The latest £147,475 funding from Big Lottery Fund and Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s Culture for All Programme will be used to enable pupils with learning difficulties and isolated older people to take part in the UK City of Culture celebrations.

Culture for All is a small grants programme offering grants of up to £10,000 to communities across Northern Ireland that want to play a part in the UK City of Culture celebrations in 2013.

Community organisations can apply for funding up until the end of August to run arts and culture projects and activities that link in with the historic event, encourage talent and improve the lives of people in communities.

Foyle View School in Derry is one of the projects to benefit from the funding. Through their Creative Arts Special Talents (CAST) programme the school is teaching the young people about their community and allowing them to be part of the UK City of Culture by putting on a special performance.

Sinead Crossan, project director, said a team from Belfast theatre company Replay, are working with the pupils and have been amazed at the hidden talents they are discovering through the drama based workshops.

Crossan said: “Some of them have very little movement but we are finding that through these performing arts workshops there is definitely more ability than disability and it has amazed everyone involved.

“We will produce a two minute performance reflecting their culture and heritage and celebrating the City of Culture. This may seem like very little but to an able bodied person, this will be the equivalent of a two hour full scale production.”

Joanne McDowell Big Lottery Fund NI director said: “We would encourage organisations with an idea for an arts or culture project, which links to the City of Culture celebrations and benefits their local community, to apply for funding now.”