Stephen Morgan, Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South is urging local people to vote for a city charity in this year’s People’s Project.
£50,000 could be granted to Aspex Gallery in Gunwharf Quays by the National Lottery if backed by the public with funding going a long way to support the city’s refugee and asylum-seeker community.
The project, named ‘Welcome’ would aid the community through art, developing new skills, English language capability, as well as confidence and self-esteem, whilst becoming part of the wider local community.
Voting opens at 9am on Monday 16 April and closes at 12pm on Monday 30 April, with members of the public able to vote online.
This project will drastically improve the lives of both adults and children as education and employment opportunities increase. Our community is one of togetherness and this would only refine that.
Supporting the campaign for funds after attending a launch event at Aspex Gallery and talking to those involved and potential beneficiaries, Stephen Morgan MP said:
“The People’s Project provides a brilliant Portsmouth charity like Aspex with an incredible opportunity to support some of the most vulnerable people in our community.
By delivering a project which creates opportunities to access art is a creative and innovative method that should not be ignored.
I urge everyone in our great city to vote for the Welcome project to help extend Portsmouth’s tradition of helping those in need. Let’s do our city proud by backing this important project and winning it for Portsmouth”.
Since March 2017, over 70 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children came to Portsmouth in search of a new, secure life.
Joanne Bushnell, Director of Aspex added:
“We believe that art can change lives and that everyone has the right to access it. Aspex has a track record of working with a diverse range of people, from toddlers through to people with dementia.
We now need public support to extend this work to more members of our community. A single vote can change lives”.
To vote visit for Portsmouth’s Welcome Project visit: www.thepeoplesprojects.org.uk
To find our more or join the conversation on social media use the hashtag #RefugeesWelcome or follow @aspexportsmouth
