A PROJECT bringing veterans and the community together through art has been awarded funding of £4,882 from the Big Lottery Fund.

The VC Gallery, in Haverfordwest, has been given the grant to help ‘engage with socially isolated groups through a three-step art, multimedia and photography workshop’.

The money will pay for art and photography materials, session workers, exhibition costs, framing, transport, promotion, stationery and venue hire.

Local artist Barry John MBE, who was a serving member of the Royal Welsh Regiment for 24 years, set up the project in 2014 to help bring together people from all walks of life “under the guise of art”.

Mr John said: “Getting The Awards for All Wales through the Big Lottery Grant has given The VC Gallery the ability to continue its great work in the community working with a wide range of people from veterans, elderly and vulnerable adults and children.

“Our aims are to utilise this support to create a series of art workshops and creative trips to inspiring areas of Pembrokeshire with a focus to use all the art materials available from acrylics to pastels and many more.

“The Coffee Cave in Haverfordwest supports our projects and in the summer the work from all the groups and workshops will be displayed in our next summer exhibition that will then tour Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire, finishing off in Cardiff.”

The latest VC Gallery exhibition, Pembrokeshire Rediscovered, is on May 28 at The Coffee Cave and has been backed by The Bluestone Foundation.

Any information on getting involved in The VC Gallery or help with sponsorship contact barry@thevcgallery.com

The latest round of the Awards for All small grants programme sees £451,814 being shared across 115 projects in Wales.