Richmond-upon-Thames College

A grant was awarded to the Design Department of Richmond-upon-Thames College for a Google 3D Virtual Reality headset and hand controller system, combined with the Google Tilt Brush app. This system is a cutting-edge creative tool for designers that enables them to paint in their own virtual studios and create 3D works of art within a virtual world, and even provides a mirror option for artists to replicate their strokes in multiple planes of symmetry.

The system makes use of Google Chrome’s V8 Javascript engine for high-performance processing power to render large volumes of data in real time. This could include point cloud data of the artist’s physical form, 3D geometry data of the artwork, and position data of the VR controllers.  It relies on Chrome’s support of WebM video and WebGL to produce the 360° representations of the artists and artwork, allowing the artist to draw over 200,000 points at 30 times a second. It also allows them to share their creations as room-scale VR or animated video clips.

Denmark Farm Conservation Centre Managed by Shared Earth Trust

 

The Shared Earth Trust was set up 1987 to manage the 40 acre site that is now the Denmark Farm Conservation Centre a facility devoted to reconnecting people with nature and promoting biodiversity through educational activities in the local communities around Ceredigion, Wales. Four years ago the Shared Earth Trust decided to develop some accommodation at Denmark Farm in the form of an ‘Ecolodge’ with a view to generating income towards covering the core costs associated with the Shared Earth Trust. The Ecolodge has recently received the ‘Green Key’ tourism award for being one of the country’s most environmentally sustainable destinations.

 

The project funded by the DavidTyler Trust an audio box at a strategically important interpretation point on the farm, situated on part of the boardwalk accessible to all, including wheelchair users. It is adjacent to a small pond used for pond-dipping activities with a view out over the landscape beyond. It is a key point for highlighting the existing biodiversity and the management practices at Denmark Farm that have encouraged a range of habitats in contrast to the monoculture of the surrounding farmland. The ‘U Turn Round’ audio box is powered by individuals winding a handle, no external power source is required, which is in keeping with the sustainability message at Denmark Farm. The wind-up audio box will contain eight messages (four in English and  four in Welsh) about the diversity of habitats and the wildlife that these habitats support.

 

 

 

 

 

Tiverton Market Centre - Youth Development Initiatives

 

The Tiverton Centre in Tiverton, Cornwall, is dedicated to providing advice and support in the following areas, personal identity, relationships, family support, health, legal problems, counselling, education, substance and alcohol misuse, young parents’ issues, benefits, housing and employment. They build up long term relationships with ‘hard to reach’ disengaged young people, helping them get back on track and become positive members of the community!

For many of our young people, the Tiverton Centre is the only stable influence in their chaotic lives. They use a variety of skills and services to support the young people as they are all
individuals and need a personalised approach. Their aim is to make differences that will last a lifetime for these young people, not just about keeping disaffected young people entertained and off the streets for a few hours, but to add value and encourage them to develop into adults with a much better chance of coping in the world.   

The DavidTyler Trust award provided support for the Music Group, which continues to be very rewarding for the young people that use it with many learning the drums and guitar and some young people are even having singing lessons, as a tool for increasing their self-esteem and self-confidence. The music group runs as a rolling programme so that new members can join at any stage. The computer aided musical composition that they also offer is running very effectively with some of the young people producing some wonderful dance music of their own. They plan to build up enough of their music to put on to a CD so we can play it to the other young people during our main sessions.

 

 

 

 

 

‘This is Rubbish’ Educational Activities for ‘Waste Less, Live More’

This is Rubbish (TiR) is a community-based organisation formed in 2009 by volunteers that aims to communicate the preventable scale of food wasted in the UK, through policy research, community and arts led public events. TiR launched at Feeding the 5000 in 2009, a mass public food waste feast in Trafalgar Square. The event was produced in collaboration with Action Aid; FareShare; Save the Children and expert food waste author, Tristram Stuart. On that day This is Rubbish served 1000 litres of fruit ‘waste’ smoothies, pressed by pedal power and made from fruit that would have otherwise ended up in landfill. The campaign also gained extensive media coverage and 2000 signatories in a letter of support. The organisation now has an extensive portfolio of successful events through England and Wales.

In September 2013 This is Rubbish was awarded funding from The David Tyler Trust for our participation in and educational workshops linked to the Waste Less, Live More week. The funded activities started with a presentation by This is Rubbish at the Better Food For All conference that was a major part of Waste Less, LiveMore week. The talk was in the session entitled 'Communities –How do we as a nation move towards eating better whilst reducing waste?' focused on the creative and participatory methods Thisis Rubbish uses to engage people in the subject of large scale industry food waste. The conference was attended by approximately 150 people and was a very good opportunity to promote our further events to people actively involved in reducing food waste and informal, issue based education.

 

 

Pembroke College, Oxford

As a component of the outreach programme to enhance the diversity of the Oxford undergraduate enrollment, Pembroke College runs the Drucker-Tyler Easter Study Skills School targeted to students from East London and North West England, partially funded by the David Tyler Trust.  A selection of letters from the attendees this year is appended below:

Supporting Young Talent

It was of much delight  to the Trust that we were able to provide a
bursary to the Future Talent charity to support the nascent career of
one of its young musicians, Alex Wilson.

Alex is an exceptionally talented pianist from Skegness. He has won a number of prestigious awards and in 2007 he successfully auditioned for the Royal Northern College of Music Junior Department. Funding from Future Talent since the beginning of 2010 has enabled Alex to continue his studies there.

Studying at the RNCM has had an enormous impact on Alex’s musical development. Having access to some of the best teaching in the country has dramatically improved his standard of playing. He has recently won the Ian McPherson prize for the most outstanding student aged 12-14 and was also highlighted for outstanding academic achievement. He has taken part in many concerts as a soloist, as part of a duo, and also as the pianist in the RNCM Jazz Ensemble.

Grant to Richmond upon Thames College

Richmond upon Thames College, Twickenham, for course materials to support the
Performing Arts department.