AN ANDOVER arts charity has secured a further three years of funding from Arts Council England.

Chapel Art Studios (CAS) will continue to be supported by Arts Council England and will remain part of its national portfolio.

Established in 2009, CAS was first made a National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) in 2018.

The charity applied for and was granted a renewal of the funding it has received for the past four years.

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Additional uplift funding to help finance an extra community space for CAS was not made available, meaning the charity will have to work even harder to raise funds in the future.

Executive director of CAS Susanne Hasselmann said: “We are extremely grateful to ACE for supporting us and to remain an NPO for the next three years.

“It’s fantastic news for us as a charity and for Andover.

“We are aware of many organisations who haven’t been as fortunate as we have this time round, competition was exceedingly tough.”

North West Hampshire MP Kit Malthouse also wanted to congratulate the charity for receiving the funding.

He said: “This is good news for our budding artists in Andover.

“You may have passed by, or even popped in to, the studios at the chapel in St Mary’s Cemetery; they are doing great work in the community by supporting and developing artists of all ages through their various visual arts programmes."

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As well as allowing CAS to bring artwork of international quality to Andover, this vital source of core funding will also enable CAS to continue to deliver its many inclusive programmes.

Working alongside a large number of Andover’s community-support organisations, the first four NPO years included highlights such as delivering educational programmes to several schools, beginning a successful social-prescribing programme of courses and workshops to improve mental health, and helping Andover Young Carers launch a camera into space.

The next three years will see CAS continue to expand and improve its provision for creatives, and those in need, across the region.