Head of £1billion arts body heads to Highbury library

The head of £1billion pound arts funding organisation popped to a library to hear more about an upcoming reading festival.

Sir Peter Bazalgette, chair of Arts Council England, visited Islington Central Library, in Fieldway Crescent, Highbury, on Monday to discuss the borough’s upcoming Word Festival.

The event, which runs throughout May, is a celebration of reading, writing and freedom of expression and was awarded £60,000 funding from the Arts Council.

Sir Peter said: “It was wonderful to visit Islington Central Library, where I met some inspirational people working on the Word 2013 Festival. These individuals are hard-working and creative, and the work that they are doing is a brilliant example of what the Arts Council will be funding through our Grants for the arts Libraries fund.”

During his visit, Sir Peter Bazalgette also spoke to the creators of The B Project- a service established to provide help and advice for young women aged 13 to 19.

As part of the project, an exhibition of images of youngsters in the borough was showcased, including contributions from renowned photographer Marysa Dowling, who is currently displaying work at the Tate Modern art gallery.

The temporary five day exhibition concludes with a Word 2013 B Voices’ performance at Platform Youth Hub on Sunday 26th May from 2pm.

For more inforamtion on the B Project, visit bprojectislington.co.uk.