THE CHARITY in charge of Oxford’s biggest street party has been awarded £86,000 to fund disability arts projects in the city.

Excitement is already building for next month’s Cowley Road Carnival and now organiser’s Cowley Road Works (CRW) have even more reason to smile thanks to a large grant from Arts Council England.

The £86,168 will be spent on delivering an extensive programme of opportunities for arts training, participation and performance for disabled young people in Oxford.

Running until next winter, the work aims to address the lack of training and career opportunities for disabled artists in Oxfordshire.

It will also see the charity working in a major new partnership with the Ark T centre in Cowley, which already runs the ROAR disabled art festival.

Ark T and CRW will be collaborating with a group of local, national and international arts partners including New Carnival Company, Embaixadores de Alegria (the world’s biggest carnival project with disabled people), mental health charity MIND, Oxford University’s Pembroke College, the Pegasus Theatre, Mizeke Afropean Singers and Gloucester Carnival.

Micaela Tuckwell, the new executive director for CRW, described the funding as 'tremendous' adding: “We are extremely proud to be leading this project and delighted to be working with Ark T in empowering disabled artists from Oxfordshire.

“During the next seven months we will be raising awareness and providing training and skills exchange, enabling personal development and growth for individuals and groups to learn, inspire and create a legacy for a new generation of disabled artists in Oxford.

“Our aim is to bring together and strengthen partnerships between us and disability and arts organisations as well as to break down barriers which exclude disabled people from artistic opportunities and inspire the wider community.”

Ark T director Emmy O’Shaughnessy added: “The visibility and celebration of disabled young people and adults in society is something Ark T are passionate about championing.

“Our new partnership with Cowley Road Works demonstrates our shared vision for a culture shift within Oxford – to pave the way for a more unified and connected Oxford that includes everybody.”

The Arts Council project will also work with people living with mental health problems.

CRW is partnering with the mental health charity Oxfordshire MIND and Pembroke College JCR Art Gallery to deliver a series of creative workshops led by local artist Emily Cooling and an exhibition of the project’s outcomes in the gallery.

This year’s carnival will take place on Sunday, July 1.