ROUND one has already got the town’s artistic pulse beating stronger and now the ambitious Heart of Glass project is opening its second stage of funding.

Now led by newly-appointed director Patrick Fox, the Arts England-funded Heart of Glass project aims to engage thousands of people who have never been involved in the arts and celebrate what is distinct about St Helens.

There are micro-commissions between £50 and £2,000 available with local artists and groups invited to propose ideas that develop a new collaborative project involving artists and communities and get more people involved in arts activities.

Artists and groups working in any art form whether it be music, dance, theatre, visual arts, digital, creative writing, or a mixture are welcome to apply as well as from groups who are not arts-led but have ideas for engaging local people in arts activities.

The first round of micro commissions saw nine successful acts secure funding to bring their visions to reality involving various art forms.

Among the successful artists were local band The Loungs, The Cowley Singers and the UC Crew.

Also, Research and Development Awards between £50 and £500 are also available to provide opportunities for artists to explore, test out ideas, and undertake the development of a new project.

Recipients can then apply for future rounds of funding available to realise projects should their research be successful – although this does not represent a guarantee of funding.

In total the Heart of Glass project aims to award around £8,000 of funding in the second round.

For more information on applying, contact info@heartofglass.org.uk. The deadline for applications is Wednesday, November 5.