This ambitious sporting event, the Try-Art-Lon, will raise funds to support the life-changing creative engagement work by enabling Eastside to offer resources free to schools in areas of high deprivation or where the is little access to cultural learning.

Eastside is proud to inspire thousands of children and young people each year through delivering outstanding creative and cultural participation opportunities across a range of art forms including filmmaking, visual arts, spoken word to name but a few. Money raised from the Try-Art-Lon will support these programmes meaning more young people will have access to creative workshops. Over the last year Eastside has delivered 700 individual creative sessions engaging over 15,000 young people.

The funds raised will go towards supporting the following programmes:

Artists-in-Residence - Eastside sends artists into schools to work across all year groups over a term, using a specific art form to address a theme or topic chosen by the school.

Eastside Online - a new online creative education resource hub, containing artist-led videos, workshops, pdf resources and links to live-streamed workshops and teacher CPD sessions. Normally costing £299 annually, money raised from the Try-Art-Lon will allow us to offer the resource free to schools in areas of high deprivation, or where there is very little access to cultural learning opportunities.

Eastside Film Crew and Females in Film - these programmes offer mentorship, masterclasses, practical real-world filmmaking opportunities and pathways into the industry for 18-25 year olds from diverse and frequently disadvantaged backgrounds who normally would struggle to gain a foothold in the industry.

This event raised over £20,000 in 2019 when, for our 25th anniversary in 2019 our then Chair of Trustees, James Peterson, and some friends undertook a mammoth fundraising event over three days to celebrate Eastside's 25th Anniversary. The Try-Art-Lon comprises of:

- a 5 km swim to reflect the 5 partners we worked on our anniversary project with

- a 100mile cycle ride through every London borough to represent our work across London

- a 25km run to represent our 25 years of history

Building on the success of the 2019 event, we are now turning it into an annual corporate challenge where individuals or teams can take up the challenge and raise funds to support our work. This year we are running a trial event, with employees from Rothschild & Co, where James works, and Education First (no strangers to epic bike rides) organised by our Trustee Anna Nicholson, volunteering to take up the challenge in a personal capacity to help us test how it can work as a wider participation event.

Your support is appreciated.

Eastside