisfaction, higher levels of happiness, and reduced anxiety.
🌟 Improved Life Choices & Aspirations: By developing new creative, social, and transferable skills that will open up future opportunities.
And it won’t stop when each project ends! Communities of Wonder is designed to have a solid, long-term impact; leading to volunteering opportunities, work experience, and continued skills development for the young people involved.
Wonder Arts Staff & Young Volunteers at Wonder in the Street - 2025
A Message from Our Chief Executive
Fay Lamb, Chief Executive & Artistic Director of Wonder Arts, said:
“Thanks to the incredible support of National Lottery players, this funding will allow us to take our Communities of Wonder project to the next level. Over the next four years, we’ll be working closely with young people across St Helens to spark creativity, improve wellbeing and build confidence through inspiring artistic experiences. This support means we can create lasting opportunities for children and young people to thrive, connect, and imagine new possibilities for their futures.”
Why This Matters
The National Lottery Community Fund recently launched its new strategy, It starts with community, which focuses on supporting communities to connect, be environmentally sustainable, help young people thrive, and enable healthier lives.
Last year alone, the fund awarded £686.3 million to more than 13,700 projects across the UK and we’re thrilled that Communities of Wonder is one of them!
Thank You
We want to say a massive thank you to everyone who plays The National Lottery; you’re helping make a real difference here in St Helens and across the UK.
We can’t wait to share updates as the project unfolds. Stay tuned, and join us on this journey as we create communities full of wonder, creativity, and possibility.