Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra receives ‘game-changing’ grant

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) has set out plans to extend its community work after being awarded its largest ever single grant.

The orchestra said a £300,000 award from the Garfield Weston Foundation will allow it to deepen access to its music education projects and its expand its work in hospitals.

The funding will allow it to continue providing chamber-scale concerts for pupils in South Somerset in partnership with The Octagon, Yeovil, while its SEND schools’ concerts will be expanded to reach Bristol, Dorset and Hampshire.

Meanwhile, the BSO Young Associates programme – launched in 2022 to create a career springboard for aspiring community music leaders traditionally underrepresented in the arts workforce – will also expand.

The orchestra’s work in hospitals will also be introduced to more NHS trusts in the region.

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s chief executive, Dougie Scarfe, said: “This grant is a game changer for us. We are deeply grateful to the Garfield Weston Foundation, whose support allows us to make a lasting and meaningful impact in schools, hospitals and communities across the South West.

“We know that our creative well-being and music education programmes make a difference to people’s lives, and with challenges facing people of all ages we’re certain the positive impacts of this work will be felt deeply.”