We founded Arts for the Heart of England on a passionate belief that the arts nourish the soul, are good for our well-being and help us grow as people; embedding the arts at the heart of a community keeps us all happier and healthier for longer. Our inaugural festival in June 2019 showed us that there is a hunger for cultural activity and a clear eagerness to experience greater access to the arts in the East Midlands. The pandemic limited so much in all our lives, and following months of isolation from each other, it has become even more apparent how important it is to find solace in shared experiences. We live in a country where there is a huge wealth of talent; we have some of the finest musicians in the world who want to share their gifts in all corners of the country. We are fortunate that many excellent cultural events already happen in our area, and our mission is to add to the tapestry of activities.

After the Covid pandemic, we were pleased to revive our activities with a Festival Weekend in July 2022. We welcomed over one hundred participants to a choral workshop with John Rutter CBE, enjoyed a fantastic art exhibition with four local artists in Empingham, and hosted three concerts in Uppingham, Oakham and Exton with violinist Gabi Jones, trumpeter Crispian Steele-Perkins and a professional choir. We were delighted to have received so much support from enthusiastic and appreciative audiences. 

Following on from the success of two subsequent festivals, we are also delighted to announce that our Summer Festival 2024 will take place from Friday 14th - Sunday 16th June. Please visit our What's On page for some more details.

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We are enormously grateful to our supporters who have joined our Friends’ Scheme and mailing list, and would be delighted to hear from anyone wishing to join us in our future plans. Please sign up to our mailing list if you are keen to receive updates on our work. ​

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David Hill MBE, Director