EditorBilingual Neath theatre company lands major funding for youth climate projects
A Neath-based theatre company has received £100,000 from the ScottishPower Foundation to take its climate-focused productions to schools and community venues across South Wales.
The funding comes from the foundation’s new £200,000 Art for Climate Fund, which aims to support arts projects that educate young people about environmental issues.
Theatr na nÓg will use the grant to tour its bilingual shows We Need Bees and Bug Hotel, which explore biodiversity loss and climate displacement through music, storytelling, and interactive performance. According to the company, the productions will reach thousands of children and families in the region.
Actors from Theatr na nÓg’s ‘Hot Poets’ productionGeinor Styles, Artistic Director of Theatr na nÓg, told Swansea Bay News that the shows are designed to engage children with “important issues including biodiversity loss, climate displacement and the climate emergency.”
The plays were written by award-winning playwright Katherine Chandler, who said the insect-focused stories help children understand environmental challenges in ways that encourage empathy and resilience.
The ScottishPower Foundation said in a statement that the Art for Climate Fund was intended to support long-term projects rather than short-term interventions. Melanie Hill, Executive Officer and Trustee, said the foundation believes “the arts have a unique power to make complex ideas accessible, emotional and impossible to ignore.”
Alongside Theatr na nÓg, the first round of funding also supported Wonder, a UK-wide poetry initiative led by Hot Poets and Forward Arts Foundation, which aims to use poetry to explore climate change in classrooms. The programme is expected to reach more than a million children.
Local education and community groups welcomed the news, highlighting that engaging young people through theatre and creative projects can complement environmental education already taking place in schools across Swansea and Neath Port Talbot.
Theatr na nÓg has a history of community-focused work, including school workshops and bilingual performances designed to be accessible to a wide range of audiences. The company said the funding will allow it to extend the reach of its productions.
Environmental campaigners in South Wales have expressed support for projects that combine arts and climate education, noting that biodiversity and pollinator populations are under pressure in the region.
Schools and community venues interested in hosting the shows are encouraged to contact Theatr na nÓg directly. Specific tour dates and locations will be announced on the company’s website and social media.
Observers say the ScottishPower Foundation’s funding approach — supporting multiple-year projects — reflects a broader trend of long-term investment in youth climate education across the UK.
The grant highlights the growing role of arts organisations in tackling climate issues locally, showing how performance and creative expression can be used to help children understand environmental challenges.
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