Hampshire County Council's Music Service has been handed a £2.3 million grant from Arts Council England.

Targeted towards enhancing music provision for children and young people, the funding sees the Music Service taking a leading role in a local hub that will coordinate music education across Hampshire; making it one of 43 'Music Hubs' nationally.

The funds include £1.7 million for continued music education, and £600,000 towards instruments, equipment and technology.

Councillor Steve Forster, the County Council’s cabinet member for education, said: "Our Music Service supports thousands of children each year to discover the many wide-ranging benefits that music education brings, including to their social, physical and emotional wellbeing.

"We fully welcome this funding from Arts Council England which will enable us and our partners to further build on our already excellent provision, and to ensure that children of all backgrounds can continue to benefit from high quality musical opportunities.   

"To be selected to lead a Music Hub here in Hampshire is a great privilege and we are committed to making this a success, working with our partners to engage and empower our next generation of musicians to excel."

For further details, please visit https://hantsmusichub.org.uk.