There is still time to vote for Aspex Gallery’s Welcome project for this year’s the People’s Projects! Aspex are calling on everyone to vote for their community project to secure £50,000 of National Lottery funding to support Portsmouth’s refugee and asylum seeker community. Now in its thirteenth year, the Big Lottery Fund, ITV and The National Lottery are teaming up through People’s Projects to give the public a chance to decide how National Lottery funding should be put to good use in their local area.

Welcome, will support members of the City’s refugee and asylum seeker community through art, developing new skills, English language capability, as well as confidence and self-esteem, whilst becoming part of the wider local community. The project is one of five groups in the ITV Meridian West region in the running for a share of up to £150,000 of funding.

“We believe that art can change lives and that everyone has the right to access it. Aspex has a track record of working with a diverse range of people, from toddlers through to people with dementia. We now need public support to extend this work to more members of our community. A single vote can change lives.” – Joanne Bushnell, Director of Aspex.

How to Vote

Place your vote by visiting www.thepeoplesprojects.org.uk, and selecting Welcome under the Meridian West region. People can vote once per region and will need a valid email address. Votes can also be made by post. Voting closes at midday on Monday 30 April 2018.

Get Involved

Aspex are encouraging people to create and share artwork in support of Portsmouth’s refugee and asylum seeker community as part of the People’s Projects bid. Artworks should be yellow, or respond to the open theme of welcome. Artworks can be shared online using the hashtag #RefugeesWelcome and by tagging in: @aspexportsmouth.

All artworks shared online will be made publicly viewable at the Gallery, presented on a digital screen.

Struggling to find some inspiration? Aspex have created an activity for you – constructing an origami heart to spread a welcome to members of our City’s refugee and asylum seeker community. Click here to download the instructions.

You can join the conversation online by using the hashtag #RefugeesWelcome and #PeoplesProjects and read more about the project online (click here).