Kamehameha - AniManga Lab

We’re very pleased to share that AniManga Lab has been selected for the Co-op Local Community Fund. Through this programme, the project will receive £500 from Co-op in March, alongside additional funding generated through Co-op members’ voluntary contributions. We’re also happy to confirm that over 200 local Co-op members have already chosen to support AniManga Lab. These funds will be used specifically to support creative manga and storytelling sessions for autistic young people in Dartford and Gravesend, delivered in collaboration with Autism South East. This support helps us continue offering structured, high-quality creative sessions led by professional artists, while strengthening our work with neurodivergent young people and their families. We’re grateful to Co-op and its members for supporting AniManga Lab and recognising the value of inclusive, community-led creative projects.

We’re happy to confirm that, thanks to in-kind support from Dartford Library, AniManga Lab will be able to deliver four additional sessions in February. Access to space and facilities has allowed us to extend the programme further, increasing opportunities for young people to take part without additional cost to the project. This kind of partnership is vital in helping projects like AniManga Lab grow sustainably and reach more participants. We look forward to continuing this collaboration as the programme develops.

We’re pleased to share an important update on the AniManga Lab project. Thanks to additional funding from Arts Council England, we have been able to extend the scope of the project beyond the original plan. This support allows us to: expand our outreach activity into Gravesend, work with a wider age range, up to 25 years, and include young people referred through Universal Credit / Jobcentre pathways, alongside those already engaged through libraries and community settings. This extension strengthens AniManga Lab’s role as a creative pathway supporting young people’s wellbeing, confidence, skills and progression through comics, storytelling and visual narrative. We’re grateful to Arts Council England for enabling this growth and for recognising the impact of the project.