OXFORDSHIRE artists walked away with a grant from supporters at a new funding event.

The first Create event was held in Oxford last month with the support of Oxford City Council.

Inspired by a scheme in Bristol, people who attended the event paid a suggested donation of £10, which went into a prize pot to be doubled by Oxford City Council. In return they got a glass of wine and received one vote to determine which artist won the pot. They then watched artists make their pitch at Oxford’s Jam Factory and chose which to support. They decided to give £263 to TocTok, an association of Oxfordshire artists and that amount will be doubled by the council.

Nick Garnett, who pitched for the funding, said: “Winning the vote at the first Create event came as a great surprise to us.

“The other five pitches were extremely inspiring and deserving of funds at a time when funding for creative projects is becoming incredibly hard to secure.

“This funding will go some way to allowing TocTok to undertake our first project where we will be working with 25 children from Cheney School to devise and build a unique contribution to this year’s Cowley Road Carnival.”

City council cultural development manager Ceri Gorton said: “We were delighted by the quality and range of projects that were pitched, which highlight the strength and diversity of Oxford’s cultural offer.

“We look forward to continuing to support Create over the coming year.”

  • The next event will be held at Pegasus Theatre, Magdalen Road, East Oxford on Thursday May 30 at 6.30pm.
  • See createoxford.org for more details