We are super pleased to announce that the Silchester Players in North Hampshire have donated £2,000 to The Olibob Arts Foundation. The theatre company allocates some of the proceeds from each production to local charities each year, and it was an absolute honour to receive this donation. Our thanks go to the theatre group, and to the wonderful patrons who support the fantastic productions.
This is the second such donation from the group, following the £2,000 we previously received in July 2023.
The Olibob Arts Foundation was set up in memory of Oli Williams who was heavily involved in the Silchester Players, and who benefitted hugely from his involvement in the local amateur drama group. It is great to see Oli's brother, Joe Williams, flourish at the theatre company.
The goal of the Foundation is to allow other young people to benefit from access to performing arts groups in providing them with key life skills as they prepare for entering the workplace and to participate in society. We firmly believe that all young people should be able to benefit in this way, not just those whose families can afford it.
The generous donation will help us to award grants to performing arts projects, with the aim of helping young people (aged 11-21) develop new skills through music and drama, such as confidence, role playing, team working, interpersonal skills, and communication skills. Recently, much of our funding has been provided locally, and we are happy to support the youth theatre groups and the community drama projects managed by the Corn Exchange Trust in Newbury
