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Rochester Bridge Trust Supports Medway Artists

Art for Life, a Medway charity that helps people with learning difficulties and disabilities to develop their artistic flair, has been given a £2,000 grant by The Rochester Bridge Trust. The money will go towards the cost of producing works of art for an exhibition based around the theme of the River Medway.

Art for Life, which is based at the Adult Education Centre in Rochester, was founded in 1988 and provides free workshops for its members. “Each year we decide upon a theme that we wish to explore as a group and then seek funding,” said workshop leader Dan Sharp. “Our current theme is the River Medway, and the money received from The Rochester Bridge Trust and other supporters pays for things such as professional fees, art materials, research trips and a final exhibition.”

“Our members, who are all from the local area, are embarking on a personal exploration of what the River Medway means to them and will be producing individual artworks. Parallel to this they are also working together to produce a group piece.”

The Rochester Bridge Trust, which was founded at the end of the 14th century to maintain a bridge across the River Medway, awards grants each year to community projects reflecting the Trust’s history, activities and objectives.

Sue Threader, Bridge Clerk for the Trust, said: “Maintaining crossings of the river Medway at no cost to the public is the primary role of the Trust, but when possible we like to help the community in other ways, too. This year the Trust has made community grants of £20,000 across the area covered by the historic county of Kent for projects that have ranged from the restoration of historic buildings to educational and engineering initiatives. We are delighted to be able to help Art for Life with their project to explore the River Medway and to support their valuable work.”

The 2012 grants programme will be launched in February 2012.

Notes:

1. The Rochester Bridge Trust is a charitable trust that exists to maintain the old and new bridges at Rochester and serve the travelling public. It is the only surviving bridge trust still serving its original purpose, and it has served the people of Kent since 1399. The Trust also supports numerous community and education projects across historic Kent and Medway.

2. The Trust’s assets all derive from endowments of land and money in the 14th and 15th centuries and are carefully managed in order to provide an income to fund bridge maintenance and local charitable grants. The Trust receives no external funding and is regulated by the Charity Commission.

For more information:

The Rochester Bridge Trust
5 Esplanade
Rochester
Kent ME1 1QE
Tel: 01634 846706
Fax: 01634 840125

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