STACKED Wonky, a NGO contemporary dance company based in Porlock recently received a huge second grant from the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund.

This is managed by Somerset Community Foundation. The team has now received a total of £15,000 from the fund since May 2022.

Somerset Community Foundation has awarded grants worth over £100,000 from the HPC Community Fund’s Small Grants Programme to groups since May 2022.

Stacked Wonky puts on professional dance performances across Somerset in unexpected locations such as the Somerset West and Taunton District Council offices at Deane House in Taunton.

It also runs highly popular academies for children and teenagers in the area and has become an important provider of dance training in Somerset.

The company aims to benefit the community by enhancing community cohesion as well as building the confidence of young people.  

Amelia Thompson, Senior Programmes Manager for Somerset Community Foundation explains: “This is an exciting project to develop young people's aspirations in the arts. Stacked Wonky identifies and responds to the needs of young people to nurture specific skills, access training and apprenticeships, and it helps them to gain more advanced, hands-on experience across all aspects of professional performance-making.

“It is a site-specific dance theatre company running academies for young people, but they also open up access to the world of professional theatre, work experience and careers advice."

Sarah Shorten from Stacked Wonky agrees, added: “We work with west Somerset landowners and organisations to source unusual places for workshops and performances."

"Currently, we run two weekly academies for young people aged 5 – 18 in Porlock and Old Cleeve, both of which are full and have had waiting lists since September 2021.

Andrew Cockcroft, senior stakeholder relations manager at Hinkley Point C said: “We’re really pleased that this latest grant will help the team at Stacked Wonky continue their good work."

"Community benefit is at the heart of our fund and we are thrilled to be supporting organisations which are improving lives in Somerset.”

Stacked Wonky opened a more accessible office and studio in Porlock in 2021 which increased oppurtunities for a number of collaborations, including Porlock Tree Toddlers, a creative, forest school-inspired learning environment for local families struggling to travel to groups further afield.

The Small Grants Programme awards grants of up to £5,000 or up to £10,000 over three years - for charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises that normally operate on less than £100,000 per year.

Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) is a charity that helps passionate people in Somerset change the world on their doorstep by funding local charities and inspiring local giving and philanthropy.

They provide rewarding and impactful ways for donors to give through them, to the causes and places they care about most. Together, they fund amazing organisations and the passionate people that change lives every day.

Since SCF were founded in 2002 they have awarded more than £20 million in funding, changing thousands of lives across Somerset.