Trustees of the Helen Foundation held an important meeting in November to consider the future of the charity and how best to use its assets. It has become increasingly clear through Covid lockdowns and beyond that schools continue to be under relentless pressure, trying to achieve more and more with fewer and fewer resources. We know that the arts in particular are very vulnerable to cutbacks, and we deeply regret the need that some schools have felt to reduce time on the curriculum for the arts - and indeed for some schools to make arts staff redundant.
For this reason, trustees have decided that The Helen Foundation's exclusive focus should be on its support for schools in Teignbridge through subsidising arts workshops led by professionals, and on supporting the Helen Foundation Award in schools. Very reluctantly, this means that for the foreseeable future, we shall cease our bursary scheme for individuals applying for THF funding and also financial support for wider community arts projects involving young people. This was a tough decision to make, but trustees are confident that this will enable the charity to continue with its central mission.