GRIT Studios

5 July 2024

In 2021, Sophie Macaulay, the Founder of Grit Studios, found a quirky 4,800-square-foot derelict building in Stockport town centre with massive potential. She set out to restore the building, transforming the space into fabulous creative studios, bringing colour to the neighbourhood, and providing jobs to local communities. Grit now offers free music and arts events and workshops such as carpentry, welding, and jewellery making. Over the past 3 years, the GRIT team have transformed their wider site to create a biodiverse and low-impact centre for young people and the local community to meet and connect.

The project:

With funding from the Eden Project and our first direct funding from our National Partners City & Guilds through the City & Guilds Foundation, we created bespoke storage and a special community table to bring people together for their ‘The Big Lunch‘ event – a national annual community get-together, bringing people from different communities together through friendship, food and fun.

The Impact:

  • Local young people volunteered during the summer holidays alongside our Trade Mentors to help create the table, gaining an Entry Level 3 City & Guilds accreditation in Carpentry as part of their experience
  • Grit received the Sharing Table Award by Eden Project Communities, who organise The Big Lunch event, including our work with City & Guilds to create The Big Lunch sharing table as part of their wider community project to develop their site as a truly collaborative and creative space
  • Michael Osbaldeston, Senior Advisor, City & Guilds Foundation and part of our VIY Advisory Board, said: “The City & Guilds Foundation was delighted to be able to support the creative community at GRIT studios in Stockport through a VIY project.  The quality of the VIY work makes a real contribution to the working environment and displays craft excellence in a practical way. Having been fortunate enough to see the young people in action, what was clear was the level of tuition they were being given, and their excitement at being able to learn new skills in such a supportive environment.  We were proud that this project demonstrably delivered benefits to the client, the trainees and the local community.”

Great Yarmouth Community Arts

25 November 2024

Project Manager Contact: mick@teamviy.com

Youth Engagement Contact: jojo@teamviy.com

Project Overview

The project focuses on refurbishing a portion of the building to serve as a meeting room and café, marking the first step toward opening the space to the public. Work includes removing old plaster, applying insulated plasterboards to exposed and partially plastered walls, preparing the surfaces, adding new skirting, and completing the decoration.

This initiative brings the team closer to their goal of establishing a community arts venue by 2025, featuring classrooms, studios, and a café. Currently vacant, the space has the potential to become a vibrant hub for creativity and community engagement.

 

Great Yarmouth

25 November 2024

Project Manager Contact: mick@teamviy.com

Project Overview

VIY enhanced the environment by decorating various spaces within this fantastic Grade 1 listed building, including the main hall, changing rooms, and entrance lobby.

It is hoped that both the audience and participant groups will increase. The well-being and experiences of the groups and customers can be enhanced. There is a strong aspiration to reach out to as much of the community as possible, bringing art and culture to all.

Be the Change

10 June 2024

Be The Change is an award-winning youth organisation based in Bolton, committed to developing young people who are a positive force.

Project Contact: Danny Hawkins, email danny@teamviy.com

Grit Studios

23 October 2024

Project Manager Contact: danny@teamviy.com

Project Overview 

The project will involve transforming a standard office building into a vibrant and dynamic creative art space, designed to inspire creativity, foster collaboration, and engage the local community through various artistic opportunities.

Aaja Music

12 January 2023

Aaja Music is a grassroots music organisation founded by Sam and Owen, two local music business owners from the local Deptford area; incorporating a record label, radio station, music event space. They were forced out of their pre-Covid home, into their temporary home during and since Covid at the nearby Snake Pit – an outdoor venue. Now they’re on a mission to transform this venue on Deptford High Street, which has been empty for 10 years, having been the local Marks & Spencer (the jewellery counter still remains!), car park and underground club. Step in our first project in partnership with Barclaycard Entertainment, doing #SomethingConstructive together for grassroots music, arts and culture.

The project:

  • First up was major clearance and site prep to make the space accessible including asbestos removal, temporary electrics/lighting (thanks to GAP Tool Hire), prepping a temporary toilet area, floor levelling and an industrial clean
  • Construction of two stud walls around the new entrance, to create a sound barrier for neighbours
  • Construction of the walls and doorway between the two larger event spaces
  • Initial construction of the hallway which separates the main music space from the other areas and creation of the live radio studio

The young people: 10 local young volunteers, from the Construction Youth Trust, Lewisham College, St Giles’ Trust and Royal Greenwich Council

The impact:

  • This project kickstarts a wider programme of works to create Aaja’s new long-term home on Deptford High Street, with a 10 year lease
  • Hands-on work experience for 10 young people looking to get into construction, helping to develop a space they may use on their doorstep
  • Expanding the organisation into two venues: the High Street as their indoor home and radio station, The Snake Pit as their live event & market space

Accreditations gained: 9 City & Guilds accreditations gained in Carpentry

See the impact of the project in our film below.

Clifton Street Community Centre

10 June 2024

Clifton Street Community Centre is a former primary school building transformed into a great community space, including a library, two large halls for hire, a fully kitted kitchen, a council office space, and a great outdoor space to the rear. The Venue hosts art classes, dance classes, and lots more.

VIY plans to section one of the halls to create a space to hire out, paint the inside, and transform the outdoor garden area.

Impact

We aim to create a newly decorated indoor space for the venue groups to use, making the environment more welcoming to their guests. It will also give the venue an amazing outdoor area to use as a meeting space and a community garden.

Project Contact: Gemma Torr, email gemma@teamviy.com

Cromer Artspace

29 December 2022

Epic Studios

29 December 2022

Fulford Arms

8 September 2023

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