Sting's gift 'future-proofs' kids' access to arts
Eric Ryan Anderson/BaticAn undisclosed amount of money donated by the singer-songwriter Sting will help sustain programmes for children for the foreseeable future, an arts boss has said.
The 73-year-old former Police frontman from Wallsend gifted money to the Baltic Arts Centre in Gateshead but asked that the amount stay secret.
Baltic chair of trustees Kirsty Lang said the gift was "significant" and would help fund programmes for young people at the venue and provide access to "world class contemporary art to inspire".
The donation has kickstarted the gallery's fundraising for a £10m Endowment Fund to sustain "creative futures on Tyneside".
Ms Lang said: "It's a very generous gift and Sting did not want us to specify how much.
"Getting the first gift when you are fundraising is super important. We are really hoping that other wealthy individuals, trusts, foundations or businesses in the area will follow Sting's lead.
"It will provide opportunities for young people and families going forward for a very long time - it is going to future-proof the programme for young people."
Ms Lang also said it was important not to cave into pressure to charge entry to the venue.
"There's always pressure to introduce ticket prices, but one of the reasons that Sting is giving to Baltic is that he remembers as a young working class lad that he had access to the arts through the Wallsend Library and the Jesmond People's Theatre," she said.
"These were absolutely critical in developing his creativity as a young person."
She said that the statistics on poverty were stark and that one in three children in the North East grows up in poverty.
The venue's aim is that families with two or three children can come and access culture for free.
Each year Baltic offers about 183,000 children and young people activities and programmes to "enhance their confidence, skills, and wellbeing".
The venue receives funding from the Arts Council and Gateshead Council, but Ms Lang said fundraising was vital as government backing was "declining" because of the pressure to finance health and transport services which she could not "argue with".
She said: "Getting successful creatives such as Sting who've made a lot of money in their lifetime to give back to the region is one of the things we've been trying to do."
Sting will be performing at a fundraising gala at the venue on 30 October.