The Lowry Centre Trust

The Lowry is based in Salford Quays, Greater Manchester and is a cross-arts centre putting children and young people from Salford at the centre of everything it does. The Lowry presents a wide-ranging and diverse programme across performing and visual arts which it utilises to inspire and engage young people from a variety of backgrounds and help them to look towards brighter futures.

The Lowry’s Learning and Engagement programme benefits over 30,000 young people each year and interacts with some of the most difficult to reach, and vulnerable young people to develop their creativity, confidence and employability skills. Its “four pillars” are Learning & Participation, Employability & Skills, Targeted Engagement and Youth Talent. Through its Youth Employability and Skills (YES) project the Lowry provides bespoke creative and work-based learning opportunities for young people who are, or at risk of being, not in education, employment or training. Opportunities range from first access visits, such as world of work backstage tours, through to longer term work placements throughout departments focusing on personal development and real-life work experience. The YES project focuses on work related learning, engaging approximately 1,000 young people per year and equipping them with practical skills and helping them to become work ready or progress onto other training. The Lowry works closely in partnership with Pupil Referral Units, alternative education providers and schools to ensure they are reaching the young people who need additional support and to engage them back into education, training or employment.

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Our involvement in the project…

The Crosslane Foundation has agreed to provide funds to The Lowry over a three-year period for the refurbishment of a classroom within the Lowry Centre and provision of digital technology equipment to create a new digital skills laboratory. The room will be named ‘The Crosslane Foundation Lab’. This inspiring space will enable The Lowry to engage young people through arts and technology in exciting ways and making use of the digital and media hub of MediaCityUK.
The aims are for users to 1. Improve employability skills, 2. Develop personal and social skills, 3. Work alongside professional digital artists, 4. Improve mental and emotional health for young people. It is expected the Lab will be used by at least 2,000 school children per year for workshops, young people on the YES Programme, and other vulnerable young people from Salford including young carers, looked after children and young parents.
Project target:

£60,000

Project location:

Salford

Project beneficiaries:

Early teens to 18+

Project target date:

2022

We are so excited about the prospect and possibilities of our new digital space at The Lowry. It will provide a huge range of new opportunities for the young people we work with, many of whom have never had the opportunity to work with such exciting and digitally advanced creative tools. The new space will be a massive asset to us and we can’t wait to work with The Crosslane Foundation on it
Lynsey O’Sullivan, Director of Learning and Engagement at The Lowry

Help us make a real difference to young people who need it…