Grant is music to DJ Alex’s ears
8:46am Friday 22nd February 2013 in News
A DJ has landed £7,000-worth of funding to help youngsters in Bolton to become inspired by music.
Youth worker Alex English, aged 26, runs workshops at Sunnyside Community Centre in Moisant Street, Great Lever, for wannabe DJs, producers and music video directors.
The grant, from The National Lottery and The Co-operative funds, means the weekly sessions can continue for at least another year.
The free sessions are held every Monday, from 7pm to 8pm, and feature workshops in DJing, graphic design and music production.
Mr English, a former Turton High School pupil, said: “On a weekly basis, we get about 10 young people at the moment. We are obviously hoping to build on that. Now we’ve got a bit of stability, we can work on increasing it and promoting it properly.
“This puts us in a miles better position.
“It’s brilliant. I think it’s going to be a great thing for the young people and I really enjoy doing these projects.”
The music producer, who is one half of the electro house duo MojoFluxx with pal Alex Gillott, uses his multimedia skills to create projects for disadvantaged young people in Bolton, particularly Great Lever and Halliwell.
He volunteers at Harmony Youth Project in Halliwell four days a week and credits the organisation with giving him the confidence to run his own sessions.
He said: “Harmony manager Charlie Barrett believed in me from the beginning and really helped me develop my skills. He gave me a chance to gain the experience I needed to start my own project.”
Youngsters aged 11 to 18 who are interested in learning more about music production, gaining skills and improving confidence are invited to attend the Upbeat Media Multimedia Monday sessions.
The sessions were relaunched in January following six months of sessions last year, which were funded by the Bolton Interfaith Council.
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