​A vital community fundraising event is due to run as smooth as silk thanks to the generous support of a London tech firm.
 
WM Reply, expertsin enhancing collaborative tools and business systems platforms for large organisations, will be supporting Notting Hill Genesis’ (made up of Notting Hill Housing and Genesis Housing Association) ‘A5 Show’. The firm will do this by providing their technical services free of charge to ensure the exhibition’s website, which will enable people to purchase the different artworks, runs smoothly.
 
The community exhibition gives creative residents and staff the chance to have their work displayed alongside professional artists, with all items displayed anonymously until it is purchased for the set price of £50. All proceeds from the sale of artworks will go towards The Tenant Hardship fund, which supports the most vulnerable tenants living in Notting Hill Genesis communities.
 
With the majority of artworks expected to be purchased through the dedicated website, it was vital for Notting Hill Genesis to be sure the system would not fail. So when the opportunity came, they gladly accepted the specialist services of WM Reply to stress test the online portal free of charge – a service that would normally have cost thousands.
 
Richard Acreman, Partner at WM Reply, said:
 
“The Resident Art Show is a fantastic event showcasing the creativity of the community it also aims to help. It’s an honour for us to be part of such a worthy cause, so we were just happy to help in whatever way we could.”
 
Mandy Worster, volunteer programme manager for Notting Hill Genesis, said: 
 
“Everyone involved is really looking forward to the A5 Show and giving our extremely talented residents the chance to display their work to a wider audience. Having a website we know works well and can help us raise money for such a good cause is vital, and we are extremely grateful to WM Reply for becoming one of our sponsors and providing such an important and efficient service.”
 
The community exhibition will take place at the Koppel Gallery in High Holborn, London and run from Thursday 29 November – Friday 21 December 2018.

​A start-up app created to help young violinists with their practice has announced a scheme to collect feedback during their first version trial, whilst raising money for an international music charity. 
 
nSpireMewas founded by conductor and music entrepreneur Stuart Barr to help children unleash their musicality. Their ethos is that “every child possesses extraordinary powers of creativity, and it's our job to develop technology that enables them to unleash it”.
 
Stuart was conductor to the veteran artiste Dame Shirley Bassey for 6 years, conducting her worldwide from the Oscars, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Concert to her farewell album at Abbey Road. He taught at the Royal Academy of Music for a decade, recently took his MBA in the Creative Industries at the University of Cambridge, and is Chairman of the London Youth Choir.
 
The nSpireMe app gives children actionable feedback on their pitching and rhythm, with their music displayed alongside practice notes from their teacher. It’s a 3-way platform that connects teacher, student and parent. nSpireMe helps fill the void between lessons and during holidays, enabling students to accelerate their progress, and stay engaged.
 
As well as offering teachers, parents and students free access to the app for an initial trial period, nSpireMe have also pledged to donate £1 to Music as Therapy Internationalfor every bug or glitch reported. This can range from a crotchet rest being slightly out of place to display issues on smaller screen devices. Furthermore, nSpireMe have also decided to donate £1 for every shared post on either Facebook or LinkedIn.
 
Music as Therapy International are a UK-registered charity who believe passionately in the power of music to make the most of people’s potential, overcoming obstacles such as disability, trauma and mental illness. Their unique approach sees them train care staff to use simple music therapy techniques and musical activities, providing them with resources and professional support to make sustainable change.
 
Alexia Quin, founder and director of the music charity said, “We would like to thank Stuart and nSipre Me for this innovative and generous pledge of support. Any money raised will mean vulnerable children and adults across the UK and around the world can continue to experience the benefits of music in their lives.”
 
nSpire Me believe that the power of music can transform the lives of all people, particularly those with disadvantages, whatever those may be. Stuart said: “We are in awe of the work that Music as Therapy International do, and know that our donations will make a significant impact”.
 
Parents who wish to see how nSpireMe can accelerate their child’s progress over the summer should visit www.nspireme.co.ukwhere they can sign up for a free trial now. Don’t forget, any bugs found will mean a donation to Music as Therapy International!

A new charity created to improve education for girls in Nigeria is seeking support to help launch its first project in the West African country.
 
Project Girl Foundation was set up to empower girls and local communities in rural Nigeria through education. Their vision is to close the gender gap of illiteracy and transform the education system in the country. The new charity is the creation of British-born Nigerian Lily Nwamaraihe, 36, who lives in London.
 
Lily, who has worked in the UK education system for 10 years, founded the charity following a personal journey to discover and engage with her ethnic roots that began in 2012 with her first trip to Nigeria as an adult.
 
Lily said: “On visiting Nigeria I discovered a beautiful country filled with a rich culture, yet sadly one coupled with a devastatingly failing education system. It was clear children were not receiving their basic right to a free and effective education. 
 
“Of particular concern to me was the plight of girls both in the home and at school, such as the lack of importance placed on girls’ education compared to their male counterparts.”
 
It was from this experience that Project Girl Foundation was born, with an aim to transform girls’ education and empower them by providing them with sufficient skills and resources to enrich their lives, that of their families and their communities.
 
The organisation began to come together in 2017 and now has a board of trustees in place. They are now seeking support of the public, particularly the British Nigerian community, to help them deliver their first project in Enugu State in south-east Nigeria. This project will mainly focus on functional literacy for girls, while also encouraging those with Special Educational Needs to participate in the programme.
 
Lily said: “Project Girl Foundation has big plans, but we need the help of others to make them a reality. We are asking for individuals, businesses and anyone with a connection to Nigeria to get in touch and give us their support.”
 
The charity is also interested to hear from schools and churches, especially those who would consider a partnership to help deliver their programme. Anyone who would like to know more or give their support should get in touch via the Project Girl Foundation website.

​A start-up app created to help people meditate has announced a series of workshops which will raise money for an international music charity.
 
Third Ear, which is the first app to use sound to invoke a meditative, mindful state in its users, is the creation of Leo Cosendai, the Swiss-born meditation expert now based in London.
 
The young entrepreneur, already a celebrated sound meditation teacher, created the app to allow users to access the benefits of his teaching wherever they are. To help promote the launch of the new app, Third Ear are holding a series of immersive events in partnership with Ministry of Sound. 
 
Leo said: “This series of events are a fantastic opportunity for anyone curious to experience sound not as a way of entertainment but as a way of self-entrainment.
 
“Whether you are experienced or completely new to meditation and mindfulness does not matter in the slightest for physical posture and silence are not part of the equation. In fact, it is not uncommon to see first timers come out of the room stunned.” 
 
As well as offering members of the public the chance to sample the benefits of sound mediation first-hand, Third Ear have also pledged 20% of the price of each ticket sold to London based charity Music as Therapy International.
 
Music as Therapy International are a UK-registered charity who believe passionately in the power of music to make the most of people’s potential, overcoming obstacles such as disability, trauma and mental illness. Their unique approach sees them train care staff to use simple music therapy techniques and musical activities, providing them with resources and professional support to make sustainable change.
 
Alexia Quin, founder and director of the music charity said, “We would like to thank Leo and Third Ear for their incredible gesture of support. The money raised will help us bring the benefits of music into the lives of vulnerable children and adults across the UK and around the world.”
 
The first Third Ear event will be held on 17 July, and then from September onwards on a monthly basis on the third Tuesday of each month. Tickets cost £20 per person and are available from SeeTickets.com. The Third Ear app is free to download on iOS, with a new version coming out on both iOS and Android in September 2018.

​Digital technology is making us all more anxious. That’s the message behind the latest perception-challenging work from Scottish artist Michael John Hunter. 
 
The work, titled ‘In the Future I won’t be Anxious’ features a sculpture of a giant toy robot, made to symbolise and represent technology, and follows Hunter’s previous works ‘Fly’ and ‘As i grow, as i lose’, both of which also used oversized sculptures and camera manipulation to challenge the viewer’s perception.
 
Hunter said, “This work is about the role technology plays as a potential cause of anxiety for all of us.”
 
“The robot represents the promise of an amazing high-tech future. But I feel like ‘the future’ really is now, but maybe it’s not all it was promised to be and there’s a downside to all the technology that surrounds us and infiltrates almost every aspect of our lives.” 
 
Entirely self-funded, Hunter made the 17-foot sculpture over the last year. For the artist, the physicality of his sculpture and real-life London locations is also an important aspect of the work. 
 
He said: “As with the discarded robot in this work, I feel there is a need for us to put down our technological ‘toys’ and engage more with our environment, our surroundings and each other; to engage with the real.”
 
He added: “For me, spending months hand-making this sculpture has helped reduce my own anxiety, so this work has added importance for me.”
 
Hunter views the work as essentially a form of play. The final image and process of creation all combine to make something fun yet serious. Through hand sculpting and the use of analogue photography, traditional hands-on techniques enable him to be more present with the world. The fact the end result is something so real but appears manipulated and fake is his comment on how our modern mind operates.
 
Hunter said, “My work is created to challenge the viewer and to make them question what they are seeing. By focusing on the impact technology can have us and our mental wellbeing, I hope people might also start to question their own relationship with technology, so that in the future as a society we won’t be as anxious.” 
 
To find out more about the work of Michael John Hunter please visit www.michaeljohnhunter.com.