The Music and Arts for Shepway Community charity has received £3,000 funding from the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust to assist in provision of free music and arts projects to children and young people in the Folkestone and Hythe district.

MASC was originally set up as Guildhall Sports and Arts CIC in 2007 and established as a registered charity in 2018.

Originally going into schools and Age UK centres offering music sessions along with some sport sessions, MASC went on to set up a community choir, Shepway Primary Singers, free to all children of primary school age across Shepway. It runs from the Wood Avenue Library in the heart of East Folkestone, an area the charity realised had the greatest need as local families may not have access to transport. Now, the charity also runs Shepway Voices, for adults, and Shepway Youth Voices, for children of secondary school age.

MASC aims to give every child in the area the chance to participate in a choir or art project regardless of any social, financial or physical barrier. The choirs are run by Alex McNeice and Duncan Moris who are well known for their work in the district. The choirs perform several concerts each year, including at local community events. The older children are encouraged to take part in all aspects of the choir, including choosing which songs they would like to sing and who will sing solos.

Currently, around 220 children per year benefit from the sessions, but with the additional funding allowing them to add new sessions, they expect this number to increase. Along with the qualified practitioners, there are around 25 volunteers working with MASC to deliver the sessions.

As the organisation has grown so has the breadth of projects they deliver such as art clubs, performing and creative arts days, singing groups, competitions and intergenerational projects, working with people with dementia, those recovering from strokes, children, retired people and people with disabilities. Art projects are a more recent addition and two of the groups run weekly with another being a full day session that takes place 2 or 3 times a year.

Find out more about MASC, how you can donate, or get involved volunteering, or even take part in their choirs or other projects, at their website.