Funding announced for creative hub in Salford
Islington Mill, a creative community hub in the centre of Salford, Manchester, has been awarded £746,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Created in 2000, Islington Mill is a creative space, arts hub and community centre in the city of Salford.
More than 15,000 people visit the Grade II listed building every year, some for an evening and some making it their home for several years.
The Heritage Lottery Funding will be used alongside a £1m grant from the Arts Council England to develop parts of the Grade II listed building.
The money will be used to completely weatherproof the building, and to create new entranceways, exterior lifts, a fifth storey walkway and new live, work and event spaces.
Maurice Carlin, co-director of Islington Mill said: ‘Islington Mill is sustained by, and thrives off, the collective energy, ideas and opportunities brought by artists.
‘I am one of many artists who made artworks to raise funds for the Mill.
‘Together we raised over £100,000 which is a phenomenal achievement by any standards.
‘This latest funding success will secure a long future for the finest surviving heritage building of its kind in the region, in perpetuity for generations more artists to come, guarding against the developing gentrification that has occurred in other urban centres and ensuring that artists have affordable studio space and a creative atmosphere in Salford in which to grow.
Mayor of Salford, Paul Dennett, said: ‘Salford has always been a working city, where things are made.
‘We’re hugely excited about this project, encouraging independent artists industry in our city, driven by the community and those who live on-site.
‘This is an exciting experiment in how to protect areas of rising rents from gentrification, how to keep these places affordable both for residents and also artists and creatives.
‘We’re building a self-governing, affordable and accessible artistic space for industry, jobs and the arts. I couldn’t be more enthusiastic.’
Photo Credit – Islington Mill
