A NORTH Yorkshire artist and a teenage arts group are among the beneficiaries of grants designed to help young people in the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales.

Almost £100,000 has been handed out by Great Place: Lakes and Dales, a project to encourage 16 to 34-year-olds to live and work locally.

Artist Rachel Thornton, whose studio is in High Bentham, plans to set up a creative exchange with a Scandinavian artist.

Rachel specialises in wood-based artwork and printing. The idea is the two artists will visit each other, run school workshops and showcase their work in joint exhibitions.

Freelance community artist Lana Grindley has secured funding for a new creative arts group to help vulnerable teenagers in Kendal.

Lana, who runs Love Art Workshops, said: “The group workshops will cover different mediums including print, fine art, stencilling and graffiti. We hope to have an exhibition and to link in with the Comic Arts Festival and Lakes Alive.

“The sessions will use art as a vehicle to provide a safe, welcoming and positive space for the participants. The aim is to help build confidence, self-esteem and resilience as well as improving mood. Sessions will also provide an opportunity to build new friendships and have positive trusted adult role models.”

Lana has teamed up with wellbeing charity Space2Create and Kendal Integrated Care Community for the project.

Kendal-based artist Josh Simpson is behind Picasso’s Playground, a project to bring a theatrical life-drawing experience for all the family to festivals and schools.

Josh runs The Art Mill, at Mealbank, along with his sister, Emily Dewhurst. He is teaming up with Kendal College and other local artists for Picasso’s Playground, and explained: "We will set up easels and there will be characters or objects to paint or draw.

"Performers will play the parts of famous artists and run the workshops giving advice on drawing techniques so everyone can create their own masterpieces and learn at the same time."

Characters are likely to include Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo and Salvador Dali.

Meanwhile, storytelling project Settle Stories has been given a grant to pay for a young person to work four days a week at its Settle base, helping to manage events.

Executive director Charles Tyrer said: “I am 28 and have lived locally since I was 14. I only have my job because I was lucky in volunteering with Settle Stories which grew into employment.

"All my peers who are into the arts are now in urban areas. I feel like there are few opportunities for young people to have a ‘proper job’ in the arts locally so this really matters. It is creating a real chance for somebody.”