Having gained recognition for its diverse music events, Sandy Hill Arts in Corfe Castle, Dorset, has now secured nearly £30,000 in funding from the Arts Council England to continue hosting its innovative and experimental performances.
The arts hub, which was set up as a charity in May 2022, received a similar grant in 2023, which allowed it to buy a large marquee and sound system for events plus the funding to put on live grassroots gigs.
Musicians Saied Silbak (right) and Fred Thomas (left) performing in the Sandy Hill Arts marquee in May 2025
“It’s a game changer”
Now the £29,415 cash injection in 2025 will allow Sandy Hill Arts to become more established and plan for the future.
Chair and curator of Sandy Hill Arts Melissa Viney said:
“We are hugely grateful for this grant – it’s a game changer for us.
“To host unusual and experimental music performances that don’t always naturally bring in the crowds is hard and financially risky, so you need a grant to be able to do it.
“We can now continue to attract brilliant musical bands like the Soothsayers and the Ezra Collective – many from outside Purbeck who you would more likely expect to see in large cities, as well as providing a platform for hugely talented local musicians.
“Alongside the performances we will be putting on workshops with the artists, and working with Purbeck Youth Music and the local schools. The aim is to give young people an idea of what’s going on elsewhere, and to inspire the next generation of great musicians!
“We’ve already chosen acts to perform here, who have gone on to win music awards.”
Lighting up Sandy Hill Arts as part of the Resonant Isle installation by Ezra Gray and Giles Bennett
Site saved from developers
The Sandy Hill Arts site used to be the old milk bottling plant and was acquired by local artist Tony Viney in 2008 to save it from developers. Now the Viney family have leased the site to the charity for an initial 25 years.
Alongside the live music and workshops, there is the Boilerhouse Gallery, exhibitions, art workshops, talks, artist studios, and outreach initiatives.
In August 2025, Sandy Hill Arts hosted a poetry weekend, helped by a grant from the T.S. Eliot Foundation.
Sandy Hill Arts Poetry Weekend with Cecilia Knapp (left) and Ella Frears (right)
“Feedback is so positive!”
Melissa said:
“It was a great weekend and a real stamp of approval for the T.S. Eliot Foundation to support us. There were some marvellous acts including Alabaster DePlume, Ella Frears, Cecilia Knapp and Francesca Martinez.
“We’re looking forward to doing it all again next year, aiming high, and building more momentum.
“After last year’s event, a man emailed me who had just turned up on his bike at Sandy Hill and discovered the poetry weekend happening. He told me that he’d been really inspired and is now travelling round performing poetry at festivals!
“It’s tough at times running a small organisation but it’s moments of appreciation like that which make it worthwhile – the feedback is so positive!”
Jazz musician and poet Alabaster DePlume
Alabaster DePlume (right) on stage during the Sandy Hill Arts Poetry Weekend
Dorset’s art festival
One of the next events is an artistic production over the weekend Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st September 2025, which is part of the outdoor arts festival Inside Out Dorset, that takes place every two years.
Artists from Catalonia in Spain are working with local theatre company Dorset Born to perform four free shows at Sandy Hill Arts.
Melissa added:
“Getting Inside Out to include Sandy Hill Arts in this year’s festival is a real coup.
“Years ago, my father told me that he wanted Sandy Hill to be the sort of place where the Dorset arts festival wanted to come, and now it’s happening. A real artistic hub for the local community!”
Musical duo Fran and Flora perform at Sandy Hill Arts in May 2024
Further information
- Events at Sandy Hill Arts
- More about Inside Out Dorset 2025
