Welsh National Opera launch new community engagement project in Ely and Caerau with BAFTA award-winning actress Rakie Ayola
22 May 2024On the anniversary of the public unrest that occurred in Ely and Caerau in 2023, Welsh National Opera has announced that it will launch a new community engagement project Ely Bridge, with the help of BAFTA award-winning actress Rakie Ayola.
Rakie, who grew up in Ely, will be an ambassador for the project which aims to utilise the transformative power of music and creativity to strengthen community connections in the Ely and Caerau districts of Cardiff.
Ely Bridge will contribute to the wider work that is currently being carried out by Welsh Government and organisations such as Action in Caerau and Ely, to change perceptions and enhance the lives of people living in the area - which is considered to be within the top 10% most deprived areas in Wales.
This new programme of work from WNO will aim to create new and meaningful ways to break down communication barriers and build a bridge to help all in the community to live and work together. It will also facilitate a shared space where different types of people from all walks of life can interact and create art which celebrates the community.
Rakie Ayola said:
‘I’m delighted to be teaming up with Welsh National Opera, on this project which will give me the opportunity to give something back to the community I grew up in. I’m thrilled at the prospect of working alongside people of Ely and Caerau whilst engaging in creative activities that can bring real joy and positivity to an area which is often unfairly represented.’
‘This is a chance to utilise the extraordinary talents of people of all ages, as we create a new body of work which will reflect the rich community spirit that is still alive and well in Ely and Caerau.’
WNO workshops will be running in Ely and Caerau primary schools with an initial goal of engaging children aged 10-11 in music education, which is particularly impactful at a time when arts subjects are being side-lined by many schools in Wales due to financial constraints.
It is also significant because the targeted age group of the children has been identified as a pivotal age of transition. It is during this stage of development that pupils change from primary to secondary school, and they can often disengage with education as a result. There are numerous cases of children from the area being exploited at this age by organised criminal gangs who coerce them into drug trafficking through the practise of county lines.
Schools selected for this preliminary stage of the project include St Francis Roman Catholic Primary School and Herbert Thompson Primary School. This will later extend to secondary schools with associated work being carried out in Cardiff West Community High School. The hope is that this additional engagement will help to combat the complications associated with the transition between these key stages of education.
WNO Producer Sandra Taylor is leading on the project. She said:
‘WNO is able to offer unique opportunities for children and young people to work with highly skilled professionals, who can inspire and help raise aspirations. At a time when the arts are being squeezed from the curriculum, this project offers opportunities for creativity, an important part of learning that helps develop curiosity, imagination, choice making and, ultimately, those all-important problem-solving skills needed for future careers.’
This first phase will inform how the Ely Bridge project will progress, with WNO practitioners tailoring the next steps of the programme around the children’s own aspirations for the project.
WNO will then proceed to the next stage which will involve intergenerational activities which aim to bring the children together with parents, teachers and pillars of the community such as social workers, council members, first-responders and officers of the South Wales Police.
For further information, please visit wno.org.uk
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Notes to Editors
Welsh National Opera is the national opera company for Wales, funded by the Arts Councils of Wales and England to provide large scale opera, concerts and outreach work across Wales and to major cities in the English regions. We endeavour to provide transformative experiences through our education and outreach programme and our award-winning digital projects. We work with our partners to discover and nurture young operatic talent, and we aim to show future generations that opera is a rewarding, relevant and universal art form with the power to affect and inspire.
Rakie Ayola has worked extensively in theatre, tv, film and radio. Classical roles she has played include Lady Macbeth, Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Portia in The Merchant of Venice, Ariel in The Tempest, Viola, Olivia in Twelfth Night, Paulina in The Winter's Tale, and most recently Regan in the Talawa Theatre/ Manchester Royal Exchange production of King Lear which was subsequently screened on BBC4. The many theatre companies she has worked for include The Royal Shakespeare Company, Birmingham Rep, The National Theatre and Shakespeare's Globe. In the West End Rakie has played Siobhan/narrator in 'The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Night Time' and Hermione Granger in 'Harry Potter and The Cursed Child'. Her tv and film work includes Noughts and Crosses, Shetland, No Offence, Doctor Who -Midnight, Holby City, Been So Long and Dredd. She won a BAFTA Television Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in ‘Anthony’ in 2021 and was awarded with the Siân Phillips Award at the BAFTA CYMRU Awards in 2023.
WNO production images are available for download at wno.org.uk/press
For more information, photos or interviews please contact:
Rhys Edwards, Communications Manager
Penny James & Rachel Bowyer, Head of Communications (job-share)
penny.james@wno.org.uk / rachel.bowyer@wno.org.uk
wno.org.uk