Harmony Works Sheffield: Castlegate young people’s music centre set to get £118k funding

A £118,000 grant to help create an innovative Sheffield music education and performance centre for young people has been put forward as part of the city’s new cultural strategy.

A meeting of Sheffield City Council’s economic development and skills committee next Wednesday (February 21) will be asked to approve the grant from its Project Feasibility Fund to Harmony Works, a key part of the regeneration plan for the Castlegate area of the city centre.

The £16 million plan brings Sheffield Music Hub, Sheffield Music Academy and other partners under one roof to provide a music education and performance facility for young people. The grant will be used to help fund a business case for the project, which involves converting the grade II-listed Canada House on Commercial Street.

The £6.6m Project Feasibility Fund money comes from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.

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The city council’s culture strategy was launched last year. A report to the committee says: “This ‘new Cultural Strategy for Sheffield’ will be a guiding vision for everyone involved in culture or creativity in Sheffield.

“It will include the shared set of values that are agreed as important to the sector; recognition of where we are and where we want to be; and examplesof the many things we should celebrate.”

The council will also aim to source outside funding for cultural projects.An engagement plan is looking at “what communities want and need from culture in Sheffield and the barriers to participation”.

Consultation sessions with a wide range of groups and communities are taking place this month and next.