By KLTV Newsdesk –

Lawrence Batley Theatre to expand skills, training and volunteering programmes with support from Amazon’s Regional Creatives Fund

Staff at a Huddersfield charity are celebrating a major funding win after Lawrence Batley Theatre was awarded a £10,000 grant to enhance programmes supporting local people into creative industry careers.

The award comes from the Regional Creatives Fund, launched by Amazon, which provides grants of up to £30,000 for charities helping communities gain the skills needed to access jobs in the creative sector.

Judges included leading figures from BAFTA, the National Theatre and Help Musicians.

Expanding Access to Creative Careers

The Regional Creatives Fund aligns with the Government’s Creative Places Growth Fund and aims to widen access to creative-sector careers for those from underserved communities.

Creative Access, the UK’s leading inclusivity organisation in the industry, defines underserved communities as groups proven to be underrepresented in the sector.

Lawrence Batley Theatre presents a wide-ranging programme throughout the year, from drama and contemporary dance to circus and pantomime, and plays a key role in nurturing talent across Kirklees.

Its Future Creative programme offers inclusive volunteering roles in the arts and cultural sectors, supporting young people affected by poverty and unemployment.

With one in three Kirklees households experiencing poverty and local unemployment exceeding the national average, the programme addresses significant socio-economic challenges.

Support for 50 Young People Across West Yorkshire

The new grant will enable the theatre to engage 50 young people aged 18–30 in volunteering placements over the next two years.

Funding will support a dedicated Volunteer Manager with lived experience to provide tailored guidance to participants.

Workshops will cover creative and employability skills, including CV writing, interview techniques, first aid, technical theatre, and creative practice masterclasses.

Investment will also expand the use of Volunteero, an app-based volunteer management system that will advertise opportunities, track participant progress, and provide digital training.

A ‘no-worries fund’ will help remove barriers by covering travel expenses, while uniform investment aims to promote confidence and a sense of belonging.

Collaborations with creative organisations across West Yorkshire will provide placements in theatre, music, digital media and visual arts, with celebration events marking volunteer milestones.

Voices from the Programme

Becky Dash, Chief Executive of Lawrence Batley Theatre, said: “I am grateful to the Regional Creatives Fund for their investment in our Future Creatives programme.

“Building on its incredible success over the last three years, we’re pleased that it’s coming back bigger and better and we’re now able to offer this incredible development opportunity to even more young people in our area.

“When I was a young adult living in Huddersfield, I had to relocate to London to get this sort of opportunity.

“Now we can offer a taster of what it’s like to be part of the creative industries right here in Kirklees.

“Opportunities like this are what makes our area an amazing place to live and work.”

Paul Firth, Director, Global Music Industry, Amazon Music and Regional Creatives Fund judge, added: “Lawrence Batley Theatre does incredible work in the community, and we were blown away by its commitment to upskilling people in underserved communities for careers in creative industries.

“Amazon is passionate about creating opportunities for people in West Yorkshire and across the UK to have access to creative industry careers, and we’re excited to support Lawrence Batley Theatre as it expands its programmes to have an even greater impact on the local community.”

A Rigorous Selection Process

Funding applications were evaluated across five key areas: the strength of creative purpose, impact through skills and access, feasibility and delivery, commitment to inclusion, and the ability to build on existing successful programmes.

Judges included senior leaders from Amazon, the National Theatre, Creative Wales, Arts Council England, the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, Help Musicians and Music Minds Matter.