Funded
- About
Due to Covid-19, after almost 20 years, the Anna Fiorentini Theatre & Film School has been forced to close its doors on several occasions causing considerable financial hardship for both the school and its charitable arm the Fiorentini Foundation.
Many of our students have learning and or physical disabilities including autism, ADHD, dyslexia, cerebral palsy and fibromyalgia to name but a few.
Some have chaotic home lives, have been badly bullied or suffer from chronic health conditions. They use our services as a weekly outlet for their stress and anxiety.
Our primary purpose is to instil in young people the key life skills including teamwork, self-expression, confidence,communication, discipline and respect and support the younger generation in achieving their aspirations. Thanks to the renowned professionalism of the school we have also successfully launched the careers of many students helping them gain leading roles on TV / Film and on the West End stage.
We have an impact on approx 540 children per school term and through our shows and events a further impact on over 4000 people per year in the wider community.
We provide up to 85 bursaries per year for the most vulnerable children and we are currently supporting 15 children with or affected by cancer and crave much needed fun and respite.
When this crisis is over, organisations like ours will be needed more than ever to help the community recover from the pandemic, maintaining children's emotional and physical well being. There is also significant concern that the crisis will widen the attainment gap, making provision like ours even more important for the most disadvantaged.
During this pandemic our student numbers have decreased from 560 to 165 due to social distancing regulations and fear of returning to classes. (Even with 560 students the organisation just about breaks even and remains not for profit). Thankfully the school has managed to get a disruption loan to cover all overheads that still had to be paid whilst unable to deliver full services. However, this is a loan and not a grant and still has to be paid back.
For us to be able to support our most vulnerable children and continue giving them the support they need we need donations that can be allocated specifically for this purpose.