Belfast and Beyond
Monday, 11 April 2011
creativechangeni
I'm getting withdrawal symptoms from my blog. I mean for not writing longer pieces to my blog.I have a small part on the left of my ccni site but just felt the need to write something longer after two months I have over 200 people on the creativechnageni site. They are starting to interact and people are starting to attend events that they had never come across before. It's a nice feeling to see people starting to link up. It's been interesting being on the other side as well, trying to get people to put what ever it is in the right places. We have been out filming again last week for late night art and managed to get around a different set of galleries. great to see so many familar faces and new people starting to get into the hang of support the visual arts.There are so many really amazing people at the moment in the Visual Art scene in NI that it seems such a shame to almost be ignoring them, which to me the mainstream media is almost doing. So If you are interested in finding out whats going on , on your door step join in the conversation www.creativechangeni.com great photos from Paul Moore, Tonya McMullan and David McClelland from Art in the Dark. Videos from last week online soon.
Thursday, 24 February 2011
After two weeks with creativechangeni
So after 2 weeks of the new site being up I have 92 members and counting I'm getting the hang of it and find it interesting to see who participates or not. It is there for the ART community and people interested in Art and change in NI. Simply to help connections and encourage people to go and see things participate in the community around you and be open to think differently. If you have come here instead join us
www.creativechangeni.com and join in the Art revolution.
www.creativechangeni.com and join in the Art revolution.
Thursday, 17 February 2011
womens refuge cuts
Women's refuge chief returns OBE in protest over cuts
Denise Marshall says funding cuts will leave Eaves charity unable to support victims of violence and sex trafficking
The head of a leading women's refuge is handing back the OBE she received for services to disadvantaged women
because she believes government cuts will leave her unable to provide proper support to vulnerable women.
Denise Marshall, chief executive of Eaves charity, which specialises in helping women who have been victims of violence
and those who have been trafficked into prostitution, said the level of funding cuts to support organisations such as hers meant
they would soon be unable to function properly.
National and local government funding decisions have hit women's support services hard.
Preliminary research by the national charity Women's Aid shows that more than half of all domestic violence services
still do not know whether they will have enough money to remain fully open after March.
Marshall told the Guardian: "I received the OBE in 2007 specifically for providing services to disadvantaged women.
It was great to get it; it felt like recognition for the work the organisation has done."But recently it has been keeping me awake at night.
I feel like it would be dishonourable and wrong to keep it. I'm facing a future where I can't give women who come to my organisation the
services they deserve – I won't be able to provide the services for which I got the OBE."
Women's organisations have always struggled financially, but charities across the sector are reporting that the current round of public sector cuts
has left them facing unprecedented funding shortages. Earlier this year Devon county council proposed to scrap funding to its domestic violence support
services; after vigorous campaigning from women's groups a 42% cut was imposed instead.
"I've worked in this sector for almost 30 years. I don't want to sound melodramatic but I don't think I have ever felt as depressed and desperate as I do now," Marshall said.
"There has never been enough money, but we were able to scratch around to find some. I've always been reasonably pragmatic; I've been good at finding bits of money from
grants, local authorities and charities. Now it feels like there is nowhere to go to. I feel devastated.
"We have always worked on a shoestring, but now that shoestring has been cut. What is suffering is the quality of the service provision. What was already a barely
functioning sector is now in danger of dying on its feet."
Marshall called St James's Palace to find out how to return the OBE, and was told she could send it to either the Queen or the prime minister, with an explanation of why
she was giving it back. Last night she had dusted off the medal, which she had stored at the back of a cupboard, and was writing a letter to David Cameron.
For the full story see - http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/feb/15/women-refuge-chief-protest-cuts
Denise Marshall says funding cuts will leave Eaves charity unable to support victims of violence and sex trafficking
The head of a leading women's refuge is handing back the OBE she received for services to disadvantaged women
because she believes government cuts will leave her unable to provide proper support to vulnerable women.
Denise Marshall, chief executive of Eaves charity, which specialises in helping women who have been victims of violence
and those who have been trafficked into prostitution, said the level of funding cuts to support organisations such as hers meant
they would soon be unable to function properly.
National and local government funding decisions have hit women's support services hard.
Preliminary research by the national charity Women's Aid shows that more than half of all domestic violence services
still do not know whether they will have enough money to remain fully open after March.
Marshall told the Guardian: "I received the OBE in 2007 specifically for providing services to disadvantaged women.
It was great to get it; it felt like recognition for the work the organisation has done."But recently it has been keeping me awake at night.
I feel like it would be dishonourable and wrong to keep it. I'm facing a future where I can't give women who come to my organisation the
services they deserve – I won't be able to provide the services for which I got the OBE."
Women's organisations have always struggled financially, but charities across the sector are reporting that the current round of public sector cuts
has left them facing unprecedented funding shortages. Earlier this year Devon county council proposed to scrap funding to its domestic violence support
services; after vigorous campaigning from women's groups a 42% cut was imposed instead.
"I've worked in this sector for almost 30 years. I don't want to sound melodramatic but I don't think I have ever felt as depressed and desperate as I do now," Marshall said.
"There has never been enough money, but we were able to scratch around to find some. I've always been reasonably pragmatic; I've been good at finding bits of money from
grants, local authorities and charities. Now it feels like there is nowhere to go to. I feel devastated.
"We have always worked on a shoestring, but now that shoestring has been cut. What is suffering is the quality of the service provision. What was already a barely
functioning sector is now in danger of dying on its feet."
Marshall called St James's Palace to find out how to return the OBE, and was told she could send it to either the Queen or the prime minister, with an explanation of why
she was giving it back. Last night she had dusted off the medal, which she had stored at the back of a cupboard, and was writing a letter to David Cameron.
For the full story see - http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/feb/15/women-refuge-chief-protest-cuts
Monday, 14 February 2011
Monday, 7 February 2011
creativechangeni.com launched
Well I was getting a bit fed up with the straight Blog format so I decided to widen things out a bit and have started a community site
www.creativechangeni.com After setting it up I just thought I'd put some things in place to see what happens. the reason I put it together is that I'm fed up being on every galleries listings in greater Belfast and some of them dont send the info out in time while I always pass on the information people were starting to contact me to see what is going on in the Art world which was getting exhausting. I mean why cannot it be in one place so that if you just wanted to dip in and out of it you could see what was going on rather than having to register with every gallery.
So there you go CreativeChangeni is born where it will go is anyone's idea that will be up to it's members. Hopefully it will be complementary to all the fantastic newspaper coverage that Art gets in the local papers and magizines???? ( do you notice any, I dont) It's all just filled with social pages..................crap ,crap,crap, crap designed to get the people published in the magizines to buy the papers. Placed by PR companys. Money for old rope.
So It's been hectic since I launched it and there is a blog part on it as well I'm just working out if I keep this one going as well I mean I do have to sleep sometime.
www.creativechangeni.com After setting it up I just thought I'd put some things in place to see what happens. the reason I put it together is that I'm fed up being on every galleries listings in greater Belfast and some of them dont send the info out in time while I always pass on the information people were starting to contact me to see what is going on in the Art world which was getting exhausting. I mean why cannot it be in one place so that if you just wanted to dip in and out of it you could see what was going on rather than having to register with every gallery.
So there you go CreativeChangeni is born where it will go is anyone's idea that will be up to it's members. Hopefully it will be complementary to all the fantastic newspaper coverage that Art gets in the local papers and magizines???? ( do you notice any, I dont) It's all just filled with social pages..................crap ,crap,crap, crap designed to get the people published in the magizines to buy the papers. Placed by PR companys. Money for old rope.
So It's been hectic since I launched it and there is a blog part on it as well I'm just working out if I keep this one going as well I mean I do have to sleep sometime.
Friday, 4 February 2011
Tuesday, 1 February 2011
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Belfast and Beyond