MUSICALLY gifted people in Halton will be given the chance of a lifetime to fine-tune their talents through a series of workshops to be held across the borough.
The Cream Music Fund is providing £25,000 for two initiatives, including the Halton Arts Development team, which will be the first to benefit.
Cream Music Fund cash has been collected from VIP ticket holder donations at previous Creamfields festivals held at Speke and, with this year's event being held in Halton, the borough's arts team says it is keen to forge long-lasting links with the clubbing empire.
The Halton Arts Development Team, which has been in operation for more than 10 years, aims to encourage people to get involved with the arts, work with Widnes and Runcorn artists to develop skills and provide employment, promote high-quality work, build new audiences and attract funding to increase arts opportunities in the area.
Martin Cox, Halton's music development officer, said: 'We are really pleased that Creamfields has shown an active interest in supporting music development in Halton.
'We hope the pilot project this year, which will target young musicians, will lead to an ongoing relationship which will provide a range of exciting initiatives in the future.'
Cream chief executive James Barton said: 'The North West is a region famous for many things, but predominantly music.
'We feel there are a few 'gems' that either slip through the net or are forced to pursue a different path because of their social circumstances.
'We want to provide easy and accessible assistance for these people to give their true passion a chance.'
The Cream Music Fund will also provide practical support to supplement the monetary fund in the form of industry at the Cream and Creamfields organisations.
