COMMUNITY group Reality Theatre CIC is celebrating after being awarded a grant by National Lottery to support its work with older people.

The group, which received £99,042, has been running since 2016 and is staffed by three part-time workers. It was founded by Juls Benson after she realised the impact that arts and culture can have in tackling a range of social issues.

Before lockdown, the group, based in Newport, had originally planned to use the cash to run arts workshops and monthly social events for older people across the area – providing support in tackling loneliness and isolation.

However, with Covid-19 and lockdown, the group have had to adapt their plans to include safety and social distancing measures. The group will be organising social micro-bubbles to ensure safe numbers of participants can engage in weekly sessions, to be attended by residents from Pobl housing and Newport city homes.

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They will join in with activities such as acting, singing, stage production, writing and more. The sessions will help the participants make friends, while learning new skills and having fun.

Juls Benson, director of Reality Theatre, said: “We’re delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised our work in this way. Now, thanks to National Lottery players, we will be able to continue our plans to broaden the range of opportunities available to older people in Newport”.

To find out more, head to their Facebook page.