A cheque for £17,000 has secured the future of the Weekend Arts College.
WAC, based in the old Hampstead Town Hall, has for 35 years provided world-class tuition in the performing arts for young people – often completely free of charge.
After funding cuts for arts courses, it has been struggling to keep afloat – and in November it feared it would have to close its weekend music tuition courses if it did not find £17,000 by Christmas.
The foundation’s Rowan Carnihan said much of the money had come from September celebrations to mark what would have been Amy’s 30th birthday. Events in Camden raised more than £30,000 – and Ms Carnihan said WAC was the ideal recipient.
It specialises in jazz as a basis of music tuition. Jazz gave Amy her break, as she sang for the National Youth Jazz Orchestra.
Carnihan said: “Hearing what WAC is all about makes this very fitting.
“We have done lots of fundraising for Amy’s 30th birthday in Camden and we have had so much support from the people of Camden that we wanted to do something in the borough – and this was an obvious choice.”
WAC chief executive Celia Greenwood revealed the donation would secure teaching every weekend for around 600 young people.
She said: “It is an amazing turn of events. We must not forget that the arts deliver a large range of transformable skills. They deliver success in education, and in life.”
WAC student 14-year-old Namali Kwaten, who is studying music production, has been one of the masterminds behind the fundraising push. He said: “WAC is such a good environment to learn in and the teaching is excellent – it helps so many young people realise their potential.”
Originally written by Dan Carrier for The Camden New Journal
