Patrons
Sir Alan Ayckbourn CBE
“Encourage, enliven, engage a child with the arts in all their colourful guises and their influence will stay with them forever. The possibilities are endless. This is what ACA strives to do. It must be supported.”
“Encourage, enliven, engage a child with the arts in all their colourful guises and their influence will stay with them forever. The possibilities are endless. This is what ACA strives to do. It must be supported.”
Lynne Reid Banks
“ACA goes out and does battle more bravely and effectively for children’s arts provision in every field than other organisations twice its size. Long may it keep campaigning for the kids and for all of us.”
“ACA goes out and does battle more bravely and effectively for children’s arts provision in every field than other organisations twice its size. Long may it keep campaigning for the kids and for all of us.”
Baroness Floella Benjamin, OBE
“Childhood lasts a lifetime and every image we show children will reflect upon them sometime in their lives. Giving a diverse and fair representation of the world around them makes them feel as though they belong.”
“Childhood lasts a lifetime and every image we show children will reflect upon them sometime in their lives. Giving a diverse and fair representation of the world around them makes them feel as though they belong.”
David Bintley CBE
Malorie Blackman OBE
“Access to the arts for children is all about encouragement, engagement and entitlement. Stimulating our children’s imaginations is not just a good thing, but the right thing to do. The arts play a hugely important role in bringing our children together and nurturing within them understanding, empathy and a sense of connection.”
“Access to the arts for children is all about encouragement, engagement and entitlement. Stimulating our children’s imaginations is not just a good thing, but the right thing to do. The arts play a hugely important role in bringing our children together and nurturing within them understanding, empathy and a sense of connection.”
Quentin Blake CBE
“The fact is we don’t need to bring the arts to children – they find all these activities, to draw, to write, to act, to sing, to dance, come naturally to them, which is why I drew my boy and girl sprouting and blossoming in lively fashion. But all these activities need to be encouraged, acknowledged and valued because they all too easily get pushed to one side and lost. And when we encourage them, we are not only helping young people to fulfill themselves; we are creating tomorrow.”
“The fact is we don’t need to bring the arts to children – they find all these activities, to draw, to write, to act, to sing, to dance, come naturally to them, which is why I drew my boy and girl sprouting and blossoming in lively fashion. But all these activities need to be encouraged, acknowledged and valued because they all too easily get pushed to one side and lost. And when we encourage them, we are not only helping young people to fulfill themselves; we are creating tomorrow.”
Matthew Bourne OBE
Mrs Felicity Dahl
“Encouragement in the arts is so important for children. They are the future. They deserve the best we can give them.”
“Encouragement in the arts is so important for children. They are the future. They deserve the best we can give them.”
Carol Ann Duffy CBE
Peter Duncan
“When connecting with young people I have always looked for the spark, the moment of self-discovery, the possibility of igniting their imagination. The arts in all its forms is what makes childhood special. We all become dull when we forget how important that is.”
“When connecting with young people I have always looked for the spark, the moment of self-discovery, the possibility of igniting their imagination. The arts in all its forms is what makes childhood special. We all become dull when we forget how important that is.”
Michael Foreman
Jamila Gavin
Anna Home OBE
“Affordable, easy, friendly access to the arts is hugely important for the proper development of children and young people… In an increasingly fragmented society involvement in the arts can bring generations closer together and provide a wonderful ‘window on the world’.”
“Affordable, easy, friendly access to the arts is hugely important for the proper development of children and young people… In an increasingly fragmented society involvement in the arts can bring generations closer together and provide a wonderful ‘window on the world’.”
Shirley Hughes OBE
Sir Nicholas Hytner
“I’m delighted to be a patron of Action for Children’s Arts, and to support its aims to put the arts at the centre of every child’s education in this country. We all know the value of early involvement in the arts in childhood, not just to develop the artists and audiences of the future, but as a stimulus to children’s imaginations, curiosity, learning and enjoyment. At a time of reduced public spending, it is essential that these experiences remain open to all children, not just a privileged few.”
“I’m delighted to be a patron of Action for Children’s Arts, and to support its aims to put the arts at the centre of every child’s education in this country. We all know the value of early involvement in the arts in childhood, not just to develop the artists and audiences of the future, but as a stimulus to children’s imaginations, curiosity, learning and enjoyment. At a time of reduced public spending, it is essential that these experiences remain open to all children, not just a privileged few.”
Terry Jones
“With the ever-increasing focus on narrow academic success, it is more vital than ever to create an arts context for education. The lessons learnt in participating in drama and the performing arts – be they interpersonal skills or the mysteries of group dynamics – are often more useful in later life than a whole bookful of learned facts.”
“With the ever-increasing focus on narrow academic success, it is more vital than ever to create an arts context for education. The lessons learnt in participating in drama and the performing arts – be they interpersonal skills or the mysteries of group dynamics – are often more useful in later life than a whole bookful of learned facts.”
Joanna MacGregor
“Music is one of the greatest gifts for children and young people. It can open a world of drama passion, excitement and joy, and will stay with them for the rest of their lives. Young people are naturally creative and inquisitive; music, theatre and poetry, art and dance will give them tools to develop and express their uniqueness. It’s absolutely essential that no child is shut out of their birthright – access to the arts.”
“Music is one of the greatest gifts for children and young people. It can open a world of drama passion, excitement and joy, and will stay with them for the rest of their lives. Young people are naturally creative and inquisitive; music, theatre and poetry, art and dance will give them tools to develop and express their uniqueness. It’s absolutely essential that no child is shut out of their birthright – access to the arts.”
Michelle Magorian
“This country’s children are our jewels. Without adequate Arts funding much of their childhood will remain locked away. Let’s expose them to the light, so that like the gems that they are, they can do what all children do when they are given the chance to be creative. Sparkle.”
“This country’s children are our jewels. Without adequate Arts funding much of their childhood will remain locked away. Let’s expose them to the light, so that like the gems that they are, they can do what all children do when they are given the chance to be creative. Sparkle.”
Nichola McAuliffe
Roger McGough CBE
“As we all know, an education without creativity and the arts at its centre is not an education.”
“As we all know, an education without creativity and the arts at its centre is not an education.”
Michael Morpurgo OBE
“Enrich our children young and they will grow to be creative, to be enquiring, to be engaged, they will feel they have a part to play in their culture.”
“Enrich our children young and they will grow to be creative, to be enquiring, to be engaged, they will feel they have a part to play in their culture.”
Nick Park
Philip Pullman CBE
“Children deserve the best of everything; the best opportunities, the best education, the best food, the best stories and poems, the best music, the best theatre. In fact, they’d need the best even if they didn’t deserve it. Action for Children’s Arts is a very good way indeed of seeing that they get it, and I’m very glad to support its work”
“Children deserve the best of everything; the best opportunities, the best education, the best food, the best stories and poems, the best music, the best theatre. In fact, they’d need the best even if they didn’t deserve it. Action for Children’s Arts is a very good way indeed of seeing that they get it, and I’m very glad to support its work”
Sir Ken Robinson
Michael Rosen
Dame Jacqueline Wilson
“A child wrote to me the other day saying her teacher said she didn’t have any imagination. She asked me how she could get some. We need to support and fund all the different children’s creative arts so that sad little girls like this are able to develop their imaginations in an enriching and entertaining way. ”
“A child wrote to me the other day saying her teacher said she didn’t have any imagination. She asked me how she could get some. We need to support and fund all the different children’s creative arts so that sad little girls like this are able to develop their imaginations in an enriching and entertaining way. ”
Benjamin Zephaniah